My Funny Valentine – 75 Years of Marital Bliss

By Terry Miller

Pasadena’s Petrizzi Family Enjoys Life to the Fullest

-Photo by Terry Miller

At a mere 95 years Lucille Petrizzi organized a party for her husband Frank who just turned one hundred years young two weeks ago. The party, held at The American Legion Hall Post 287 in Arcadia was a marvelouys success.
About 40 family members and friends came together for a very special afternoon honoring the man of Italian descent who was born in 1912 and fell in love when Lucille when she was only 15 in Chicago. They knew they were meant for each other. It still shows.
Lucille keeps herself young and agile and plays piano as well as the organ regularly as well as being a good mother to their two boys.
While we were talking last week, Lucille got on her grand piano and played a beautiful rebdidtion of “It had to be you”
The popular song written by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn was first published in 1924.
The song was performed by Priscilla Lane in the 1939 film The Roaring Twenties and by Danny Thomas in the 1951 film I’ll See You in My Dreams. The latter film was based loosely upon the lives of Gus Kahn and his wife Grace LeBoy Kahn. It was also performed by Dooley Wilson in the 1942 film Casablanca, Betty Hutton in the 1945 film Incendiary Blonde, and by Diane Keaton in the 1977 film Annie Hall. It was also performed in the film A League of Their Own by Megan Cavanagh.

The lyrics explain why the singer puts up with a domineering partner. The reason offered is depth of attachment: “somebody who could make me be true, could make me be blue.” However, domination itself may be the attraction: “some others I’ve seen might never be mean, never be cross, try to be boss, but they wouldn’t do.” The singer concludes: “nobody else gave me a thrill … wonderful you, it had to be you.”
The song could have been written expressly for Lucille and Frank. Lucille said that a big part of their success as a couple is that one has to be passive. With Frank as the fiery Italian, one can only reflect on who was the passive partner here.

In June of 1956, the young couple ventured to California. Frank’s profession as an electronic technician saw a huge opportunity with Bell and Howell in Pasadena. From there on Frank progressed steadily in the industry and they bought their home in Altadena within the first two years living in Pasadena.
When you combine this love of life with the extraordinary fact of nearly 75 years of shared joy, this in itself deserves some kind of recognition, therefore we decided to wish Frank not only Happy Birthday from Beacon Media but also congratulations on 75 years of marriage which they’ll be celebrating in a mere few months. The couple has two boys, two grandsons and four great grandchildren.

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