By Nila Harris
“If you put God first, then everything else will fall into place,” Beulah Elrod said as she talked about her 75 years of marriage to Alton Elrod.
On Jan. 22, 1949, Beulah Schlueter and Alton Elrod were married by Reverend W. M. Lenox in the preacher’s home. Cousin Mary Jo Hanson and her husband, Adarin, stood by their side.
The love story of a Bracken County boy and a Pendleton County girl began with skating and a movie. Alton was friends with Randall Schlueter and suggested that they go see a movie one night. Randall told Alton that he couldn’t go, because he had promised to take his sister Beulah roller skating. Alton told Randall, “Bring her,” and the rest as they say, is history.
Although Beulah didn’t go to the movies with the boys, she must have made an impression on young Alton. After he picked her up from skating and dropped the Schlueter kids off at their house, Alton decided to stick around and talk to the pretty Schlueter girl. As he was leaving, he asked Beulah if he could come back the next night. She told him yes, and he came back the next night, and the next…
Seventy-five years of marriage brings many ups and downs. The day the two got married was also the day Randall left for the service in the U.S. Army. “It was hard to leave mom and dad,” said Beulah. The two started their married life in Bracken County, but soon “I brought him to Pendleton County” when they bought a small farm in Caddo. It was there that they raised their two children, Phyllis Elrod Kelsch and Rick Elrod.
Life for the Elrods centered around worshiping God at Cemetery Chapel Church, where Alton served as a deacon for many years and Beulah helped with Bible School. Beulah also loved helping and serving food for funeral dinners. “Mom makes a scrumptious blackberry cake and was always a great cook,” said Kelsch. They both enjoyed playing softball at Cemetery Chapel too.
On the farm, they raised chickens, hogs, beef and dairy cattle, and a garden was a necessity. Beulah cared for the children and kept up with the home while Alton drove a milk truck. He hauled milk for Thomas & Flaugher, then the Flaugher Brothers, and finally for the Buser brothers. After 44 years, he retired, but his time behind the wheel did not end there. One day Marianne Klee Roseberry came in Phyllis’s husband Lee’s store in Brooksville and said, “I need someone who is friendly to drive a delivery van for us (Klee’s Wholesale).” Lee quickly informed her, “I know just the man.” This led to 14 years of Alton driving for Klee’s.
The Elrods have been blessed with their two children, plus seven grandchildren, the late Stephen Elrod, the late Nicholas Elrod, Jon Elrod, Kellie Turner, Kent Kelsch, Jenna O’Hara and Natalie Stewart. They delight in 14 great grands, as well: Mackie and MacKenna Turner, Carson, Kensleigh and Cooper Kelsch, Kamden, Isabella, and Briella O’Hara, Hallie and Kai Stewart, and Collins, Merritt, Tripp and Campbell Elrod.
When asked about the longevity of their marriage, Beulah stated that it was due to “hard work, going to church, and being part of God’s family.” She added that you should “always be honest, patient, and love one another.”
And Alton gives this advice to young people today, “Always mind your parents, don’t sneak around and do something you shouldn’t do. If someone asks you for a favor, do it for them.” Words of wisdom from a lifetime of love and caring for each other and others.