Community news: Dantuonos celebrate 65th wedding anniversary, Bell-Jeff grad to wed, Pizza night benefits Rose Float

Luke and Paula Dantuono celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary recently at Vintage Burbank during a dinner party with their three children — Carol, Michael and Luke, accompanied by his wife, Paula, and their daughter, Laura.

Deacon Rey Guiau of Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church in North Hills, Calif., was in attendance to bless the marriage of Luke, 87, and Paula, 84, whose Catholic faith has been an important part of their marriage and life.

The couple met in New York right after the war and married eight months later, Luke said, on Nov. 9, 1947.

“I dated her on and off for a while, and on Memorial Day weekend she was supposed to see someone else — one of my best friends,” Luke said. “I kept her busy that whole weekend. It was a dirty trick, but I couldn’t help it. I guess that is when I found out I really cared for her.”

The couple had their hardships in the beginning and didn’t get a real vacation for the first 20 years they were married, Luke said. But when they could finally afford it, they took a cruise and really enjoyed it.

Paula has been in the hospital for a week, but when she comes home to Vintage Burbank, she asked Luke to have the chef prepare her favorite meal.

“It’s a Polish meal,” Luke said. “Kielbasa, sliced onions, potatoes and apples covered with sauerkraut.”

And what is his secret to a long, happy marriage?

“Always saying ‘yes ma’am. yes ma’am, give in to her as much as possible,” Luke said.

Bell-Jeff grad announces engagement

Bellarmine-Jefferson High School graduate Ashley Nicole Ingram, of Murrieta, and Gregory Anthony Hutchinson have announced their engagement.

The couple plans to marry in San Diego in October in the rite of matrimony of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Jonathan and Melody Ingram of Los Angeles. After graduating from Bell-Jeff, she attended College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita where she was a member of the College Republicans. She briefly attended Cal State Northridge. She is employed as the executive director of the California Young Republican Federation.

The groom-to-be is the son of Greg and Catherine Meza of Huntington Beach. He is an infantryman with the U.S. Army and is deploying to Afghanistan in late 2012. He attended the University of Washington and grew up all over the world as the son of two Army veterans.

After the wedding, they will be dividing their time between El Paso, Texas, where Gregory is stationed, and Southern California.

Pizza night benefits Rose Float

Burbank Tournament of Roses Assn. will benefit from a dine-out fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 4, at Caminiti’s Pizza and Sports, 1220 W. Burbank Blvd. Print out the coupon on the website www.burbankrosefloat.com and present it when ordering to ensure that the Roses association receives credit.

The Tournament of Roses parade theme is “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” from the Dr. Seuss book. The Burbank 2013 float is titled “Deep Sea Adventures” and was designed by Richard Burrow from Mission Viejo. The underwater scene features a young girl in a submarine pulled by sea horses with an octopus as her tour guide.

JOYCE RUDOLPH can be reached at rudolphjoyce10@gmail.com.