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

You simply can’t enchantment “love” versus Ole, as well as 2 Augustana School lovers are evidence. Just like the previous Viking Months royalty, John and you will Shelly (Knudson) Material ‘94 and you can Darwin and you may Julie (DeWitt) Garcia ‘19, grabbed the titles off “queen and you may queen” and became him or her for the “couple.”

For the Oct. 11, 1993, best friends, John and you will Shelly (Knudson) Stone ‘94, was named Viking Days Queen and you will Queen, far on their surprise. Pursuing the coronation, John is actually quoted regarding Augustana Echo stating the good thing of going crowned queen “is actually handling wade almost everywhere that have Shelly Knudson!”

“In my opinion he was style of teasing beside me since he mentioned that from the newspaper, to ensure that try fairly effortless,” Shelly chuckled.

Almost one year for the big date these people were crowned, John advised in order to Shelly. And you can, 10 months later, the newest Stones was indeed partnered.

This new couple’s story first started within Augustana when you look at the 1990, when they was in fact one another earliest-seasons beginner-professional athletes – John, a beneficial Peterson, Iowa, native, is actually a basketball player and you can Shelly, regarding . Each other inserted AU’s part out of Fellowship regarding Religious Athletes (FCA).

John graduated that spring season having a past significant and supplementary knowledge certificate, and you will Shelly existed a supplementary season to-do their medical major. Into Oct. 18, 1994, only a year and something day after they were crowned king and you may queen, John was expected because of the FCA to go back so you’re able to Augustana and you may cam.

“It absolutely was and additionally Shelly’s birthday, and i grabbed the woman in order to Minervas downtown,” John told you. “Upcoming, certainly one of my friends stayed in my dated dormitory room in Solberg (Hall), so i had her or him set it, and i also suggested in order to Shelly inside Solberg.

He desired to offer e gazebo where they come dating

The happy couple got partnered inside August 1995, when you look at the Marshall, Minnesota. The fresh FCA praise ring did tunes towards the service, and you can except that a few family members and you can siblings, their main wedding party and you will website visitors have been made upwards of Augustana alumni.

Now, almost 30 years when they were crowned Viking Months queen and you can queen, the happy couple lives in Peterson, Iowa, where John has been providing on relatives ranch when you are training law because the a controlling partner off Stone Hutchinson, PLLP. Shelly is the government director of one’s Link away from Violent storm River, a confident childhood advancement nonprofit ministry. The fresh Rocks has actually three people, Joseph, 24, Lincoln, 22, and Caleb, 20.

With almost three decades out-of relationship lower than the belts, this new Rocks told you acknowledging and you will prioritizing one another are very important to people dating.

“Stroll with humility, continually be prepared to forgive and get pleased for the you to that you get simply to walk thanks to existence with,” Shelly said.

“Shelly is the same now as the she was then because she extremely links with people well,” John told you. “She is and never apprehensive with the thought of having to do things that would like to get over, so this woman is most healthy this way.”

Each other Shelly and you will John said they tinder for married men are thankful one Augustana supplied him or her opportunities to grow because the anybody, including support and you can support.

In the 1994, two months after Viking Months, John and Shelly generated their relationships certified

“It had been an awesome school experience,” John said. “I’d an astonishing education, close friends and you can an effective wife.”

When Darwin and Viking Days King and you can King, thanks a lot about group was in fact noisy since the longtime couple presented having photos, beaming at every most other.

Brand new Garcia’s facts first started within the 2016, at the conclusion of its first 12 months in the s Work environment (IPO) Rendezvous in which Darwin try providing a speech to your their house nation, Honduras. Immediately after discovering that they had a mutual buddy, both started to talk and package investigation schedules. Although not, the conclusion brand new informative seasons required Darwin manage go homeward in order to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on the summer, and you will Julie to help you Yankton, South Dakota. It reconnected about slide, and a few weeks afterwards, Darwin had a surprise.

“We got the lady getting a stroll, therefore prevented regarding gazebo by Government Building,” Darwin told you. “I’d my good friend disappear certain cupcakes for me one to said, ‘Could you be my personal girlfriend?’”

Julie approved, and you will three-years and you will plenty of research times after, the couple finished of Au in the 2019. Darwin try a physics and mathematics double significant, and you will Julie try a nursing biggest. Immediately following graduation, they gone to live in Rochester, Minnesota, where Julie is a registered nurse during the Mayo Clinic Crisis Company, and you may Darwin are an excellent Ph.D. applicant on Mayo Clinic Graduate College out-of Biomedical Sciences.

Inside , Darwin got several other shock. He previously a photographer and you may family members happy to help him pull it off. Up coming, this new pandemic struck, and you may Minnesota was on lockdown. While the Julie was working with customers that have COVID-19, the happy couple felt like it actually was better to not ever take a trip.

“I created a great scavenger check, and i also shared with her it was a grad school hobby one I desired the woman to test,” Darwin told you. “They led her in order to a great gazebo in town in which I’d photo hung up and you may cupcakes once more, but this time it told you, ‘Can you marry me personally?’”

“I’m type of disappointed how unaware I found myself, such as for example, I really had no idea,” Julie chuckled. “Really don’t think about an individual word he told you, nevertheless is actually extremely special the length of time and effort he placed into it. And you can, the brand new cupcakes introduced it back to where it started, that was most sweet.”

The couple tied brand new knot for the Sioux Drops, for the , an event Julie referred to as one another “a Latino-Midwest mix matrimony” and you may “the best big date actually ever.” The wedding – an effective Lutheran and you can Catholic services joint – was laden up with Augustana contacts. Fr. Kevin O’Dell, AU’s former chaplain, performed this new Catholic part of the service, and you can former Professor out of Foreign-language Sam Ogdie translated brand new service to possess Darwin’s members of the family, who was indeed there out of Honduras.

The new Garcias aspire to as time goes by keep a married relationship reception inside Honduras after which happen to be certainly its countries because of their honeymoon. Until then, the happy couple is actually pleased to own Augustana taking him or her with her.

“Julie finds happiness within the probably the littlest out-of some thing and certainly will extremely changes my date – if I am troubled and you may overrun, she will be able to lighten my personal go out with her glee,” said Darwin.

“Without Augie, there is certainly most likely not a chance that we might have actually satisfied,” Julie extra. “Thus, the audience is only very pleased getting Augustana because where otherwise you may one to relationship happen?”