Pictured: Darwin and Julie (DeWitt) Garcia ‘19 to their special day inside the Sioux Falls, within the (left) and John and Shelly (Knudson) Material ‘94 on their big day from inside the Marshall, Minnesota, inside the August 1995 (right).

You simply cannot spell “love” versus Ole, as well as 2 Augustana College lovers try evidence. Due to the fact previous Viking Days royalty, John and you may Shelly (Knudson) Material ‘94 and Darwin and you can Julie (DeWitt) Garcia ‘19, got the headings regarding “king and you will king” and you can became her or him on the “couple.”

To your Oct. eleven, 1993, close friends, John and Shelly (Knudson) Rock ‘94, have been entitled Viking Months King and you can Queen, much to their wonder. Following the coronation, John was cited regarding the Augustana Mirror saying the good thing of going crowned king “is addressing wade every-where that have Shelly Knudson!”

“I think he had been type of teasing beside me because the he asserted that from the newspaper, to ensure try fairly effortless,” Shelly chuckled.

Almost 12 months to your big date they were crowned, John recommended so you can Shelly. And you can, ten weeks later on, this new Rocks had been hitched.

The fresh couple’s story began from the Augustana inside 1990, after they had been one another earliest-season beginner-players — John, good Peterson, Iowa, indigenous, is a golf ball player and you can Shelly, off . Each other inserted AU’s chapter from Fellowship regarding Religious Athletes (FCA).

John finished that spring season with a last big and you will additional degree certificate, and Shelly stayed an extra 12 months accomplish their breastfeeding big. To the Oct. 18, 1994, merely a year plus one day once they have been crowned king and king, John is asked of the FCA to return so you can Augustana and you may chat.

“It absolutely was as well as Shelly’s birthday celebration, and i also got this lady to Minervas the downtown area,” John said. “Following, certainly my friends lived in my old dormitory place within the Solberg (Hall), and so i had them set it, and i suggested in order to Shelly inside Solberg.

He planned to give e gazebo where it started relationships

The happy couple got hitched inside August 1995, inside the Marshall, Minnesota. New FCA praise band performed songs with the ceremony, and you may apart from a number of members of the family and you can sisters, their wedding party and you can travelers were made right up out-of Augustana alumni.

Now, almost thirty years when they was in fact crowned Viking Days king and you will king, the happy couple stays in Peterson, Iowa, where John might have been helping towards the relatives farm if you are doing legislation because a managing companion from Material Hutchinson, PLLP. Shelly is the exec manager of the Connection out-of Violent storm Lake, an optimistic youthfulness innovation nonprofit ministry. The fresh Rocks provides about three children, Joseph, twenty-four, Lincoln, twenty two, and you may Caleb, 20.

Which have almost thirty years of relationship around its devices, the new Rocks said acknowledging and you can prioritizing one another are very important in order to one relationship.

“Stroll that have humility, often be ready to forgive and start to become grateful toward that that you get simply to walk thanks to lifestyle with,” Shelly said.

“Shelly is similar today given that she ended up being because she really links with folks really well,” John told you. “This woman is as well as never daunted by having to do things which need done, so she’s really healthy by doing this.”

Each other Shelly and you may John told you they’re thankful one Augustana granted them opportunities to develop because some one, as well as service and you can support.

Inside the 1994, a couple months once Viking Months, John and you can Shelly produced their relationships certified

“It had been an awesome university feel,” John said. “I experienced a cool training, good friends and you may a great partner.”

Whenever Darwin and you can Viking Days Queen and Queen, thanks in the crowd was in fact loud given that longtime couples posed to own photo, beaming at every other.

The newest Garcia’s facts first started in the 2016, after the first 12 months during the s Work environment (IPO) Rendezvous in which Darwin try providing a presentation to the his home country, Honduras. Shortly after understanding they had a common buddy, both began to talk and you can package analysis schedules. Yet not, the conclusion the fresh instructional year required Darwin do go back home so you can https://datingmentor.org/talkwithstranger-review/ Tegucigalpa, Honduras, for the june, and you will Julie in order to Yankton, South Dakota. It reconnected throughout the slide, and some days later on, Darwin had a shock.

“We got the girl getting a walk, therefore stopped from the gazebo from the Government Building,” Darwin told you. “I had my pal drop off particular cupcakes for me you to said, ‘Will you be my partner?’”

Julie recognized, and 36 months and you can lots of analysis times later on, the couple graduated off Bien au from inside the 2019. Darwin was a physics and you will math twice big, and you may Julie are a nursing big. Immediately after graduation, it relocated to Rochester, Minnesota, in which Julie was a rn within Mayo Clinic Emergency Institution, and you can Darwin is an excellent Ph.D. applicant at Mayo Infirmary Graduate College out of Biomedical Sciences.

In , Darwin got several other wonder. He’d a photographer and household members happy to let your eliminate it off. Following, new pandemic strike, and you can Minnesota is on lockdown. Since Julie was working with customers with COVID-19, the happy couple decided it actually was better not to take a trip.

“I came up with good scavenger check, and that i informed her it had been a grad school passion that I desired the lady to experience,” Darwin told you. “It contributed the lady in order to an effective gazebo around in which I’d photographs hung up and you can cupcakes once more, however, now they told you, ‘Do you realy wed me personally?’”

“I’m particular distressed regarding how unaware I was, eg, I truly didn’t come with tip,” Julie chuckled. “Really don’t remember a single word the guy said, but it try very unique how much time and energy he added to it. And you may, the brand new cupcakes brought they back to where it started, which was very sweet.”

The couple fastened the latest knot in Sioux Drops, towards , a celebration Julie referred to as each other “a great Latino-Midwest fusion matrimony” and you will “a knowledgeable date previously.” The marriage — a great Lutheran and you will Catholic provider shared — are loaded with Augustana connectivity. Fr. Kevin O’Dell, AU’s former chaplain, did this new Catholic part of the ceremony, and you may previous Teacher regarding Foreign language Sam Ogdie translated this new ceremony to have Darwin’s nearest and dearest, who was simply indeed there regarding Honduras.

New Garcias aspire to in the foreseeable future keep a marriage reception in the Honduras after which travel to certainly one of the countries because of their vacation. Before this, the happy couple is simply grateful having Augustana bringing them together with her.

“Julie finds joy during the perhaps the smallest away from one thing and certainly will really alter my go out — in the event that I am troubled and overwhelmed, she can brighten my personal go out together with her glee,” told you Darwin.

“Rather than Augie, there clearly was probably not a way that people will have even met,” Julie extra. “Therefore, the audience is just extremely pleased to possess Augustana as in which else you will you to definitely connection occurs?”