Loving's Love by Neal V. Loving

Author:Neal V. Loving [Loving, Neal V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Smithsonian
Published: 2023-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

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With all the excitement of flying the racer I had not noticed the growing friendship between Earsly and Carl. In fact, when I found out about the relationship, they were already in love and making plans for their wedding in April 1951. This surprised many of my friends and relatives who thought Earsly and I would some day get married.

My first inkling of their romance was in December 1950 when Earsly invited me to her apartment for a pre-Christmas dinner. On entering her apartment I was surprised to see Carl already there. They used this occasion to tell me of their engagement and at that moment it was difficult to tell which of the three of us was the happiest! They made an ideal couple, sharing the same deep love of aviation that would become an integral part of their marriage. I felt privileged to be a part of this wonderful, new lifelong partnership.

During dinner Carl asked if I would be interested in driving to New York City over the holidays to visit his family. He was enrolled in a master’s degree program at the University of Michigan Civil Engineering College but had arranged time off for the trip. Fortunately I had just bought a 1949 Buick Roadmaster two-door sedan and was looking for an opportunity to try it out on the highway. However, the winter of 1950/1951 turned out to be one of the worst on record and traveling conditions were not favorable. Undaunted, and with high hopes, we left Detroit on the first leg of our trip to the “Big Apple.”

Bad weather made the roads barely driveable. We headed eastward for our planned visit with Earsly’s sister Henrene Yuille and her family. They owned a small farm near the little town of Delmont, Pennsylvania, 30 miles east of Pittsburgh. Their farm was located off a small country road quite a distance from the main highway. Snow was piled so high along the sides of the country road we had difficulty picking out the correct driveway. All the driveways we passed looked alike, and if we drove up the wrong one we would be unable to turn around and return to the main road, which would have left us dangerously stranded. Luckily we chose the right one and soon we were able to see the snow-covered, rambling farm home of the Yuille family.

Making our way through the shoveled path to the door we were met by Henrene and her husband, Sydney. He had been waiting for us, ready with his tractor to pull us out of the snow if necessary. The ensuing hours were filled with family news and they were especially happy to learn that Carl was about to become their brother-in-law. We enjoyed our short visit with the Yuilles and for me it was a special opportunity to renew my friendship with little Sydney and Marilyn. I had not seen them since they had come to Detroit to help me celebrate my Christmas away from the hospital in 1944.

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