On July 29, Sandy and Jerry Kootman of Chesterfield lovingly celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Sandy and Jerry are parents of Dr. Richard and Jettie Kootman, Dr. Jeffrey Kootman, and Kathi and Stuart Rosenberg. They have eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  For Sandy and Jerry’s special day, their children hosted a dinner party at Ruth’s Chris Steak House, one of their favorite restaurants in St. Louis, and invited the couple’s closest friends and family.

Here’s how the couple’s children described their parents: “They exemplify what true, unconditional love is and show that fairy tale marriages do exist. Jerry worked hard to provide for his family while Sandy stayed home with their three children. Jerry was fortunate to retire at age 56 from his family scrap metal business started by his father, Louis Kootman, so that they could “winter” at their beautiful condo in Palm Desert, Calif. Sandy and Jerry have always loved adventure, including Jerry (and their sons) flying their Cessna airplane to fun locations, weekending at their condo in the Ozarks and boating on the lake, deep sea fishing in beautiful waters, camping, going on incredible vacations around the world, huge family cruises, and simply making each day count. It was, and still is, always about being together and the value of family. Sandy and Jerry feel so blessed every day to have found the love of their lives in one another. They look forward to sharing many more adventures and happy, healthy years together.”