Cousins Patricia Ambrose Johnson, from Springfield, Virginia, and Richard Merlyn Cook, of St. Louis, Missouri, recently met at the The Lobster Trap on Bay Street in Winslow.

It had been more than 50 years since they were together at their Uncle Burpee’s and Aunt Hazel’s wedding on June 12, 1965, at the Center Vassalboro Church. Merlyn’s mother, Merle Cole Cook, was pastor at the wedding, and Merlyn was an usher. At the time Johnson’s family was staying at their camp on Snow Pond in Belgrade. In order to get to the wedding they had to cross railroad tracks that run by the camp. As they were about to leave, a train derailment occurred, blocking the road. With their passage blocked, they called Uncle Graydon, Burpee’s brother, who drove from Waterville to the other side of the train tracks. The wedding party then crossed the tracks by walking under the train and made the ceremony on time.

Cousins Patricia Ambrose Johnson, right, from Springfield, Virginia, and Richard Merlyn Cook, left, of St. Louis, Missouri, recently met at the The Lobster Trap on Bay Street in Winslow. It had been more than 50 years since they were together at their Uncle Burpee’s and Aunt Hazel’s wedding on June 12, 1965, at the Center Vassalboro Church. Merlyn’s mother, Merle Cole Cook, was pastor at the wedding, and Merlyn was an usher. At the time Johnson’s family was staying at their camp on Snow Pond in Belgrade. In order to get to the wedding they had to cross railroad tracks that run by the camp. As they were about to leave, a train derailment occurred, blocking the road. With their passage blocked, they called Uncle Graydon, Burpee’s brother, who drove from Waterville to the other side of the train tracks. The wedding party then crossed the tracks by walking under the train and made the ceremony on time. Merlyn and his wife, Sylvia, have a camp on Branch Lake in Ellsworth and travel to Waterville to see their Uncle Burpee, who is now at the Mt. St. Joseph Nursing Home.
Cousins Patricia Ambrose Johnson, right, from Springfield, Virginia, and Richard Merlyn Cook, left, of St. Louis, Missouri, recently met at the The Lobster Trap on Bay Street in Winslow. It had been more than 50 years since they were together at their Uncle Burpee’s and Aunt Hazel’s wedding on June 12, 1965, at the Center Vassalboro Church. Merlyn’s mother, Merle Cole Cook, was pastor at the wedding, and Merlyn was an usher. At the time Johnson’s family was staying at their camp on Snow Pond in Belgrade. In order to get to the wedding they had to cross railroad tracks that run by the camp. As they were about to leave, a train derailment occurred, blocking the road. With their passage blocked, they called Uncle Graydon, Burpee’s brother, who drove from Waterville to the other side of the train tracks. The wedding party then crossed the tracks by walking under the train and made the ceremony on time. Merlyn and his wife, Sylvia, have a camp on Branch Lake in Ellsworth and travel to Waterville to see their Uncle Burpee, who is now at the Mt. St. Joseph Nursing Home. Contributed photo

Merlyn and his wife, Sylvia, have a camp on Branch Lake in Ellsworth and travel to Waterville to see their Uncle Burpee, who is now at the Mt. St. Joseph Nursing Home.

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