August fifteenth, 1969, day one amongst the legendary Woodstock Music and Art Festival that was one of the grooviest events back in the time within the music history that comes to a close after three days of peace, love, and rock ‘n’ roll in the upstate New York. It always marked the start of a weekend to remember for thousands of music fans. But well for Judy and Jerry Griffin who had no idea their paths were about to cross was simply the beginning of a lifetime together.
Now approaching 51 years of love, Judy and Jerry Griffin meet on their way to Bethel on August 15, 1969, to a dairy farm within the state of New York and the location of the festival. And ever since then they have been inseparable. But just before their 50-year anniversary of meeting and well their wedding anniversary that they celebrate on the same day rather than their actual wedding anniversary date, they had no physical proof of their time at the Woodstock festival till two months before that very special day. Incredibly, last summer in 2019, thanks to the PBS documentary Woodstock: Three Days that Defined a Generation, that celebrated 50 years of 1969 Music Festival features a brief bit of footage of Judy and Jerry huddled together under a blanket in the rain (which is so romantic I must say) was discovered. Their first image together…well as a couple. After a friend texted Jerry and Judy a snapshot from the film’s trailer earlier this summer, they realized they have found their image together at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival where they first met.
Their love story begins in the most natural and common way I guess. The car that Judy and her two friends were traveling in broke down on New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge, so she and her two acquaintances she was traveling with decided to hitchhike. That’s when Jerry and a group of his friends had pulled up to offer Judy and her two friends a ride to the music festival which also made Jerry realized that his luck has definitely changed for the better.
That first ride together to the Woodstock Music and Art Festival in the back seat of a 1967 VW Beetle eventually and knowingly grew into 50 years of everlasting love, marriage and a beautiful family, including two sons and five grandchildren.
Judy and Jerry were both known to be native New Yorkers, and they discovered they had a lot in common. They both wanted and knew that each other wanted to move to California and so just five months later they drove to Los Angeles in a VM van before Jerry started law school. A couple of years later, they settled in Manhattan Beach and still continue to live for 40 years.
The day you say “I Do” is one amongst the foremost special moments in your entire life. Whether you’re engaged, newlyweds, just married, or have been together for years, the powerful commitment between two folks in many various ways.
