Congrats to the Gilletts for the longevity of their marriage. Not every married couple is as happily adjusted as they appear to be–even without the 75 years.

I might be a distant relative of Mr. Gillett’s, if that is his birth name. My maiden name is Gillett, and it is rare for me to run across others with my last name, spelled without the “e” on the end. My cousin in WY did some research about the origin of the name, and learned that there were two brothers from France, who moved to England and then, later, to the U.S. My cousin concluded, from his own research, that every person in America with the name, “Gillett”, or “Gillette”, is connected, genetically, to those respective two brothers.

When my father remarried after he was widowed, my new stepmother added an “e” to the name–she said that she didn’t want to be called, “Mrs. Gill-ett”–I’m sure you don’t have to guess that I was not happy about that.

I originaly come from WY, and a man named Fran Gillett, came from Jackson WY, to my hometown of Powell, and remained many years there, as an athletic coach in the schools. My uncle told me that he and that Fran Gillett had conversations about the subject of their common name, and agreed that they probably were related.

[I believe Gillett is his birth name, although he had a complicated childhood. -- DA]