It’s not often that children are able to celebrate their parents’ 70th
wedding anniversary. So, it is with great joy that we share this milestone of our parents, Jim and Ellie Batt. They were married on Easter Monday, April 6, 1953, at St. Gerard’s Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo, N.Y. Both had attended college where Ellie (née Suchan) studied music and Jim studied math and philosophy. After marriage, Jim returned to college earning another degree in engineering. After Jim’s brief army assignment in El Paso, Texas, they returned to Buffalo and Jim went to work for DuPont as an electrical engineer. They settled in the suburban neighborhood of Eggertsville as the next years flew by raising their ever-growing family of ten children.
One of the first gifts Jim gave Ellie was a Singer sewing machine. “Practical,” he thought. Ellie’s mother pulled Jim aside with gentle chiding, “Jim, women like jewelry!” Nonetheless, that Singer sewing machine stretched many a thin dollar as Ellie mended clothing, sewed drapes, curtains, and much clothing over the years. She taught the girls to sew as well. They quickly learned that “new clothing” meant marching off to the department store, picking out a pattern and cloth, and starting to sew! Unlike most modern home appliances, that Singer sewing machine is still humming through the years!
Weekends revolved around chores and preparation for Sunday. The girls cleaned and caught up on the laundry. Outside work was reserved for the boys. However, the boys also polished the family shoes each Saturday, making sure that all looked their Sunday best. Ellie made batches of sweet rolls each Saturday afternoon that were routinely demolished after Sunday Mass. Jim’s secret trick to keep the family punctual was setting the kitchen wall clock five minutes fast. That usually saved the Sunday morning slow pokes who ran down the street to Church as the Mass bells rang.
For many years the summer highlight was a couple of weeks spent in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. It was about an eight-hour drive from Buffalo and the drive itself created its own memories. Often using two cars winding up the switchback roads, those of us driving with Mom knew to sing lots of songs to keep her focused, awake, and alert. Those are moments more humorous as the years pass! Once arriving at our destination, we clamored from the car into the large old mountain cabin home to claim our own spaces as the many bedrooms provided us the privacy unheard at home. Each day all the children headed off to the community center, where summer counselors ran daily camp activities for all the kids, giving Jim and Ellie a much-welcomed respite!
In 1974, Jim transferred to DuPont’s Cleveland plant. The family relocated to Adelbert Street in Berea. Most Batt children attended Berea High School and enjoyed the many opportunities to participate in sports and extra-curricular activities. And as the family grew, the older ones moved away, some pursuing college, others heading directly into careers. In 1985, Jim opted for an early-retirement. This meant Jim and Ellie had time to travel. There were friends and family to visit in Florida, grown children’s families to visit across the states. Simply put, Jim and Ellie’s world expanded!
Family weddings and grandbabies continued…the family grew! From that singular couple in 1953 who said, “I do!” came ten children, followed by thirty-three grandchildren, and thirty-two great-grandchildren. We are a large and loving family who are so grateful for the love and presence of our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents…Jim and Ellie!