Carl and Ruth Shorter

Carl Shorter, Homer’s grandson, and my grandpa attended school at Pellston High School, in Pellston, Michigan. When he was a senior, a girl named Ruth transferred to Pellston after the Levering High School was closed, and it was then that Carl and Ruth met. Carl was the class president and a basketball player. He also worked at the pharmacy in town. Carl courted Ruth by walking to Levering from his home in Pellston. He would fill his pockets with treats for Ruth’s younger siblings. One time, they broke up and the siblings refused to talk to Ruth until she started dating Carl again!

In order to obtain the marriage license, Carl had to take his younger brother with him to Cheboygan County on November 1, 1934. It was Ruth’s 18th birthday and the license was his gift to her. He had to bribe his brother with a candy bar to keep quiet! They married on February 17, 1935. However, they kept their marriage a secret from everyone for several months as they were both working. You see, it was the Great Depression and only one job was allowed per couple. Once they had announced their marriage they moved to Petoskey in 1935.