Homer and Pauline, A Love Story Untold

The sweet story of Homer and Pauline became known to me only last week when I posted a picture of my Uncle Homer Riddle in his Army fatigues for a Veterans Day photo I put on Facebook on November 11, 2015.  The photo was probably taken when he was fighting in the Korean War and would send pictures to my grandparents and to me.  I saved everyone of those precious photos because I loved my Uncle Homer so very much.  I longed for any news from him because he was overseas fighting for our freedom and I missed him so much!

One of my friends on Facebook with whom I attended high school saw the picture I put on Facebook, and wrote relating to me that she believed her Aunt Pauline was once married to a man with the last name of Riddle.  This got me very curious and I told her that I had a picture of a very young Uncle Homer with a beautiful girl but I didn't know who she was.   I had saved that picture for as long as I can remember because my favorite Uncle Home was in it and I always thought he was so handsome and I would steal away every picture of him among my grandmother's things.  I sent a copy of the picture to Pearlene, my friend from high school now living in Florida, and she immediately wrote back saying the girl in the picture was definitely her Aunt Pauline.   I was so excited to finally know who was in the picture with him.  I knew this was not his wife, Opal, the person I remember he married after the war, but I loved that picture and kept it hidden away all these many years, and did not ask questions about it because I figured my grandma would make me throw it out.  (so glad I didn't)  I thought she could be a girlfriend of his at one time. Uncle Homer married Opal Marie Plank in 1953 or 1954 when he returned from Korea, they had two daughters, and remained married until their deaths.  

Further, my friend, Pearlene (Pauline's niece) also had a copy of their marriage license and  sent me a copy.  Information on their marriage license shows that Pauline Cherokee Benge (age 19) and Homer Yuel Riddle (age 22) were married on December 18, 1943.  

How exciting!  Now I know who the beautiful girl in the picture is.  They looked very happy and probably very much in love.  A date on the back of the picture shows the year as 1947.  This was confusing to both Pearlene and me, because she told me they had eloped and were not married for very long because Pauline's family, in particular her oldest brother who was Pearlene's  father, were very much against their marriage, probably because she was so young and in college at the time.  We both think they may have continued to see each other from time to time because of that date.  Pearlene's mother told her that Pauline was very much in love with Uncle Homer, so we both like to think he was her one true love and maybe she nor he ever got over the breakup.   That is the part of the story that makes both Pearlene and me very sad indeed.  We did not know of this when we were  in high school and I wish we had known that we were almost "cousins".

There is more to the story so will try finish it tomorrow or at least very soon.