By FRED KRONER
The date was Aug. 4.
The year was 1950.
It was a Friday.
For many, it was a day like any other during a Midwestern summer.
For Gene Rinkel and Margaret Causey, it was to be one of the most special days in their life.
It was the day that two young lovebirds, who grew up in different states before meeting in college, had picked to get married.
They weren’t alone in that regard. In 1950, there were one million, 677 thousand marriages in the United States, which averages out to around 4,567 a day.
In any case, less than a month from now, there will be another Aug. 4.
It will be the 75th wedding anniversary for the Rinkels, who have called Mahomet home for more than six decades.
This isn’t a story you are likely to have heard often or will hear frequently in the future.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, just one-tenth of one percent of all marriages nationally ever reach the 70-year mark.
In a 2024 report in the Catholic Times, population experts estimated that roughly 1,000 couples in America had been married at least 75 years.
The Rinkels, who still live in their home, will soon join an elite and exclusive club.
Recognition may be coming their way.
The Lutheran Church of Mahomet has organized a card shower as an anniversary tribute. Those wishing to send their greetings to the couple can do so by mailing cards to Lutheran Church of Mahomet c/o Gene and Margaret Rinkel, 410 Andover Drive, Mahomet, IL 61853.
While raising two children (Steve and Karen), the Rinkels have shared a lifetime together. They even share similar thoughts about what it takes to reach the rare and unique 75-year milestone.
Their voices virtually echoed one another as they noted:
–they are still in love;
–they have respect for each other;
–they have a good time together;
–they are patient with one another;
–they accept that neither is perfect, but that both are perfect for each other.
They were introduced to each other through food. Specifically, they were each working in the same dormitory kitchen at Greenville (Illinois) College.
Gene Rinkel washed dishes.
Margaret Causey dried dishes.
Reports told to family members is that they were mutually smitten.
However, had it not been for the chance decision of each teen-ager to attend Greenville College, and then to seek on-campus employment, the couple likely would have never met.
Margaret Causey grew up in Macon, Ga.
Gene Rinkel was from Farina, Ill.
To get to the college located about 50 miles east of St. Louis, Margaret Causey had to travel nearly 625 miles from her hometown.
For Gene Rinkel, the trip was about 50 miles.
Some things are meant to be.
There was one other historical footnote to their meeting. Gene Rinkel was one of 12 children, but the only one who attended college.
Following his time at Greenville, Gene Rinkel decided to attend Seminary School in Lexington, Ky., with plans to become a Free Methodist minister.
During that time, the former Land of Lincoln residents chose the community of Lincoln for their nuptials.
Exchanging vows was the highlight of that Aug. 4 day. Less satisfying were the pictures of the event.
Steve Rinkel, who also lives in Mahomet, recounts the story he has heard from his parents.
“Mom’s dad came up from Georgia and hired a photographer for the wedding,” Steve says. “However, he skipped town after the wedding, taking the money and the pictures.”
Before the photographer’s abrupt departure, the couple had managed to acquire one picture, and that photo now represents their entire wedding album.
“Sort of sad that there were scammers even back then,” Steve Rinkel adds. “My grandfather, being an out-of-stater, hired the wrong person.”
The newlyweds didn’t have a permanent residence throughout the first decade-plus of their marriage.
Gene Rinkel was assigned to churches in Athens, Ga., Davenport, Iowa, and Aurora, Ill.
Though they struggled financially, Margaret Rinkel did not work, but not by choice. The Free Methodists did not like for the wives of preachers to hold a job.
She was a stay-at-home mom.
By 1963, the couple decided that changes were imperative and inevitable. Gene Rinkel left the ministry and enrolled at the University of Illinois to further his education, studying Library Science.
Margaret Rinkel was intrigued by a job opening for an English teacher at Mahomet-Seymour High School, and submitted an application.
Just two years after the new high school building (which is now the overcrowded junior high school building) was opened, she started what would be a 31-year tenure in the district.
She retired in 1994.
This year marks the same number of years that she has been retired as the number of years she taught at M-S.
Gene Rinkel wound up working for the University of Illinois. He was the Curator of Special Collections at the Rare Book Room, where he devoted his time for parts of five decades.
He retired in 2006, at age 78, and was a Professor Emeritus.
His job with the Library involved acquiring collections from around the world.
“Two of his specialties,” Steve Rinkel recalls, “were the collections of H.G. Wells and Carl Sandburg.”
Traveling was a prominent part of how the Rinkel family spent their summers when their children were young.
Steve Rinkel has carried on that tradition with his wife when their now-adult children were young.
“Jill and I went on an Alaskan cruise last September, which was my 50th state visited,” Steve Rinkel says. “The only reason I was able to accomplish that is that my parents took us to 36 states while we were growing up.
“They would go a different direction every summer, all by car. I will always be grateful for that.”
In retirement, Gene and Margaret RInkel have had their hobbies to keep them busy, including each becoming a published author.
Gene Rinkel wrote a book on H.G. Wells: The Picshuas of H.G. Wells: A Burlesque Diary.
Margaret Rinkel, in 2019 at age 91, published a book of poetry about women in the Bible: The Plowshare and The Sword.
Beyond that, Gene Rinkel enjoys gardening and cooking while Margaret Rinkel likes to read and writes poetry.
They have five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
While the elder Rinkels will soon reach 75 years of marriage, son Steve Rinkel feels like celebrating, too.
“I will be 71 (later this month) and still have my parents,” he says. “It’s a blessing.”
So, too, are Gene (now 96) and Margaret (now 97).
Personally, I can speak from experience about the woman I got to know in the early 1970s as “Mrs. Rinkel.” She was one of my high school English teachers.
A half-century later, I still recall how she introduced acting (voice acting) into my life. She developed a unit on Shakespeare where the entire class took turns reading aloud from our seats, where we had the opportunity to put feeling into the words on the pages.
To this day, I don’t feel like I missed my calling, but I am forever grateful to have that cherished memory.
It’s like an acquaintance once said, she made “everyone feel like they were somebody,” regardless of whether they were an exemplary student or struggling to get by.
Any way it is viewed, Gene and Margaret Rinkel are special people who share a special love. Their story is truly one for the books. Even after 75 years, it is not old. It’s refreshing.
By FRED KRONER
The date was Aug. 4.
The year was 1950.
It was a Friday.
For many, it was a day like any other during a Midwestern summer.
For Gene Rinkel and Margaret Causey, it was to be one of the most special days in their life.
It was the day that two young lovebirds, who grew up in different states before meeting in college, had picked to get married.
They weren’t alone in that regard. In 1950, there were one million, 677 thousand marriages in the United States, which averages out to around 4,567 a day.
In any case, less than a month from now, there will be another Aug. 4.
It will be the 75th wedding anniversary for the Rinkels, who have called Mahomet home for more than six decades.
This isn’t a story you are likely to have heard often or will hear frequently in the future.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, just one-tenth of one percent of all marriages nationally ever reach the 70-year mark.
In a 2024 report in the Catholic Times, population experts estimated that roughly 1,000 couples in America had been married at least 75 years.
The Rinkels, who still live in their home, will soon join an elite and exclusive club.
Recognition may be coming their way.
The Lutheran Church of Mahomet has organized a card shower as an anniversary tribute. Those wishing to send their greetings to the couple can do so by mailing cards to Gene and Margaret Rinkel at 402 Weathering Drive, Mahomet, Ill., 61853.
While raising two children (Steve and Karen), the Rinkels have shared a lifetime together. They even share similar thoughts about what it takes to reach the rare and unique 75-year milestone.
Their voices virtually echoed one another as they noted:
–they are still in love;
–they have respect for each other;
–they have a good time together;
–they are patient with one another;
–they accept that neither is perfect, but that both are perfect for each other.
They were introduced to each other through food. Specifically, they were each working in the same dormitory kitchen at Greenville (Illinois) College.
Gene Rinkel washed dishes.
Margaret Causey dried dishes.
Reports told to family members is that they were mutually smitten.
However, had it not been for the chance decision of each teen-ager to attend Greenville College, and then to seek on-campus employment, the couple likely would have never met.
Margaret Causey grew up in Macon, Ga.
Gene Rinkel was from Farina, Ill.
To get to the college located about 50 miles east of St. Louis, Margaret Causey had to travel nearly 625 miles from her hometown.
For Gene Rinkel, the trip was about 50 miles.
Some things are meant to be.
There was one other historical footnote to their meeting. Gene Rinkel was one of 12 children, but the only one who attended college.
Following his time at Greenville, Gene Rinkel decided to attend Seminary School in Lexington, Ky., with plans to become a Free Methodist minister.
During that time, the former Land of Lincoln residents chose the community of Lincoln for their nuptials.
Exchanging vows was the highlight of that Aug. 4 day. Less satisfying were the pictures of the event.
Steve Rinkel, who also lives in Mahomet, recounts the story he has heard from his parents.
“Mom’s dad came up from Georgia and hired a photographer for the wedding,” Steve says. “However, he skipped town after the wedding, taking the money and the pictures.”
Before the photographer’s abrupt departure, the couple had managed to acquire one picture, and that photo now represents their entire wedding album.
“Sort of sad that there were scammers even back then,” Steve Rinkel adds. “My grandfather, being an out-of-stater, hired the wrong person.”
The newlyweds didn’t have a permanent residence throughout the first decade-plus of their marriage.
Gene Rinkel was assigned to churches in Athens, Ga., Davenport, Iowa, and Aurora, Ill.
Though they struggled financially, Margaret Rinkel did not work, but not by choice. The Free Methodists did not like for the wives of preachers to hold a job.
She was a stay-at-home mom.
By 1963, the couple decided that changes were imperative and inevitable. Gene Rinkel left the ministry and enrolled at the University of Illinois to further his education, studying Library Science.
Margaret Rinkel was intrigued by a job opening for an English teacher at Mahomet-Seymour High School, and submitted an application.
Just two years after the new high school building (which is now the overcrowded junior high school building) was opened, she started what would be a 31-year tenure in the district.
She retired in 1994.
This year marks the same number of years that she has been retired as the number of years she taught at M-S.
Gene Rinkel wound up working for the University of Illinois. He was the Curator of Special Collections at the Rare Book Room, where he devoted his time for parts of five decades.
He retired in 2006, at age 78, and was a Professor Emeritus.
His job with the Library involved acquiring collections from around the world.
“Two of his specialties,” Steve Rinkel recalls, “were the collections of H.G. Wells and Carl Sandburg.”
Traveling was a prominent part of how the Rinkel family spent their summers when their children were young.
Steve Rinkel has carried on that tradition with his wife when their now-adult children were young.
“Jill and I went on an Alaskan cruise last September, which was my 50th state visited,” Steve Rinkel says. “The only reason I was able to accomplish that is that my parents took us to 36 states while we were growing up.
“They would go a different direction every summer, all by car. I will always be grateful for that.”
In retirement, Gene and Margaret RInkel have had their hobbies to keep them busy, including each becoming a published author.
Gene Rinkel wrote a book on H.G. Wells: The Picshuas of H.G. Wells: A Burlesque Diary.
Margaret Rinkel, in 2019 at age 91, published a book of poetry about women in the Bible: The Plowshare and The Sword.
Beyond that, Gene Rinkel enjoys gardening and cooking while Margaret Rinkel likes to read and writes poetry.
They have five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
While the elder Rinkels will soon reach 75 years of marriage, son Steve Rinkel feels like celebrating, too.
“I will be 71 (later this month) and still have my parents,” he says. “It’s a blessing.”
So, too, are Gene (now 96) and Margaret (now 97).
Personally, I can speak from experience about the woman I got to know in the early 1970s as “Mrs. Rinkel.” She was one of my high school English teachers.
A half-century later, I still recall how she introduced acting (voice acting) into my life. She developed a unit on Shakespeare where the entire class took turns reading aloud from our seats, where we had the opportunity to put feeling into the words on the pages.
To this day, I don’t feel like I missed my calling, but I am forever grateful to have that cherished memory.
It’s like an acquaintance once said, she made “everyone feel like they were somebody,” regardless of whether they were an exemplary student or struggling to get by.
Any way it is viewed, Gene and Margaret Rinkel are special people who share a special love. Their story is truly one for the books. Even after 75 years, it is not old. It’s refreshing.
Happy Anniversary to a fantastic couple. Mrs. Rinkel was one of my teachers throughout high school and I would choose the classes she taught because she had a way of making you understand WHATEVER she was teaching. She taught with patience, understanding and compassion. She made you want to learn. Being friends with their daughter Karen, I also spent many weekend nights at their home where I always felt welcomed. Two fantastic people who deserve the best of everything in life.