Being best friends reason for happy marriage

Valentine's Day turns attention to love. Sometimes finding love can be hard. And other times it can happen unexpectedly, as if a light switch is suddenly turned on. Like when a young man sits down at a counter in a drugstore and looks into a young woman's eyes. The light shining through the window brings a smile to both of their faces. They become friends, then best friends, marry and start a family. Then over the years, they nourish that light with plenty of laughter, unwavering faith and pure love.
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He doesn't remember the number of ice cream sodas he consumed at the drugstore where she worked, but in the end it was enough to muster the courage to ask her out. Remembering this, Steve Gay, with a slight smile, says he not only became a forever fan of coffee ice cream but that that first date with Judy Clemons was as if a light was turned on and the start of something special. After 57 years of wedded bliss, Steve and Judy Gay believe their happiness is a testament to having faith, love and being best friends.
While Steve grew up in Jonesboro with his two older brothers working for his dad and uncle who owned a fruit and produce business, Judy was spending her summer days with her three sisters and brother at the family camp in Livermore just 23 miles from her home in Auburn. "My favorite part of camp life was walking to the farm owned by Oscar Turner -- Turner Egg Farms -- with my sisters and friend where we were each to pick out our pony for the summer. We then trained our ponies to ride and also to the sulky. It was a wonderful experience and something we looked forward to each summer."
"Jonesboro was a great place to grow up," says Steve. "I swam in the granite quarry and river, played basketball in hay barns and baseball in the cow fields. I played Little League baseball through to high school and then semi pro ball with the Machias Bruins. Life for all of us was very busy." Life also included music for Steve and his two older brothers. "I played trumpet and sang in the All State Chorus. My brother Jerry also played trumpet, and Paul became a professional musician, eventually performing with the Boston Pops Orchestra."
Steve graduated from Machias Memorial High School in 1962. Judy attended Edward Little High School in Auburn, where she played volleyball. Her family moved to Yarmouth after her father purchased the drugstore where her future husband would consume those ice cream sodas. In 1963, she graduated from Yarmouth High School, while Steve attended North Yarmouth Academy as a post graduate student. "I loved working in the drugstore and was planning on going to pharmacy school in Boston, but plans changed when I fell in love, and I have never regretted the decision. We married on June 20, 1964."
After the wedding they took the Bluenose ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, N.S. The rough ride across the water proved too much for both, so they moved to the top deck for some fresh air. "It was sunny on deck, and Judy wore these large brown-rimmed glasses. That night when she removed her glasses, she looked like a raccoon. We both laughed long and hard. And what's even better is that Judy has stuck with me through thick and thin, and we're both still laughing."
Steve spent a couple of years at Husson College before making the decision to move back to work for his father, finding his way in the business world "by way of hard knocks." He and Judy purchased a house trailer on Water Street in Machias. Soon after, the couple welcomed their first child, Julie, followed three years later by Jennifer, and then in 1972 their third daughter, Stephanie, was born. It was shortly after when the family purchased their first home in Machias.
Blueberries and wreaths became the two dominant businesses Steve and Judy were focused on. The blue fruit business grew quickly for Steve and his brother when they took over the business from their father in 1976. The idea for a wreath business actually began earlier in 1969 while Steve was working for his dad. "I became interested in the emerging wreath industry, and with the encouragement and guidance of Lillian White, a pioneer of the wreath industry, ... I started Gay's Wreaths, which grew to become well known and respected for quality." In both ventures Judy played an integral role managing the finances. "Judy was there all the way and was my voice of reason, although I didn't always listen when I should have."
Today, they split their time between their home on Hadley Lake in East Machias and their lake house in Florida. The two play cards, have plenty of conversations with friends and neighbors and wear forever smiles when in the company of their family, which now includes six grandchildren and four great grandsons. "After church we enjoy being with our family and weekly gatherings on Sunday evenings. We take great pride in all of our daughters' families and accomplishments," says Steve. "Life has been a blessing for us as we put our faith in God. We have, together, certainly been blessed for the past almost 58 years."