MARQUETTE — Peter J. and Betty Lou (McCann) Lucas, of Fullerton California, are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. They were married Dec. 17, 1960 at Marquette’s St. Peter’s Cathedral.

Pete and Betty met at Bishop Baraga High School in 1956 when Pete, mom Callista and stepfather Lee Cleary Jr., along with five brothers and sisters, (three more came later) moved to Marquette from Detroit.

Pete and Betty Lou dated on and off throughout high school but were in an “off” state as Pete graduated in 1959.

After a disastrous semester at Northern Michigan College, he decided to join the U.S. Navy and in April 1960 he boarded the train to Great Lakes, Illnois, for boot camp.

Betty, an only child raised by single mom Helen McCann, graduated that May and Pete began electronics school, post boot camp. Although estranged at the time, Pete received a phone call in the barracks phone booth (yes, an actual booth) from Betty and the rest is history.

Pete and Betty’s 20-year naval career started with a destroyer out of Charleston, South Carolina, and continued for 17 years on various ships along with teaching assignments at electronic school, all at Norfolk, Virginia. During the first four+ years of marriage, Betty traveled back to Marquette twice to give birth to boys and then added a daughter (finally) at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia. She worked and raised their children throughout their Navy days.

Upon Navy retirement in 1979 as a Senior Chief Electronics Technician, the Lucases decided to move west for a teaching job at Hughes Aircraft in Fullerton, California. Betty also took a job there in the print production world.

Pete and Betty have called Fullerton home for the past 41+ years. Pete retired from Hughes/Raytheon in 2005 as did Betty in 2006.

Pete and Betty have three children: Peter Jr. of Fairfield, Iowa., Paul of Fullerton, Ca, and Patricia (Mike) Phillips of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Thanks to Patricia, they have four grandchildren; Jason (33), Jennifer (30), Sarah (24), and Nathan (21) and thanks to Jennifer they have two great-grandchildren, Hailey (9) and Carrie (7).