Ken and Sandy Stein

Ken and Sandy Stein celebrated their 50th anniversary with a dinner at the Victorian house and gardens of Madrona Manor in Healdsburg. Ken and Sandy met at the age of 17 and 14½ respectively while attending a dance on the roof of the “Y” in Philadelphia. They dated for five years before getting married on June 20, 1965, and moving to Santa Rosa in 1974.

During his military service, Ken served as assistant chief of dermatology at Letterman Army Hospital at The Presidio in San Francisco. Ken has been a dermatologist for 42 years and Sandy is a professional artist.

In addition to being a dermatologist, Ken is very knowledgeable about World War II and sports history. At his doctor’s office, he has a section dedicated to the heroes of “The Greatest Generation” and to Santa Rosa history. Sandy’s artwork has appeared in such media as Robert Redford’s HBO miniseries, “Grand Avenue.” In 1997, Sandy was one of the first women to be inducted into the south Philadelphia Cultural Hall of Fame.

Their children and spouses are: Bradford Stein (and Maria Stein) of Irvine, Brett Stein of Santa Rosa, Eden Stein (and Jason Schwartz) of San Francisco, and son-in-law Toy Fernandez of Long Beach.

Their advice for a long and happy marriage: respect each other, nurture the flower of “love” that blossoms full of optimism, and treat each and every day like it was the “first date”… holding hands, forever.