BY TERRY GAUTHIER MUESSIG
STAFF WRITER

The Delsordis have been married for 65 years. The first time they exchanged vows was April 4, 1941, at St. Rocco's Roman Catholic Church in Newark, Antoinette said.

"We only had one day for a honeymoon," said Antoinette, 85. "We spent the day in New York City, trying to see as much as we could."

Weddings always seem to bring tears to wedding-goers eyes, and the ceremony held at 2:30 p.m. June 21 at the One Care at King James Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Route 36 in the Navesink section of Middletown was no different.

Almost all of the 75 guests and the bride and groom fought to keep back the tears as Antoinette appeared in the doorway of the dining room at the center, where the event was being held, with "Here Comes the Bride" playing in the background.

When they first exchanged vows, Antoinette walked down the aisle in a white satin gown. Angelo waited at the alter wearing his Army dress uniform, she said.

At this event, Antoinette wore a white taffeta gown trimmed in lace, and Angelo wore a black suit. Although the couple can walk with walkers and assistance from their caregivers, they chose to remain seated in their wheelchairs for the ceremony.

The best man and the bridesmaid were Eric King of Barnegat, a physical therapist at the center, and Shannon Gathman, 16, of Point Pleasant, a volunteer at the center, respectively.

Gathman wore a rose-colored gown. The gown was originally purchased and worn for her school's prom, she said, and King wore a black suit.

"The last time I was in a wedding, I was a flower girl," she said.

"I have been working here for 16 years. This is the first time we are having a wedding," said Joanie Palladino of Long Branch.

"Doesn't she (Antoinette) look beautiful?" she said as the ceremony got under way.

"This is the first time I have presided over a wedding with a couple that has been married so long," The Rev. Robert Tynski of St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Atlantic Highlands said.

Usually people renew their vows at 50 years, he said. "This is really special."

"They got married 22 years before I was born," Tynski said. "Their meeting and getting married was no accident. This was a call from God."

The ceremony was brief. Tynski asked the couple to reply to his questions with a "yes" answer.

They both agreed they were renewing their vows freely and without reservation.

The couple exchanged I dos after Tynski asked both of them if they "once again, take each other in sickness and in health, and for richer or poorer."

After the I dos were said, and Angelo put Antoinette's wedding ring back on her finger, Tynski announced, "I present to you, for a second time, Mr. and Mrs. Delsordi."

"We have have had a wonderful life," Antoinette said.

The couple's recipe for a long marriage seem to be able to have laughter and had fun together, Antoinette Deksordi said.

Angelo Delsordi, 88, was a dental technician in Newark and Antoinette was secretary at the Newark Housing Authority, she said. About two decades ago, they moved to Middletown. They have been living at the center for about two years. The couple did not have any children.

"I haven't been to a wedding in 30 years," said Bea Coe, a resident of the center said.

She wrote the couple a poem for their wedding day, and read the poem aloud.

Alena Berry of Neptune, a nurse at the center, sang a song for the couple, "You and I" by Stephanie Mills.

Janice Kerr, the activities director at the center, said June is the center's wedding theme month.

"They adore each other," she said of the Delsordis. "He is always watching over her (Antoinette is blind). I think their love for each other now is as strong as it was when they first got married. The are a very caring and loving couple."

When she asked the couple if they would like to renew their vows a month ago, the arrangements for the event got under way.

The dining room was decorated with white balloons, and the guests (residents and workers at the center) had coffee and wedding cake.

As Angelo Delsordi sat across from his wife at their reception, she said, "The best is yet to come with us.