Magdalena Duncan and her husband, Don, share time on their 70th wedding anniversary at Tracy Convalescent Hospital, where Magdalena, who has Alzheimer’s disease, lives. Glenn Moore/Our Town
Every day, Don stops by Tracy Convalescent Hospital to help feed his longtime sweetheart, who lives with Alzheimer’s disease. He stops in twice a day, to feed her lunch at noon and dinner at 4 p.m.
“I love my wife a lot. If it was the other way around, she would do the same thing for me. It’s just the way I feel about it,” Duncan said. “My son John comes every Wednesday afternoon, also.”
Together, the Duncans reached a milestone this week, marking their 70th wedding anniversary on Tuesday.
The couple, who met in Modesto and later got married in Reno on George Washington’s birthday in 1941, have four kids, six grandchildren, 15 great-children, and three great-great grandchildren.
Magdalena was born and raised in Tracy.
“When I first met her, she was an awfully pretty girl, and I fell in love,” said Don, who met Magdalena Fink because his sister was dating her brother. “We have four children, so that kept us both busy.”
Don worked at Globe Cleaners from 1946 through 1975 and then the Tracy Ice and Development Co. until 1986, when he retired. Magdalena was a homemaker, making the kids’ clothes and cooking the family’s meals.
“She was great. All my kids turned out real good, never had a problem with any of them,” Don said.
The couple shared several interests.
Besides spending time with their children, they would ballroom dance as part of a dance club at the Tracy Inn every Saturday night in the ’50s and ’60s. And Magdalena attended her husband’s softball games on Sundays for 20 years.
The couple also traveled to Germany, Holland, France and the Hawaiian Islands.
“We always had a good time,” Don said.
But things changed following the couple’s 60th anniversary. Every day for the past nine years, Don has taken care of Magdalena at Tracy Convalescent Hospital.
Memories of their past times together remain, though, and pictures of the couple adorn the hospital walls. Included are their wedding photo, their 25th anniversary photo, and their 60th anniversary photo.
“They get a big kick out of it, because my wife and I, we were only 18 when we got married,” Don said.
“As far as my wife and I, we got along real well together. It’s just something that just happened and stayed that way for 70 years.”
• In the Spotlight is an occasional feature that highlights the people in Tracy and Mountain House who make their community special. To nominate someone, e-mail tpourtown@tracypress.com.
The love between them is wonderful to see everyday!
Congratulations to you both from all your family members here at Tracy Con!!!
I'm happy to see the TP publish feel-good stories.
I raise a toast to Mr. and Mrs. Duncan for living the dream! Each of them found the needle in the haystack, and have held on to it for 70 plus years.
My Mom and Dad have been married for 56 years, I hope they make to their 70th. If they do, I should get them a card. Not that I'm cheap or anything like that.
Such great things to hear in the hard times we are having.