SIDNEY — Glen and Ruth (Zettel) Hicks are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary on March 20.

The couple originally met in Ruth’s hometown, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in her parent’s restaurant when Ruth was 17 years old and Glen was 24. At the time, Glen had just returned home, Wichita, Kansas, from serving in World War II and was in Milwaukee for school at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Just a year after they met, in 1947, the couple was engaged to be married and on March 20, 1948, the two were married in a small ceremony at Ruth’s parents’ home in Milwaukee with about 20 close friends and family members in attendance.

For the wedding, Ruth did not wear a traditional wedding gown. Instead, she was married in a brand new, pink skirt suit.

“I sure wasn’t thinking about the color of what I was wearing,” said Ruth. She was more concerned and excited about marrying Glen than what she was wearing when they were married.

Over the years, Glen has held multiple jobs including a station manager and operator at the Milwaukee Railroad and a service engineer with Worthington Corporation in New Jersey, both of which involved a lot of travelling.

Finally, when Worthington Corporation was bought out, Glen made his way to Copeland in Sidney in 1974 as a service engineer. Though he still traveled for work, the couple set their roots in Rosewood.

“All this time, she was home doing all the work and I was travelling, she raised the kids,” said Glen.

The couple has two daughters, Cheryl Rene Quasius and Donna Sinha, two female grandchildren and one female great-grandchild.

“All of them,” Glen said when asked about his favorite memories with Ruth.

The couple then recounted times they spent travelling across the U.S. The two travelled on and off for 16 years when Glen retired and have visited every continental state in the U.S. at least twice.

“We traveled in a motor home, after I retired, for 16 years and that was the most beautiful memories of being with her,” said Glen.

“To me, each one is a new place and you think ‘this is the best.’ There were hardly any thought of one we didn’t like and I’m sure there must have been,” said Ruth. “I didn’t think I’d like it and everything negative I thought about it (travelling) was flipped over. It was just great.”

The couple are planning to celebrate with a dinner date, possibly to their favorite restaurant in Troy, Smith’s Boathouse, and a celebration at the Landings of Sidney where they live together.

“She’s still a pistol,” Glen said fondly of his wife, Ruth.