In the digital age of online dating and dating apps where singles can begin their search for love by creating a profiles on a website like eharmony or make an even faster decision by taking a quick minute on an application like Tinder by swiping left or right to instantly select who you are interested in or not, the path to love has certainly changed over the years. What hasn’t changed is that the desire for love is still the same. For some, the thought of dating online has never crossed their minds and frankly was never necessary for local residents Cal and Marina Campbell, who fell in love after their paths literally crossed in the workplace.
The Campbell’s are both active in the Riverbank community with Cal voted in to represent the community as a Riverbank City Councilmember and both serving on the Historical Society Board, among other activities.
They have been married for 42 years and have lived in Riverbank for 32 years. They have a son Joel; he and his wife Brandy have three boys, Wiley, Jaco, and Jackson.
The couple began teaching at Cardozo Middle School in 1974 where Marina taught kindergarten and Cal taught fifth grade.
“What attracted me about Cal was his blond hair and I thought he was cute,” said Marina. “I also heard from another teacher how nice he was.”
“She was a very beautiful, soft-spoken, and gentle person who loved teaching as much as I did,” said Cal. “She asked me to make a wooden alphabet puzzle for her kindergarten students in January 1975. After cutting it into pieces and putting the letters on it, Marina helped paint the pieces. I asked her out on our first date on February 11th.”
They enjoy each other’s company in whatever they may do. Some of their favorite things to do together are reading by the pool, walking on the beach, playing board games, going to Disneyland, and traveling to new places. They also enjoy spending time with a new addition to the family, a dog named Quake.
“You need to show respect for each other, spend as much time as you can together, and compromise when you don’t agree on things,” expressed Cal and Marina on keeping a happy marriage. “Don’t try to change each other and respect each other‘s viewpoint. Also, it’s important to enjoy each other’s hobbies even though one may not enjoy them as much as the other.”
Relationships can be difficult and take work on both sides to have a healthy and balanced life together. There may not be any secret to a happy marriage, the two agreed, but there are some basics they believe should be a part of daily life.
“We feel that if you truly love one another and work together in your marriage, that balance, honesty, compromise, friendship, and fun will come naturally,” added the united couple. “Our 42 years of marriage have been a wonderful experience and we embrace the rest of our journey together.”
The Campbell’s will be celebrating Valentine’s Day together and they also celebrated on Feb. 11, which is the anniversary of their first date where their love story began all those years ago. It is a story that continues to unfold.
