At just 19 years old, Robert Rybak and his fiancé Evadean drove all the way from Columbus, Ohio to Bryson City. Too scared to ask their parents for permission, the couple made the trip to North Carolina to secretly get married. February 22 marked 50 years of marriage for the couple.

Robert, who was in the Air Force, and Evadean, an operator at Ohio Bell, met at a popular restaurant near the Air Force Base.  She was there with a friend, and he showed up after a USO dance.  Evadean’s friend teased her saying she wouldn’t be able to get a date with Robert.  She proved her friend wrong. The two met and soon fell in love.

Robert and Evadean made the trip to Bryson City from Ohio again recently to rediscover the place that holds so many special memories.  The wedding took place at the Swain County Courthouse with Justice of the Peace O Neal Muse and witnesses Odis Sitton and Percival DeHart.  The couple was very excited to find the courthouse and both remarked, “It looks so much smaller now!”

Photo by Jennifer Wilson