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SCHENECTADY — Schenectady couple Angeline “Angie” Nicastro and Salvatore “Sam” Nicastro mark a milestone Tuesday as they celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.
The couple was married in 1953, shortly before the end of Sam’s service during the Korean War.
The secret to 70 years of marriage, they say, is simple.
“Don’t carry a disagreement into the next day,” Sam, 92, said. “Trap it, one day.”
“We never argued much,” Angie, also 92, said.
It all started with a school dance. Sam attended Nott Terrace, and Angie went to Mount Pleasant. She was on the committee for the first dance of the school year and hired a seven-piece band to play at the dance. Sam Nicastro played tenor saxophone in the band.
“He came up to me after the dance, he said, ‘Do you want to go for a hot chocolate,’” Angie said. “Would you go out and get a hot chocolate nowadays? But, then I didn’t hear from him for a while. When I did, I invited him to come over to my parent’s home for a Sunday meal, and that was it.”
Angie said her mother was an amazing cook, and the meal “was to die for.” After the dinner Sam started asking her to go out more, and the couple started “going steady.”
“He was handsome, he was Italian, he was a good Catholic, he was voted best dressed in high school,” Angie said. “It was just love at first sight, I guess.”
Sam said he did not date a lot of girls, before Angie. “I thought she was pretty, she’s still pretty.”
Angie said her parents were a little unsure about their daughter dating Sam, because he was a musician, and they were worried he might be playing in bars, “where there will be other women.”
Sam never played in a bar, he said. Instead, he played at The Mohawk Golf Club, The Edison Club, weddings, bar mitzvahs and other parties.
He then enlisted in the Navy, serving for two years during the Korean War. The couple married June 6, 1953, about six months before Sam was discharged.
Sam did not have to get down on one knee to ask, the couple talked about it, and decided they wanted to get married.
The couple purchased Angie’s diamond engagement ring and both of their wedding bands from Reali’s jewelry store, all for $360, Sam said. They were married at 10 a.m. Mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Schenectady, and the reception was held at Danish Hall. The couple celebrated their marriage with a honeymoon in Bermuda.
Sam was honorably discharged in February 1954. The couple moved into their home at the edge of Schenectady, which was originally built by Sam’s family, and where the couple still lives all these years later.
Angie worked at General Electric as an administrative secretary and Sam worked in construction building houses.
The couple had four children, Michael, David, Michel and Paul. The Nicastro family grew to include their children’s spouses, along with nine grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
“We enjoy our grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” Angie Nicastro said. “They bring us a lot of joy and happiness.”
Sam was able to continue with his music and would play at events on weekends. He was also interested in photography as a hobby.
The couple has enjoyed bowling. And Angie said she used to roller skate, and loves shopping.
Sam worked for 23 years as a tool crib attendant, responsible for the supplies and tools at Condec, a company that built things for the military, such as amphibious boats and tanker trucks.
Angie began working at Ellis Hospital as an administrative secretary in 1962. She worked there for 22 years.
“We liked to get out, we like to have parties, we did a lot of socializing,” Angie said. “When he wasn’t playing, we would go out.”
The couple liked spending time with friends, throwing parties, and pool parties. They also loved to travel. They have taken cruises, visited family in Italy and Canada.
Sam goes to breakfast every Tuesday with his friend Tony Smith, at Blue Ribbon in Schenectady. The two have been pals since they were teenagers, and both served in the Navy at the same time. They met up in Africa during their service. Smith lives a street over from Sam and Angie.
The couple celebrated their 70th anniversary at a party with about 30 family members Sunday.
“We still laugh, we have fun,” Angie said. “Our children and their spouses are right there, whatever we need from them.”
Contact reporter Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge at [email protected] or at 518-948-4021.
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