by Bea Peterson
On July 4 Peggy (Ruditis) and Herb Loretan celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Peg is the daughter of William and Mary Ruditis of Hoosick Falls, and Herb is the son of Hubert and Lydia Loretan of Athol, MA. They were married at Immaculate Conception Church in Hoosick Falls on July 4, 1959. Herb had to report for flying duty at Craig Air Base in Selma, AL, at 0700 on Monday, July 6. That was the
start of their honeymoon. Herb served with the Air Force for five years, and the couple lived in Selma, Wichita, KS, and Portsmouth, NH. They lived in Northhampton, MA, for ten years and moved to Hoosick Falls in 1973 with their four children, Mary, Dr. Bill, Gayle and Amy, where the children attended St. Mary’s Academy. Upon graduation they received degrees from Merrimack College, MA, Villanova, PA, University of Osteopathic Medicine, Des Moines, IA, University of Denver, CO, and Tufts University, MA. Eight grandchildren are their joy. Lauren, the eldest is a sophomore at Georgia Tech. Mary will start at St. Lawrence University in September, and others are already much smarter than their grandparents.
Peggy is a graduate of St. Mary’s Academy and the College of St. Rose. Herb is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has an MBA from American International College, Springfield, MA. He is a graduate of several USAF pilot training schools in Bomber and Fighter Aircraft.
Peggy taught elementary education for a number of years, raised four children and was employed by Bennington College. She and Herb operated Ruditis Home Appliance Store for over 25 years. Herb was a recruiter for the USAF Academy and the Air Force ROTC programs and retired as a Major.
The couple now operate the 15 John St. Gallery in Hoosick Falls.
Their 50th anniversary celebration, organized by their children, was held at the farm of Harriet Winston in East Hoosick on August 1 in conjunction with the Winstons’ 50th anniversary.