Byram couple celebrates 70th anniversary

Ed & Peggy DeFrehn, formerly of Byram, recently celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary in Wilmington, North Carolina where they currently reside.

They were married on May 30, 1950 in Little Falls and had their honeymoon on the Jersey Shore. Raising five children in Fairfield, they moved to Sussex County in 1968. Their children include Bruce (Kim) of Groton, CT, Bonnie Reid (John) of Rutherford, Dawn Alvarez (Mike) of Newton, Debbie Smith (Brian) of Wilmington, NC, and Ed Jr. of Stillwater. The oldest two graduated from Sparta High School, and the younger three from Lenape Valley.

Ed retired from the Essex County Shade Tree Commission in Cedar Grove as a Foreman and Certified Tree Expert, while Peggy retired as an Executive Secretary from Dell Publishing Company in Pine Brook. Always involved with sports, they began to compete in the New Jersey Senior Olympics where they have earned over 110 medals, many of them gold.

They have always enjoyed spending vacations on Long Beach Island and their children have carried on the tradition. The DeFrehn’s have 13 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. They are going to return to Sussex County in July and begin preparing for the next competition.