Bob Allen looks at his wife Natalie and chuckles. Patting him on the knee, she smiles back. The aged couple is seen walking around Eastern University’s campus, helping each other carry bags of books or eating in the Dinning Commons at tables next to traditionally aged students.
Bob and Natalie Allen, who have been married for 25 years, are comfortable with and sure of their marriage. They have fun and laugh together and repeat each other’s sentences.
For a marriage to last, Bob says you need to have understanding.
“Bob is easy to get along with,” Natalie said. “You think the same of me, Bob, don’t you?”
“Of course,” Bob replied.
Natalie recalls meeting Bob at church in Philadelphia. “We met at Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square,” she said. The pair’s dates were nights of dancing and going to the movies. They enjoyed spending time together, and both felt like they were right for each other.
“Natalie [understood] my quirks, and we just thought it was the right person,” Bob said. “There’s a Jill for every Jack.”
“Yes, he said that,” Natalie promptly replied. “I think he has a good sense of humor.”
So, a year after meeting, Bob and Natalie were engaged.
“His mother had hidden a ring in the house,” said Natalie. They both recalled that Bob’s mother gave him permission to find the ring and put it on Natalie’s finger.
“It was nothing special,” Bob said, but he was excited when his mother told him about the ring.
They were married on a cold and sunny December day in Philadelphia at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.
Natalie wore a dress with puffed sleeves. Bob said, “I wore a nice blue suit – light blue.” Their wedding was followed by a honeymoon in the Poconos at a place called Paradise Dream.
The couple presently resides in Haverford with their orange tabby cat, Toby. Natalie became a student at Eastern after Harcum College referred her to the university.
“I saw it listed and thought it might be a good one to attend,” Natalie said. “I like it here even better.”
Natalie is a communications major, and Bob is a retired postal worker who sits in on classes with Natalie or reads in the library.
“I like to read the magazines – Reader’s Digest, Time, Newsweek, People,” Bob said.
When they are not at Eastern, Bob and Natalie are very active people. They like to exercise at the YMCA.
“We love to do that,” Natalie said.
“Bike riding, we’ve got to get back to that,” Bob said.
The duo also goes bowling, and they still enjoy dancing. They are also members of the Delaware Valley Historical Aircraft Association, with whom they do different activities and attend a banquet every year.
“[For Valentine’s Day we’ll] probably go to a dance,” Natalie said, half stating, half asking her husband about the date.
“Yeah, a dance!” Bob replied.