By: Maria Allard | Warren Weekly | Published February 8, 2023
Editor’s note: In recognition of Valentine’s Day Feb. 14, the Warren Weekly is sharing the love story of Warren couple Rolan and Annie Covert, who have stuck by each other since they married 50 years ago.
WARREN — Every time Rolan Covert drives by the Mobil gas station at 12 Mile and Ryan roads, it takes him back to when he first set eyes on Annie Gudgalis.
The two were both employed at the gas station when they met in the late fall of 1972.
As Rolan got to know the young lady who pumped gas and cleaned windshields, he couldn’t help but notice that she “was very kind and always trying to help people.” What also struck him was that she was a serious student at Marygrove College in Detroit, working towards a bachelor’s degree in math and religious studies with a minor in psychology.
“She was always good and kindhearted,” said Rolan, who grew up in Detroit. “That’s the one thing I really loved about her.”
They started out as friends, but soon love bloomed. Fifty years later, the couple is still going strong.
To have and to hold
Annie and Rolan knew they were right for each other. They became Mr. and Mrs. Covert on New Year’s Eve 1972, in a wedding ceremony that had no frills. They exchanged their vows in Rolan’s sister Claudia Boss’s house in Warren. Annie’s brother Tony was the best man.
“It was so fast. We were married within a few weeks,” Chicago native Annie said of their courtship. “We had no photographer. We couldn’t afford a wedding dress. At the last minute, I got flowers.”
There was no honeymoon either. Rolan was 27 and Annie 21 on their wedding day. Longtime Warren Judge Roy Gruenberg officiated the ceremony.
“The judge was late because he was watching the football game,” Annie remembered.
After saying their “I dos” in the living room, the bride and groom sat down for a turkey dinner Boss prepared for them and their 12 wedding guests which included Tony; Boss and her husband and three children; and Rolan’s father. Also in attendance were three of Annie’s college friends, and another friend Annie knew from her waitress job at the Egg and I restaurant, along with the friend’s daughter.
The newlyweds lived with the Boss family for a short time in the basement, but then “moved into a little house on Cadillac” Avenue in the Van Dyke Public Schools district. The husband-and-wife team went without certain necessities. Instead of a stove, for instance, they settled for a hot plate on which to fix their meals.
“We had milk cartons on the back porch for a refrigerator,” Rolan said. “There was a bathroom, kitchen and living room.”
It wasn’t easy, but their mutual love and respect got them through.
“We cared about each other,” Rolan, 77, said.
“Both of us have never tried to change each other,” Annie, 71, said.
The twosome always supported each other in their personal endeavors.
“That’s another example of why we get along,” Rolan said. “If she wants to do something, go for it. I never held her back.”
“We work to make each other what each other wants to become,” Annie said.
And as they say, opposite attract. Once married, the duo discovered they “were from two different worlds.” Annie is a musical theater buff who enjoys productions such as “Les Misérables” or “Miss Saigon” while sports fan Rolan would rather root for his favorite football and baseball teams.
“I like museums,” Annie said. “I love riding motorcycles and I love camping while he’s more into playing cards with his buddies. He likes to watch westerns while I prefer nonfiction.”
‘A lot of good years’
Rolan and Annie eventually started a family. They raised sons Rolan and Ryan and daughter Rebecca, and made their permanent home in Warren’s Fitzgerald Public Schools district. The Coverts were always busy.
“I loved when the house had a lot of commotion going on,” Annie said.
Rolan supported the family working in skilled trades while Annie — who earned a master’s degree in educational leadership — worked in the food service industry, catering and sales before she began substitute teaching in the Fitzgerald district’s schools. That led to a teaching position at the elementary school level. Annie also made an impact in other areas, including K-12 curriculum coordinator and data specialist while employed with the district.
Looking back, Rolan’s favorite job was keeping track of things as afternoon supervisor at the Hazel Park Raceway. He retired from the position, and the horse race track has since been demolished.
“He loved that job,” Annie smiled. “He became alive at that job.”
Annie still has strong ties to the district. She has been a member of the Fitzgerald Public Schools Board of Education since July 2018, currently serving as vice president.
Rolan coached baseball for all the kids and Annie led them spiritually.
“I raised them in several different churches. I wanted them to have a feel for different religions,” Annie said.
They also raised a family member, Gerald “Gerry The Tool Man” Gelinas, who needed a home.
“He was born with cerebral palsy and optic nerve damage, so he was blind. He had seizures and mental illness,” Annie said. “We had to be strong together to give him the life he deserved. He grew up with the kids. My kids loved him.”
Sadly, Gelinas died May 9, 2022, but he is always in their hearts.
The couple’s 50th wedding anniversary was quite different from their wedding day. On Dec. 31, 2022, about 70 people, including the Coverts’ three children and several grandchildren, gathered at the Knights of Columbus Father Cotter Council No. 1874 in Warren to celebrate the couple’s milestone.
“My kids did all the cooking,” Annie said while tearing up a bit. “My kids are amazing. The party was wonderful.”
The evening gave the couple the opportunity to reflect on their marriage.
“A lot of good years,” Rolan said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”