John and Doris Nash
A surprise party was given at the Flamingo Hotel for John and Doris
(Higgins) Nash in celebration of their 60th anniversary. They were
ecstatic that their friends and family threw such an elaborate and
well-attended event for them. The banquet room was festively
decorated with diamond-theme balloons, banners and centerpieces.
Pictures from their wedding album were scanned and made into a
slideshow for everyone to enjoy.
They met at Santa Rosa Junior College. The two had passed each
other in the hall and stopped to chat with one another. John, who
everyone calls Bill, asked Doris if she would like to go to St.
Helena with him to look at the snow. After their trip to the snow,
they weren’t ready to part company yet, so they continued their
first date with a movie. It was a case of love at first sight, and
after dating for 15 months, they got married on April 15, 1950, at
the Church of the Incarnation in Santa Rosa.
Doris was born in Hayward. Her family moved east for 10 years,
after which they moved back to the West Coast and took up residence
in Santa Rosa in 1939. Bill was born in Springfield, Ohio. His
family moved to California in 1928. They lived in Sacramento and
Santa Cruz before moving to Santa Rosa in 1947, where his father
opened Nash Sales and Service.
Bill served in the Navy in WWII, the Korean War, and was also a
member of the Reserves. In civilian life, he worked as an
elementary school teacher and principal in the Santa Rosa School
District before retiring in 1986. Doris worked as a secretary at
Ridgway Continuation High School and Santa Rosa Junior College. She
retired in 1989.
The couple has a passion for travel. They have traveled to more
than 100 countries.
Their children are Joanne Reynolds of Carmichael and Randall
William Nash (deceased). They have six grandchildren and three
great-grandchildren.
Bill’s sense of humor can be seen through his favorite quote:
“We’ve only had one argument. It started on the day we were married
and it’s still going on.” No one who has met them would believe
that statement for a second. Their family and friends all agree
that they are an inspiration and that their everlasting love makes
them role models. They are loved and appreciated by all who know
them.
