08
Jun
2004
Many Quad Citians are familiar with Bettendorf High School superstar coach Merv Habenicht and his better half Evelyn. One might think Merv gets his superstar status because of the five state championships claimed by Bettendorf's football team under his leadership, or the 10 regional conference victories during his watch, or the 15 times Bettendorf advanced to the playoffs, or his induction to the Iowa High School Hall of Fame. But as notable as these accomplishments are, the real reason Merv is a superstar is because he had the good sense to marry Evelyn, and together they have impacted this community with more genuine charity, loyal and enduring friendship, and priceless humor than any other couple this editor can name.
This year marks the Habenicht's 50th anniversary, giving testimony to what great hearts, Catholic vows, and a wife's mercy can accomplish, especially given a union between a textbook German and a quintessential Irishwoman.
There are few couples that have navigated the incredibly tumultuous waters of marriage and raising a family with as much tenacity, integrity, and at times heartbreak, and still maintained powerful individuality while indelibly connected. This dynamic is impossible without great faith, an enormous capacity for love and compassion, and a sense of humor that transcends human frailty. Loving and laughing define the Habenichts as well as anything. Their children all possess the same generous spirit and wit that makes this family such an original, so truly grand to be around.
Merv and Evelyn are beautiful. They have opened their door to so many of us, young and old alike, and not once have we felt unwelcome or intrusive. They make us feel valuable by the mere fact that we are so unconditionally welcome. Merv and Evelyn reach out to folks in myriad circumstances, from troubled kids to struggling newlyweds to infirm elderly to indigents trying to make a new life. They know none of the barriers found in race, religion, gender, income, or age. Everyone is fair game for Merv.
There are no words adequate enough to describe how much I love these two people, or how much they have contributed to my life and the goodness in it. But I need to get in line because I am part of a much larger community of beneficiaries having the good fortune to know them.
Happy anniversary, Merv and Evelyn! Fifty years with the same partner is no small thing. Some might say you deserve it, but most would say you've earned it. You never looked better or appeared happier. More than ever Evelyn's eyes fairly burst with her intelligence and humor; her smile could light up the world. Couple that with Merv's no-BS wisdom, obvious adoration of his wife, and relentless devotion to his children and grandchildren, and you've got a formula for 50 years of doing something very right.
This year marks the Habenicht's 50th anniversary, giving testimony to what great hearts, Catholic vows, and a wife's mercy can accomplish, especially given a union between a textbook German and a quintessential Irishwoman.
There are few couples that have navigated the incredibly tumultuous waters of marriage and raising a family with as much tenacity, integrity, and at times heartbreak, and still maintained powerful individuality while indelibly connected. This dynamic is impossible without great faith, an enormous capacity for love and compassion, and a sense of humor that transcends human frailty. Loving and laughing define the Habenichts as well as anything. Their children all possess the same generous spirit and wit that makes this family such an original, so truly grand to be around.
Merv and Evelyn are beautiful. They have opened their door to so many of us, young and old alike, and not once have we felt unwelcome or intrusive. They make us feel valuable by the mere fact that we are so unconditionally welcome. Merv and Evelyn reach out to folks in myriad circumstances, from troubled kids to struggling newlyweds to infirm elderly to indigents trying to make a new life. They know none of the barriers found in race, religion, gender, income, or age. Everyone is fair game for Merv.
There are no words adequate enough to describe how much I love these two people, or how much they have contributed to my life and the goodness in it. But I need to get in line because I am part of a much larger community of beneficiaries having the good fortune to know them.
Happy anniversary, Merv and Evelyn! Fifty years with the same partner is no small thing. Some might say you deserve it, but most would say you've earned it. You never looked better or appeared happier. More than ever Evelyn's eyes fairly burst with her intelligence and humor; her smile could light up the world. Couple that with Merv's no-BS wisdom, obvious adoration of his wife, and relentless devotion to his children and grandchildren, and you've got a formula for 50 years of doing something very right.
