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Viola became a homemaker
after the children were born.
Tom also dabbled in local
township politics before he
retired and the Conroys moved
to Florida, where they lived 16
years before coming back. Their
children, Tom Jr. and Nadine,
both live in Pekin and wanted
their parents to return. There
were health issues, they said.
In discussing their long mar-
riage, the Conroys agreed having
patience with one another was
important early because they re-
ally knew little about each other.
“
We learned to give and take. I
think all couples have to learn
that,” Viola said.
Tom said listening to each
other also is key. “Sometimes
men try to lord it over on the
ladies. That isn’t right. I always
try to put her first because she
gave up a lot for me. I don’t mind
being second. You know, she was
a very gentle person with a won-
derful sense of humor when we
met and that’s still her today. She
has been everything a man could
want in a wife,” he said.
Each said there have been no
regrets through the 70 years. “We
honor one another pretty evenly,
I think,” Viola said. “We’ve been
happy together. We’ve been
consoling to each other in times
of tragedy. We’ve leaned on each
other when we needed support.
We learned to say ‘I’m sorry.’”
Tom said Viola remains the
light of his life. “She’s my spark.
She keeps me ignited. Love will
cover a lot of things, including
discord, when you are deter-
mined to work at it,” he said.
VIC AND PAT BURNETT
“
A long marriage is two people
trying to dance a duet and two
solos at the same time.”
~ Anne Taylor Fleming
For 60 years Vic and Pat Bur-
nett have been making music,
but it has been much more than
competing solos or just a duet.
They created an entire ensemble
that has been playing the Burnett
Family Anthem like a finely
tuned orchestra.
In the case of this devoutly
Catholic family, the music angle
is more than a metaphor. It
was what brought Vic and Pat
together — their first date was to
the Muny Opera in St. Louis, a
double date with Pat’s sister and
the St. Louis man she married —
and ultimately led to their April
19, 1952
wedding.
“
Our love of music brought us
together, really. It was why Pat’s
sister thought we should meet. So
you see, music was a big, big part
of our relationship from the very
start. And, naturally, we passed
our love of music on to our chil-
dren,” Vic said during a recent
interview in their Peoria home.
Vic was a singer, Pat a musi-
cian and their children all have
been both. There were 11 children
born to this marriage, including
a son, Patrick, who died only an
hour and a half after his birth.
Their oldest child, Marc
Burnett, died in September last
year, just four months after he
was diagnosed with pancreatic
cancer. His illness and death
were very difficult for the entire
family, but the cohesiveness of
the Burnett family was what got
them through it, Pat said.
This is Tom and Viola Conroy today.
