Community Corner

Always Kiss Goodnight, Say Jack and Patti Salter

In honor of Valentine's Day, we're taking a look at some of Royal Oak's cutest couples.

Royal Oak has its fair share of lovebirds, so we decided to check in with a few of them before Valentine's Day and ask them to share relationship and date night secrets.

Today we take a closer look at what makes Jack and Patti Salter so sweet.

How long have we been together? 

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I met Patti through her sister, Veronica Hoff , the night before Thanksgiving in 1961.  All the Hoff boys came to the Boys Club of Southern Oakland County as it was than known.  I asked her out the next week and asked her to marry me on Jan. 18, 1962.  We were married on Sept. 8, 1962, so we have been married for over 50 years. I knew on our first date that she was the person I wanted to marry.

What’s the secret to a successful and happy relationship? 

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We both feel the secret to a successful marriage is respect and communication. You also must have the same value system or you are headed for trouble. I respect Patti more than any other person in the world and we always kiss each other goodnight.  Too many people get married for physical reasons and don't have anything to base a solid marriage on.

What famous couple do you emulate?

We don't try and emulate any famous couple, as many of them don't have a good value system and most of their marriages don't last.  If we emulated anyone it would be my brother Dick and his wife Nancy who will be married 60 years this October.  The other couple would be Patti's sister, Veronica, and her husband Jim Hoff who were married close to 60 years. They both passed away in 2004.

Why did you settle in Royal Oak, and how long have you lived here?

I settled in Royal Oak because I was the first director of the Boys Club when it opened its doors on Sept, 2, 1958.  When we were married we bought a home at 2428 Oliver Rd. and have lived in Royal Oak since that time.  I grew up in Pasadena, California and moved to Michigan in 1956 to finish school at Wayne State. Patti grew up in Detroit.

What’s your favorite romantic night out in Royal Oak and why?

We don't have a favorite night out unless it would be Valentine's s Day and her birthday, which is Nov. 11. I feel I am the luckiest guy in the world to have married Patti.  I don't know what I would do without her.

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