ANNIVERSARIES

RALPH AND DOTTI CARMODY

Ralph and Dotti (Dildy) Carmody celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with family and friends on the deck of their home overlooking Northwood Golf Course. It was the perfect setting for the occasion, as the couple shared a lifelong love of golf. Both of them, particularly Dotti, won many Northwood Golf Club championships. They refer to themselves as 35-year Northwood fixtures. They have traveled worldwide, and taken dozens of golf vacations. In addition to being avid golfers, they also both have enjoyed a lifetime of playing bridge.

Ralph, born and raised in Petaluma, met Dotti, who hailed from Walstonburg, N.C., while he served in the Navy in Norfolk, Va., during World War II. Ralph was involved in a then relatively new technology called

RADAR. The term was coined in 1940 by Navy electronics engineers as an acronym for radio detection and ranging. The couple were married on Aug. 6, 1945, in Norfolk, two years after they met. After Ralph was discharged from the Navy, they drove across country to San Francisco, where he was employed by AT&T as an engineer until he retired in 1980. Before retirement, the couple relocated to Northwood at Monte Rio, which has been their home ever since.

They raised two sons: Don, who lives in Portland, Ore., with his wife, Frances; and Jim, who lives in San Francisco with his wife, Wendy. They enjoy spending time with their four grandchildren.

Their advice for a long and happy marriage is to never go to bed mad. Their son, Don, said, "They are as happy today as they were 65 years ago."