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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, April 15, 2001


For Better, For Worse
An unlikely match ended up her soulmate

By Lynn Von

Our family had a good laugh at a recent Sunday dinner, imagining what it would have been like if I had met their father when I first came to these beautiful Islands over 30 years ago.

I would have been 19, he, just 12. I have seen school pictures of my husband at age 12 — chubby; with carefully combed and pomaded hair; thick black dorky glasses; complete with a bow tie and a bashful smile.

As it turned out, I met Walter on the University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus in the fall of 1977. I was returning to school as an "older" student, and he led one of my freshman seminar classes. He drove a motorcycle, wore shoulder-length hair and I'm pretty sure one of his ears was pierced.

We talked about music a lot, and he invited me to a Bob James concert at Andrews Amphitheater. Sitting on the lawn with hundreds of other jazz fans was wonderful. I remember being surprised when he rested his arm on my leg. I enjoyed his company, but he was certainly not my type!

But unexpected things happen. He wore me down with his smooth moves. There were the mystery dates (costumed as a sheik and one of his harem for the Halloween showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at the old Queen Theater in Kaimuki), lovely dinners (Hy's Steak House, the Third Floor and Philip Paolo's) and motorcycle rides to the North Shore. And many more concerts: Jimmy Cliff, Seawind, Pat Metheny and a memorable Kool Jazz Festival at the Waikiki Shell with Chuck Mangione and Muddy Waters!

A great friendship turned to love. We were married on June 7, 1980, in the La'ie Hawai'i Temple.

I have a collection of love letters, special gifts and mementos that Walter has given me over the years. It started with his mother's old sewing machine and roses tucked inside my apartment screen door from the UH days. Stained glass mirrors, candles, carved koa boxes, gourmet food, beautiful books and music have followed.

He writes a valentine to me each year and puts my favorite mail catalogs under my pillow. He appears at my workplace, unannounced, with craft-fair jewelry or flowers in hand. He tries to keep the yard, garage and his side of the room tidy because he knows it makes me happy. He expresses his respect and love and the pleasure he has for me in all these ways and more. And no one is a better kisser than Walter.

Walter is generous, funny, romantic and thoughtful. He's always ready to help others. He doesn't hesitate to track down (and eliminate) suspicious odors coming from underneath the house. He plays a mean game of Boggle with his daughters, surfs nearly everyday and is completely computer-literate. His current project is correcting the feng shui in our bedroom. Evidently we had been living under a sentence of death, as we were sleeping with our heads under the window!

In a few short months, Walter and I will celebrate our 21st anniversary. It's true — time does fly when you're having fun. And get this, he still knocks my socks off! I sure wouldn't have known that if I had met him when he was just 12 years old!

The Vons live in Makiki and have four children.

Do you have a great love story? What are your best stories or advice on marriage and making the magic last? Do you have a story from your wedding or wedding-planning advice? Send your letter of 500-750 words with your city and phone number to: For Better, For Worse, 'Ohana Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; e-mail ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 535-8170. Sending a photo is optional.