Graggs Mark 76th AnniversaryOn May 20, 1931, Bonnie Smith and Kenny Gragg made a commitment to each other.
Today, more than 76 years later, that promise remains stronger than ever.
It was a different world then.
A loaf of bread was a dime, and when you spent $2 at the grocery store, you came out with two big bags full of food.
Gas was rationed, and the drive-in theater was still a thing of the future.
Kenny had a car, but he explained, "We didn't run too far. We'd maybe get over here to Warsaw and our neighboring town west of us, Bourbon, and that was it."
Bonnie said, "Nobody went anywhere with cars hardly cause you'd run out of gas."
Their relationship started when they were attending Etna Green High School where Bonnie's dad served as principal.Kenny graduated in 1931, but the two decided to marry before Bonnie finished school. He was 21 and she was 16 years old.
When asked why they decided to get married, Kenny said, "The love part factored into it. We figured it was the best thing to do."
In those days, a lot of people married young. His parents, George and Hetie Gragg, as well as hers, Mervel and Ruth Smith, were all for the marriage.
Bonnie explained that her parents knew Kenny better than she did. She said, "They knew him real well because he was around all of the time."
Kenny said that where they both grew up, "everybody kind of knew each other. You knew your neighbor. That's the bottom line. Everybody sort of looked after each other."
The two were married in her parents' Etna Green home, with Raymond Coon, an old family friend, officiating. Both sets of parents and her brother attended the ceremony.
After the wedding, they lived with her parents for six months before renting their own apartment.
He worked at Fleck's Meat Market, Clark's Grocery Store, and White City Ag. Farm in Mentone before coming to Warsaw in 1942. There he worked for Sharp Hardware Co. for eight years. They were the International Harvester dealership in Warsaw. The dealership was located where the parking lot for the downtown National City Bank now sits.
Kenny had been raised on a farm and enjoyed the farm equipment business. He spoke to his boss, Harlen Sharp, about opening his own dealership. Kenny received Sharp's blessing, and when a dealership opened up in Bremen, the couple jumped at the chance. They ran the business for 52 years. They treated their customers how they would like to be treated. They followed the saying, "In our type of business, remember this, they don't have to come to your place."
They lived in Bremen for about 12 years. While they were there, Kenny got wrapped up in the schools. He was a member of the Bremen School Board while it was still just a rural school. Kenny recollected, "The trustees said I had to have some help so they formed a school board."
He was a member for four years.
Around this time, Kenny said, "We got crazy."
A friend suggested that they build a fast-food restaurant, so they bought some land in Syracuse and built The Three Flags Drive-In. They owned the establishment for six years before deciding to sell.
When they retired, they turned their farm equipment dealership over to their daughter, Joann Heckaman, and her husband, Merl Heckaman. The Heckamans fazed out of the International Harvester business and opened Warsaw Bobcat where Kenny still goes to work three or four days a week. Bonnie calls him the janitor because he does odds and ends around the dealership.
Along the way, Kenny and Bonnie have raised a family around them. Their son, Don Gragg, adopted a baby girl, Tona Molbash. Their daughter, Joann Heckaman, had five children: Jay, Brian, Kay, Eric and Tim. Altogether they have two children, six grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.
Bonnie, now 92, and Kenny, 97, have their footprints all over Kosciusko County.
"We've seen a lot of changes and done a lot of crazy things. I thank the Lord everyday that we were half way successful," Kenny said.
This past year they were able to celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary with their daughter and son-in-law whose 50th wedding anniversary was on the same day.
When asked what kept their marriage together for all these years, Kenny said, "We worked together in just about everything we did."
