By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer
If Mark Haggerty was looking for a reason to get married, he certainly found it on his wedding day without a second to spare.
Finally tying the knot with his longtime sweetheart, Jean, gave him a lifetime to make up for his being 15 minutes late for their wedding Mass.
It’s been almost 60 years since that infamous, yet glorious, day, and it’s probably safe to say that Jean Haggerty has gotten over her husband’s almost incomprehensible faux pas.
Yet, that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t still deserve to be treated like a princess once in a while — particularly on special occasions like Valentine’s Day.
Last week, the 80-something couple celebrated the lovers’ holiday in a series of events orchestrated by the Lafayette-Redeemer home in Bustleton, where they live.
In doing so, they were able to contemplate their countless Valentine’s Days past while drawing joy from their enduring love.
"We got along so well because she made me work two jobs, and I was never home," Mark Haggerty joked when asked about the secret to their longevity as a couple.
"And I was home doing all of the work," Jean added. "He used to come home and say, ‘Look, the kids are really growing.’ And they were."
The Haggertys produced five children, all boys, who have in turn given them six grandsons, seven granddaughters and one great-granddaughter.
Separated by only a year, the couple actually attended the same grade school but didn’t know each other until later in life.
"I was in second grade, and she was in first grade at the same school," Mark Haggerty said. "But we never met until I got discharged from the service."
He served with the U.S. Army in France in 1944 and ’45. After returning to Philadelphia, he settled near 27th Street and Allegheny Avenue in Tioga. Jean lived in Juniata Park.
A friend of Mark’s set them up on their first date.
"I called her, and we went out. (The friend) went out with his wife of today, too," Mark Haggerty said.
"You knew a good thing when you saw one," Jean added.
Their courtship continued for several months before they decided that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Nevertheless, the wedding would have to wait.
"I went to my mother and said, ‘We want to get married,’ and she said, ‘Oh, no. You’re only twenty years old. In this house, you have to be twenty-one,’" Jean Haggerty recalled.
So they waited another year.
In the meantime, they watched their share of movies, ate out frequently and visited a nightclub on Spring Garden Street with a regular group of friends.
Mark Haggerty always picked up his fiancée at her family’s home. As a trolley operator for the Philadelphia Transit Company, the predecessor to SEPTA, transportation was no problem — except for that wedding day.
Mark Haggerty didn’t own a car, but a friend had a 1939 Buick and agreed to drive him to the church, Holy Innocents in Juniata Park. But the friend didn’t show up on time.
"I think I smoked a whole pack of cigarettes waiting," Haggerty said.
Meanwhile, the organist played and the unknowing Jean began her walk down the aisle. When she got to the altar, the priest spilled the bad news: "He’s not here yet."
But in the nick of time the Buick arrived. Mark remembers leaping a flower bed on his way into the church and arriving at the altar panting like an Olympic marathoner.
"And he’s never been late for anything in his life since," Jean Haggerty said proudly.
That punctuality proved a great benefit during Mark’s 38 years on the trolleys, as a bus driver and as a SEPTA street supervisor.
Originally, the couple bought a house near K and Lycoming streets, but they grew out of it after about five years. Next, they moved onto Sanger Street in Oxford Circle and attended St. Martin of Tours parish.
"It was a nice neighborhood in its day," Jean Haggerty said.
After another decade, the family continued to grow and re-settled in the Far Northeast in Our Lady of Calvary parish.
"When we moved up there, there was only one person living on the block," Mark Haggerty said. "Then our old neighbors came and picked up the house next to us."
Then another neighbor did the same.
"I said to them, ‘What are you doing? We moved up here to get away from you,’" Mark Haggerty continued. "So they said, ‘You’re the only one who has tools.’"
In 44 years there, the Haggertys watched their sons grow into men. Mark retired, then Jean started working in a pediatric dentist’s office. She spent 15 years in the job.
"When I said I was going to work, (Mark) said, ‘Who’s going to do all the cooking?’ I said, ‘you,’" Jean recalled. "He’s a great cook now."
Ten years ago, the couple renewed their vows at OLC at the insistence of their proud family to mark their 50th anniversary.
"The kids got together and made all of the arrangements," Mark Haggerty said. "I guess it was supposed to be a surprise that we already knew about."
They moved into Lafayette-Redeemer in February 2007.
And four months shy of their 60th anniversary, they still celebrate Valentine’s Day, although the emphasis on material symbols of affection has diminished over the years.
"I always get a little gift and Valentine card," Jean Haggerty said.
Meanwhile, their appreciation for the intangible, like their commitment to each other and pride in their large and loving family, continues to grow.
"I’m glad we did what we did," Jean Haggerty said. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com