Scardinas Find Lasting Marriage by Navigating Daily Circumstances Together

Simple moments have been the most memorable and treasured ones for Jacob and Oceania Scardina over their 70 years of marriage.

The Scardinas, who are members of St. George Church in Baton Rouge, will join other couples at the Diocese of Baton Rouge Wedding Mass on March 22 at Immaculate Conception Church in Denham Springs. Couples celebrating their 25th, 50th, 65th and over wedding anniversaries will be in attendance. 

Jacob, who graduated from Catholic High School (CHS), and Oceana met on Nov. 14, 1952 at a football game between CHS and Istrouma at Memorial Stadium.  

Oceania, who was almost 16 the time, was a student at St. Anthony High School in Baton Rouge.

"His best friend was dating my best friend ... So, we started double dating," said Oceania.

They dated for almost four years and married at St. Anthony Church on June 23, 1956. The young couple looked radiant in their wedding photos.

Jacob said he came from a large "old" Italian family. Oceania is an only child of French descent. However, her parents came from large families, too.

"I was lucky," said Jacob. "I came from a family of good Italian food, and she came from a family of good French Cajun food."

"We ate well," Oceania said.

The Scardinas have five children, three girls and twin boys. They described their family life as simple but filled with happiness.

When their children were young, Oceania stayed home so she could care for them. 

Jacob said, "I was working at the time doing radio and TV repair work at a local shop. Fortunately, about the time the third daughter came along, Exxon offered me a job. I spent my whole career there, 35 years. They were hiring laboratory technicians at the time, and I applied and got that job. I went on to be a first-line supervisor for many years. We were fortunate to have a good, stable income."

Before coming to St. George, the Scardinas lived near the Greenwell Springs area for about 38 years and were members of St. Alphonsus Liguori Church in Greenwell Springs. They were actively involved with different ministries there.

"While there at St. Alphonsus I helped build a new school," Jacob said.

The Scardinas make their decisions based on their Catholic faith. 

With five children born within 4 1/2 years and the family supported on one income, the Scardinas made sacrifices.

"Those were the days when you would wash (diapers), hang them up, and fold them," said Jacob.

"And I was a do-it-yourself kind of guy, so we never hired anybody to do anything, and (Oceania) maintained the house without any help."

There wasn't any whining over work that needed to be done.

"You just got up every morning and did what you needed to do. You went to bed and got up the next day and did it all over again," said Jacob.

Vacations were never extravagant and included camping at the beach for 2-3 weeks.

Jacob added, "We would take them to the beach and Oceania would sit in a chair and be in the sun ..."

"I'm not a water person," added Oceania.

Jacob continued, "I'd get in the water with the kids, and they would step in my hands, and I'd throw them over my shoulder, and we'd go round and round until I couldn't do it anymore."

The family practiced loading and unloading the car before leaving for vacation so they knew where everything went. Items were stored in the trunk and on top of the car.

"We would drive into a campground and start unloading the car. People would stop and watch," said Jacob.

One thing about the vacations was certain: They would not stop in places that did not have a church where they could attend Mass. It didn't matter if there was a grocery store nearby, but there had to be a church close to them.

The Scardinas said the longevity of their marriage is because they dated long enough to get to know each other before they married.

"I taught her to fish. She was my fishing partner for years," said Jacob.

"We were very comfortable with each other and each other's families," said Oceania. "And we learned from our parents to respect each other. The biggest advice I've received is ‘you're seldom sorry for the things you don't say.'"

"We've had our arguments, but we learned pretty quick to (remain silent) rather than risk hurting each other's feelings. That way you don't have to come back and say, 'I'm sorry.'"

A hallway gallery of photographs speaks about the Scardina's love for their family. In addition to their children, they have 10 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

Their children’s families mostly celebrate the holidays with a potluck meal at Jacob and Oceania's house.

"It's not uncommon to have 35, 40, 45 people here," said Jacob.

The children have fun climbing over the limbs of a big oak tree in the couple's backyard.

The Scardinas add to their favorite memories their 50th wedding anniversary celebration at St. George and a "very special" trip to Italy. They expressed their gratitude for a fulfilling life.

"It's been pretty satisfying," said Jacob. "We've been very fortunate."
"We've been very blessed," said Oceania.