In looking back on 70 years of married life, Ed and Marianne Pirik of Columbus used one phrase.
“With God’s help, we got through,” one or the other would say as they discussed situations that husbands and wives face separately and together through the course of a long marriage.
The Piriks will be among couples recognized at the annual diocesan Jubilee of Anniversaries at a 5 p.m. Mass on Saturday, Aug. 22 at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral. The celebration, sponsored by the diocese’s Office of Marriage and Family, honors couples marking significant milestones in their marriages, specifically those married for 25 years and beyond.
Ed Pirik, then 23 years old, and Marianne Lombardi, then 21, were married on May 12, 1956 at the former Columbus St. Ladislas Church, which was closed in 2023 when its congregation and that of Columbus Corpus Christi Church were merged with Columbus St. Mary, Mother of God Church in the German Village neighborhood. The St. Ladislas building is being converted into a drop-in center for homeless young people by Star House, a nonprofit youth service organization.
Priests officiating at the Piriks’ marriage Mass were Fathers Frank Riehl and Francis Miller and Msgr. Bennett Applegate.
The couple were active St. Ladislas parishioners until the church’s closing, with Ed serving as an usher for more than 50 years and Marianne involved with many projects sponsored by the parish women’s club.
They have two children – Ann Marie Sheets, 69, a Columbus homemaker, and Michael, 67, building manager for the Catholic Center at 197 E. Gay St., Columbus – plus six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
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Ed’s being an usher helped lead to their marriage. “We were a couple of years apart in age, so we didn’t start to become aware of each other until we got older,” Marianne said.
“I noticed her all the time once I started being an usher because I used to hold the door open for her family,” Ed responded.
“After a while, we started talking, then we began dating each other off and on and the talk became more serious. After a year, we realized we loved each other and began preparing for marriage. Our honeymoon was at Miami Beach and Jacksonville in Florida, where I spent part of my time in the Navy.”
Ed was a naval aviation electrician for two years of active duty in Seattle, Washington, plus five years in the Naval Reserve. After leaving military service, he spent 45 years with Columbia Gas of Ohio as a real estate coordinator, helping the company negotiate with property owners in places where it wanted to drill wells and place pipelines.
Marianne was employed by the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation before having children, then she returned to work 19 years later.
“Like every couple, we’ve made it through good times and bad, but with God’s help, we never had anything we felt we couldn’t handle,” Marianne said. “It was difficult early in our marriage with Ed going back and forth between work and Navy duty, but we had anticipated that.
“Probably our biggest challenge was when our daughter was born. It was a touch-and-go situation, with her spending a week in intensive care and me in the hospital before we got the word we could all go home. That was a time for a lot of intensive prayer. One of our grandsons also has dealt with some issues related to health, and in that case, we’ve again relied on God and good medical help.
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“Really, we’ve had a very, very good life,” she said. “The biggest problem in the beginning of married life and when we had children was just getting used to the new responsibilities. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but somehow you just make the adjustment and things work out.”
“We’ve always been good for each other, no matter what,” Ed said. “I think a lot of it has to do with the sympathy factor. You may not fully understand something your wife is going through or why she feels a certain way, but you sympathize with it and don’t treat it lightly.”
“A good marriage is just what you make of it with God’s help,” Marianne said. “You pray for strength and courage and you work through situations; time passes, and one day, you find it’s been 70 years.”
“Like anyone at our age, we have health issues and we’ve adapted to them,” Ed said. “We’ve always loved each other and we’ll keep on going until one of us passes away.
“If there’s anything I could say to couples considering life together or those in the early stages of marriage, it would be to love each other to the fullest and always respect and trust the other person.”
“My response would be pretty much the same,” Marianne added. “Respect each other’s feelings, have a strong faith and you’ll make things work.”