Bill Pierce spent a good portion of his birthday going up and down a ladder. He was painting the lanai that day (Oct. 24) and, of course, his six kids and many grandkids called him throughout the day and evening with birthday wishes.

He also climbed down the ladder to take my call, and although I did bid him well, I was calling to follow up on chance meetings he and his wife, Lue, had encountered on their summer trip to Michigan this year. More on that later.

Incidentally, when I asked Bill about his "special day" - and a milestone at that - his reply was probably typical for men: He said, "Oh, it's just another day."

Except for the paint job, the only other thing on his agenda was a meeting with the shuffle board folks, supposedly at 6 p.m. at the Crest Club pavilion. I say "supposedly" because close friends Jim and Linda Elling, along with Steve and Sharon Pruszynski (with wife Lue's knowledge), had party plans in the works. Incidentally, the planners even made up and delivered to the Pierces a false flyer announcing the nonexistent shuffle-board meeting.

Fifty or so of us had assembled at the pavilion when the Pierces arrived for their "meeting." After "Happy birthday!" shouts, four of my favorite things followed: hugs, picture-taking, cake and singing. By the way, in preparing this column, I asked Lue if she thought Bill would mind if I mentioned his age, to which she said, "Oh no. Not at all. He is very proud of being 75."

Going a step further, I asked Lue how long they had been married. "Fifty-five years this past June" was her astounding reply, which opened the door for many more questions. For instance, how did they meet?

Seems they lived about 10 houses apart back then, on the east side of Detroit. As youngsters, they'd played hopscotch and baseball together with other neighborhood kids but were not particularly close at that time.

When Lue was in her mid-teens, she was going to a family member's 16th birthday party. Her mother suggested she invite "Billy, that nice German boy down the street."
Lue remembers saying, "Oh yeah, he's kind of cute." So she called him with the party invitation, to which he replied, "Who are you again?" Not to be discouraged, Lue successfully refreshed his memory, and the date was made. When Billy came over the day of the party, he rang the doorbell, and Lue - the cute blonde girl from his childhood - opened the door.

Anyway, that's the way Bill remembers it, and he later confessed to Lue that his initial thoughts were "Holy mackerel, has she changed!" She was no longer a little kid.
They have been an item ever since. Fast forward a few years to the latter part of 2003. That's when the Pierces moved to Stonecrest and immediately got involved with community events. They volunteer and participate in many club activities not the least of which is the Drama Club. They will be appearing in the club's productions come Nov. 16 and 17, and their four daughters have made arrangements to be in the audience. (Remember Stonecresters, tickets go on sale today in the library.)
Now, about their trip back home to Michigan this past summer, it seems that visiting with old friends wasn't all that happened. Giving the old line "Haven't we met somewhere before?" a real workout, here's what happened.

Having lunch at the Beach Grill in St. Clair Shores, Mich., Lue ran into Stonecresters Hank and Genie Tribu, and then soon after she encountered Rick and Karen Gluski and then ex-Stonecresters Dave and Darleen Nowak.

But wait, there's more. Traveling back home, they stopped in Berea, Ky., for lunch. A gentleman came up to Bill, glad-handed him and asked, "Didn't we work together in the tower at Metro Airport?"

By the way, Bill and Lue are retired entrepreneurs. They were publishers and owned Roggers Printing in Harper Woods, Mich. So Bill told the fellow "no," he hadn't worked at Metro, to which the man said "maybe it was Bishop Airport." About this time, the connection was made by the man's wife, declaring Stonecrest the common denominator.

The Pierces then sat down and shared lunch with Stonecresters Doug and Barbara Lott.

What are the chances? The chances are pretty good that Bill and Lue Pierce would be recognized, which has a lot to do with what I've already said. They voluntarily contribute much of their time here at Stonecrest, truly giving back to our community and making it an even more fun place to live.

In brief

• Probably considered semi-newlyweds to the Pierces, watch this space for interviews with Stonecresters celebrating 50 years of marriage.
• You need to sign up now if you plan on joining the Garden Club on its Dec. 4 trip to Cypress Gardens (cost is $50). The club also is planning a holiday party for Dec. 4. Sign up early. The next meeting is Nov. 9, with a guest speaker from Interiors by Decorating Den who will share holiday decorating tips.
• "In Her Shoes" is the movie presented tonight by the Computer Club's Cinema One. Residents are invited, and for a buck's donation, popcorn and soda are provided.
• The Genealogy Club meets in the library at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

Joyce Crile covers Stonecrest for the Summerfield Press. To reach Joyce, call 307-0447 or e-mail joyceccc@yahoo.com.

Photo Caption: Bill Pierce poses with Linda Elling, left, and Sharon Pruszynski. The ladies threw him a surprise party Joyce Crile/Special to Summerfield Press