Page 28 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2019- Online Magazine
P. 28
Jess Chris Peterson
What’s Their
Secret?
ess and Chris Peterson have been Lubbock offered fewer
married almost 46 years, and places to go for dates in the
Jyou might say that it was God early ‘70s. Besides enjoying
that brought them together. devotionals and get-
togethers with their friends,
Jess grew up in Longview, Texas Jess and Chris remember
and attended Kilgore Jr. College attending concerts like Rod
before coming to Lubbock in the McKuen. They also enjoyed
fall of 1970 to attend Texas Tech. just hanging out together at
Chris was born in Hollis, Oklahoma the Bible Chair or at Chris’s
and lived part of her childhood home. Broadway Church of Christ. They
in Hobbs, New Mexico before she honeymooned in Ruidoso and
and her mother moved to Lubbock, Jess worked evenings at what was San Antonio and then headed to
where she graduated from Lubbock then the Book and Stationery Center, Houston to look for an apartment.
Christian High School. She spent one of three places Tech students Jess had been offered a job in the
a year at Harding University in could buy textbooks. Since the accounting department of the oil
Searcy, Arkansas before returning to business was often slow at night, and gas division of Allied Chemical.
Lubbock to also attend Texas Tech. Chris and other friends would The two settled in to married
occasionally drop by to visit while life together. They were heavily
Jess and Chris met at the Church of Jess was dusting shelves or helping involved in their church, including
Christ student center (then known the few customers. One evening, directing the church bus ministry.
as the Bible Chair, now Campus Jess and Chris were together across Chris had to return to Lubbock to
Advance). They became part of the a book counter from each other, and complete her degree in elementary
same group of friends who enjoyed Jess told Chris he “thought he had education the next fall, and Jess
doing things together - especially found who he wanted to marry.” It drove back and forth four weekends
playing croquet in the city parks. was not a very romantic proposal, in a row to be with her. After
but they verified the next evening completing her degree, she began
that they were teaching in a minority elementary
engaged and school in Houston.
began making
wedding plans. Missing life in West Texas, Jess and
Chris moved back to Lubbock in
The two were 1975. Jess spent the next 16 years as
married on a CPA or corporate controller. Chris
Jess’s parents’ taught in Lubbock public schools for
27th wedding a couple of years before becoming a
anniversary, stay-at-home mom to daughters Jill
December and Amanda. Watching these two
22, 1972, at beautiful girls grow into Christian
28 Lubbock Senior Link
