Albarados say 50 years goes by in the blink of an eye

By Julia Wolf

Longtime Cadott residents Anson and Donna (Klay) Albarado hit a milestone achievement in June, celebrating 50 years of marriage.

The couple met during Donna’s first year and Anson’s second year at UW-Stout. In one of their earliest meetings, the two ended up shooting pool.

“And I whooped your butt,” said Donna, with a laugh.

Anson says he promised his dad that he would graduate from college before he got married. So, they dated for about three years, during which time Donna took a break from school and worked as a nurse’s aide. They got engaged Anson’s senior year.

“My engagement present from him, was a canoe,” said Donna.

Anson made the canoe at Stout. After the first ride in the craft, Donna says she refused to get in it again because every stroke of the paddle almost tipped them out.

“Yeah, we weren’t compatible on a canoe,” laughed Anson.

Anson graduated in May, and June 9, 1973, the two were married.

The wedding took place at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Cadott, which, other than the addition, Donna says looks much the same now as it did then.

“Same color, everything,” said Donna. Donna, who was from Cadott, says Anson’s parents always wanted him to come back to his home-state, Hawaii, and teach on the islands, but at the time, there were no tech ed positions open and those openings did not come up often. Anson says, before they got married, they decided that if they were going to move to Hawaii, they should do it right away.

“All my friends were up here, so it was kind of a natural thing to stay up here,” said Anson.

Anson says he never hears anybody in Hawaii who wants to vacation in Wisconsin, but the opposite is true. For their honeymoon, they spent a month in Hawaii.

Donna says Anson was the only person she knew on the honeymoon, but the other family members knew it was a learning experience for her and were good about explaining things, including when it came to language differences.

“I tried everything,” said Donna, who said Anson would lean over and tell her what she was eating.

Her brothers-in-law took her for a very dusty dune buggy ride, and in the evening, the uncles would bring their ukuleles and sing.

Anson’s first job was in Racine, where he taught for four years. When they first moved in, the gas wasn’t hooked up. His mother gave them a rice pot, which came in handy, and is still in use.

“We survived, for what, all weekend, and then some, on sardines and rice,” said Donna.

Anson says he enjoyed teaching there, though they had an inkling that he wouldn’t stay for very long. Their son, Andy, was also born during that time.

“It was funny how I got the job up here,” said Anson.

He says they were driving through Cadott to pick up her parents, on their way to a family function in North Dakota. Somehow, people at the school knew they were in town and asked Anson if he wanted an interview for a tech ed teacher position. Anson interviewed and they called to offer him the position that same night, before they left town.

“It kind of worked out pretty good,” said Anson.

They had their daughter, Jill, after the move and Donna was a stay at home mom until Jill went to school. Then, Donna went back to school herself and started out as the elementary media specialist in Cadott, before eventually becoming the district media specialist and tech coordinator.

Anson also taught drivers ed, part-time. He says he likes the philosophy that a family that plays together, stays together, and that they always tried to involve the kids in whatever they were doing, whether that was attending athletic events, fishing or bowling.

They also always made an effort to sit down for supper together as a family, even when the kids had sports practices.

Now, Andy is married, with two stepchildren, and works as the Sawyer County administrator. Jill is the lead graphic designer for Pacific Cycle.

Donna says trips to Hawaii were always interesting for her and made for some of the most memorable times.

“If we go anywhere, it’s always back to Hawaii,” said Anson.

Donna says, even though they live in Wisconsin, they raised the kids to know Anson’s culture, too. She says she tried to cook different foods, adapting recipes to fit with the ingredients she could find, so it wasn’t so unfamiliar for them when they were “back home” in Hawaii.

When their 25th wedding anniversary came around, Donna was in the process of pursuing her master’s degree. She did a research paper on Father Damien, who cared for the needs of victims with leprosy, on the island of Moloka‘i, Hawaii. Donna told Anson, who doesn’t love touristing, she wanted to go to Moloka‘i to see where the leper colony used to be. So, she made arrangements for them to ride mules down a mountain, through switchbacks.

“The butt of your mule was hanging over the edge,” said Donna, describing the narrow trail.

Donna says the riders were arranged by experience level for the trek, so she was up front, while Anson, who had more riding experience, was farther back. The rider in front of Donna kept stopping her mule, so Donna’s mule would bite it.

“He’s in the back, yelling, ‘I paid good money to do this!’” said Donna, who laughed at the memories. “You were the only person I heard.”

Donna served on the school board and Anson on the village board, for a number of years.

Now, they spend time volunteering with Come Now and Eat, Backpack Buddies and the pop-up pantry, and keep busy helping out at St. John’s Lutheran Church. The two also enjoy watching the Brewers play.

When it comes to tips for a long marriage, the couple says compromise is key.

“It’s a give and take,” said Donna. They say their marriage has been an adventure, but agreed that is part of the fun and brought some good laughs.

“It’s been a good 50 years,” said Anson. “I can’t complain.”

“It seems like, in a blink, it was 50 years,” said Donna.