Married 53 Years: Ayako Kawakami & Harold “Pete” Petersen
A chance meeting in a Mojiko, Japan mess hall attracted 19-year-old army staff sergeant Pete to 17-year-old visitor Ayako.
Despite language barriers, the pair clicked, later marrying and moving to America. Today, Saint Germain, Wisconsin-based Ayako,
72, and Pete, 74, who have three daughters, try to visit Japan once a year, sometimes bringing their five grandkids to point
out to them where they met.
Video by Gillian Laub
Video by Gillian Laub
Their Secrets to a Happy Marriage
1“My father always told me, ‘Marry a smart man.’ Because if I married a smart man, I would never starve,” says Ayako.
2“Let her go shopping. More than once, I’ve left a garage sale and gone to get my truck to carry all her antiques home. But
true to Japanese tradition, we tolerate and accept every part of each other’s personalities,” says Pete.
3“When we just started out, Pete used to lose his temper a lot. The stress of his police job got to him. I always stayed calm,
and soon he wanted to handle things like I do,” says Ayako.
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