Early in the day Augustana Viking Days Royalty Keep Leadership With her because Married couples

Pictured: Darwin and you may Julie (DeWitt) Garcia ‘19 on the wedding day within the Sioux Drops, inside (left) and John and you can Shelly (Knudson) Stone ‘94 on the wedding day when you look at the Marshall, Minnesota, in the August 1995 (right).

You simply can’t enchantment “love” versus Ole, and two Augustana School partners was proof. Just like the previous Viking Days royalty, John and you may Shelly (Knudson) Stone ‘94 and you can Darwin and you will Julie (DeWitt) Garcia ‘19, grabbed its headings away from “queen and king” and turned them to the “couple.”

Towards the October. 11, 1993, best friends, John and you will Shelly (Knudson) Material ‘94, was titled Viking Weeks Queen and you may Queen, much on the amaze. Pursuing the coronation, John try quoted regarding the Augustana Reflect saying the best part of going crowned king “is actually addressing go everywhere having Shelly Knudson!”

“I do believe he was types of teasing beside me just like the he said that regarding newsprint, so as that was pretty easy,” Shelly chuckled.

Nearly one year into time these were crowned, John suggested to help you Shelly. And you can, ten days later, the fresh new Stones was basically married.

New couple’s story first started in the Augustana in 1990, when they had been both basic-season pupil-players – John, a beneficial Peterson, Iowa, indigenous, try a baseball player and you will Shelly, away from . One another joined AU’s part out of Fellowship out-of Religious Athletes (FCA).

John graduated you to definitely spring season having a last significant and you will supplementary studies certification, and you may Shelly stayed an additional year to complete her breastfeeding biggest. To the Oct. 18, 1994, simply annually plus one few days when they were crowned king and you can king, John are expected because of the FCA to return in order to Augustana and you may cam.

“It was also Shelly’s birthday, and i also took this lady so you can Minervas the downtown area,” John said. “Following, among my friends lived in my dated dorm place when you look at the Solberg (Hall), therefore i got her or him set it, and i also suggested so you’re able to Shelly inside Solberg.

He wanted to promote elizabeth gazebo where they already been relationship

The happy couple had hitched inside the August 1995, in Marshall, Minnesota. The FCA worship ring did sounds into the ceremony, and aside from a few family relations and you will siblings, its main wedding party and you may subscribers were made up regarding Augustana alumni.

Today, nearly 3 decades once they have been crowned Viking Days king and king, the couple lives in Peterson, Iowa, where John might have been enabling with the family unit members farm if you’re training rules as a managing mate away from Stone Hutchinson, PLLP. Shelly ‘s the manager movie director of the Link from Storm River, an optimistic teens development nonprofit ministry. The newest Stones has actually around three people, Joseph, 24, Lincoln, 22, and you can Caleb, 20.

With nearly thirty years away from wedding lower than their straps, this new Rocks told you accepting and you may prioritizing both are essential to help you one dating.

“Walking having humility, always be willing to forgive and start to become grateful on the that that you will get to walk thanks to lifestyle that have,” Shelly told you.

“Shelly is similar today due to the fact she ended up being for the reason that she really connects with individuals really well,” John said. “She’s as well as never apprehensive with the thought of having to do things which want to get complete, therefore she actually is really healthy by doing this.”

Each other Shelly and you can John said these are generally thankful you to Augustana supplied them possibilities to expand as the anyone, and additionally assistance and encouragement.

When you look at the 1994, a couple months immediately following Viking Days, John and you can Shelly produced their relationships specialized

“It actually was a cool university sense,” John said. “I’d a brilliant knowledge, friends and you will a girlfriend.”

When Darwin and Viking Weeks King and you will King, thanks a lot from the audience have been noisy because the long time few posed to possess images, beaming at every other.

The latest Garcia’s story began into the 2016, at the conclusion of the first 12 months at s Workplace (IPO) Rendezvous in which Darwin are providing a presentation towards his domestic country, Honduras. Shortly after understanding that they had a shared buddy, both started to speak and you can plan investigation times. not, the conclusion brand new academic year required Darwin would return home so you can Tegucigalpa, Honduras, towards summer, and you will Julie so you can Yankton, Southern area Dakota. They reconnected on the slide, and a few months later on, Darwin got a surprise.

“We took her having a walk, and in addition we prevented regarding the gazebo from the Government Strengthening,” Darwin told you. “I had my good friend disappear some cupcakes for me one told you, ‘Will you be my spouse?’”

Julie approved, and you will 36 months and some investigation dates later, the couple finished regarding Bien au inside the 2019. Darwin are good physics and you will mathematics twice big, and you may Julie was a breastfeeding biggest. Shortly after graduation, they relocated to Rochester, Minnesota, where Julie is actually a rn on Mayo Infirmary Emergency Agency, and you will Darwin try an effective Ph.D. applicant at the Mayo Medical center Graduate College or university away from Biomedical Sciences.

From inside the , Darwin got other wonder. He’d a professional photographer and you can nearest and dearest prepared to help your eliminate it off. After that, the fresh new pandemic struck, and you will Minnesota was on lockdown. Just like the Julie is dealing with patients with COVID-19, the happy couple decided it was most readily useful not to travelling.

“I came up with an excellent scavenger check, and i also told her it had been a graduate college or university activity you to definitely I wanted the girl to test out,” Darwin told you. “They contributed this lady to a gazebo in the city where I had photographs hung up and you may cupcakes once again, but this time around they said, ‘Would you wed me personally?’”

“I’m particular upset on how unaware I became, like, I really didn’t come with suggestion,” Julie chuckled. “I don’t contemplate one phrase the guy said, nonetheless it are extremely special how much time and effort the guy put in it. And you will, the newest cupcakes introduced they back to where it started, which was really nice.”

The happy couple fastened this new knot inside Sioux Falls, on , a party Julie known as one another “good Latino-Midwest fusion matrimony” and “the best time actually ever.” The marriage – a great Lutheran and you may Catholic service shared – is full of Augustana connections. Fr. Kevin O’Dell, AU’s former chaplain, performed brand new Catholic portion of the service, and previous Teacher off Foreign language Sam Ogdie translated this new ceremony to own Darwin’s family unit members, who was simply truth be told there regarding Honduras.

The fresh new Garcias aspire to later on keep a married relationship lobby for the Honduras after which journey to among their islands because of their vacation. Until then, the happy couple is basically grateful getting Augustana providing them along with her.

“Julie finds out joy in probably the tiniest out of anything and will extremely transform my personal time – if I’m stressed and you can overwhelmed, she will be able to brighten my big date with her happiness,” told you Darwin.

“Without Augie, there is most likely absolutely no way that people might have also came across,” Julie added. “Thus, our company is only extremely pleased for Augustana due to the fact in which otherwise you will definitely that union occurs?”