What did it take to over come the United States ban on marriages between American personnel in Germany and German Nationals at the end of WWII? Could such marriages survive the paperwork, trials, and tribulations involved? Frances Mary Ponn, a Berchtesgaden native, and Melvin R. Bielawski, a native of Toledo, Ohio, tested the "System" and won. In 2004, they celebrated fifty-seven years of marriage.

What did it take to over come the United States ban on marriages between American personnel in Germany and German Nationals at the end of WWII? Could such marriages survive the paperwork, trials, and tribulations involved? Frances Mary Ponn, a Berchtesgaden native, and Melvin R. Bielawski, a native of Toledo, Ohio, tested the "System" and won. In 2004, they celebrated fifty-seven years of marriage.

This is the story of two people, Melvin and Frances, who met while young, fell in love, and married. They raised three sons, enjoyed a loving, warm, and close family life. They traveled extensively in Europe, Canada, and the United States. They were blessed with good health and suffered only minor aches and pains during their middle and early senior years. However, Frances began to have memory problems almost concurrent with turning 80 years of age. An early diagnosis by the family physician and a neurologist identified the symptoms as minor cognitive impairment (MCI). In subsequent years the...

This is the story of two people, Melvin and Frances, who met while young, fell in love, and married. They raised three sons, enjoyed a loving, warm, and close family life. They traveled extensively in Europe, Canada, and the United States. They were blessed with good health and suffered only minor aches and pains during their middle and early senior years. However, Frances began to have memory problems almost concurrent with turning 80 years of age. An early diagnosis by the family physician and a neurologist identified the symptoms as minor cognitive impairment (MCI). In subsequent years the...