Denver Catholic

BY JULIE FILBY For seven decades, Jo and Dewey Dutton, both 91, have experienced ups and downs that cemented their marriage. They've raised a family togeth- er, overcome illness, weathered loss, and prayed to the same God, though they didn't always belong to the same church. "Dewey wasn't Catholic, he was Presbyterian," Jo, a lifelong Catholic, told the Denver Cath- olic Register Sept. 23 while sit- ting at the kitchen table of the Lakewood home they've shared for nearly 50 years. "I didn't want religion to separate us. "I think God wanted me to be with him," she said teary-eyed. The two met in 1941 when they were teenagers at Denver's North High School. After dating three years, Dewey proposed when home on furlough from the service. "Well, Dewey, I don't even know," was Jo's initial response when he popped the question. "Then we decided to get mar- ried then and there." "Then" was Jan. 17, 1944 and "there" was Dewey's moth- er's Highlands home at 3027 W. Highland Park Place. They were married by a Presbyterian minister. "I never asked Dewey to give up his religion," Jo said. "He loved his congregation." Jo would go to services with him; and Dewey to Mass with her. Longtime parishioners at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Par- ish in north Denver, and now members at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Jo was also an active vol- unteer with St. Joseph Hospital, Mount St. Vincent Home treat- ment center, Samaritan House and Father Ed Judy House shel- ters, as well as Mother Cabrini Shrine where they would also attend Mass. "Dewey would partake in all of that," she said. They built their life togeth- er: Dewey operated several successful restaurants in the Denver metro area and they welcomed three children to the world: their son, Dana, and two daughters Andrea (Frieson) and Deb (Shita). Dana passed away from esophageal cancer in 1997, the most devastating loss of their lives. While they sustained a life rooted in prayer and service, they continued to be affiliated with separate denominations for nearly 60 years. One thing Jo was not aware of was that Dewey was also at- tending Mass at Mount St. Vin- cent Home on his own. "(But) I felt bad because I couldn't take Communion," he said. That, one step in his con- version, continued to develop through his friendship with Father John Lager, O.F.M. Cap., who has celebrated Mass at Mother Cabrini Shrine for near- ly 30 years. INDEX Archbishop's Column ......................2 The Catholic Difference ..................4 Marriage Missionaries ....................4 Bulletin Board ...................................9 Nun of the Above quiz .................. 10 Service Directory ....................... 10-11 Faith, fidelity, one big surprise PHOTO BY ROBERT LINN/DCR DEWEY and Jo Dutton, both 91, at their Lakewood home Oct. 2. The couple celebrates 70 years of marriage this year. OCTOBER 8, 2014 114 Years of Service to the Gospel Volume XC - No. 34 www.DenverCatholicRegister.org I Follow us on INSIDE FAITHFUL CITIZENSHIP PAGE 2 PAGE 3 Democracy and non-negotiable principles Catholic conference weighs in on looming election EVERYDAY CATHOLIC RESPECT LIFE PAGE 6 PAGE 8 Brain science helps addicts recover from porn obsession Recent college grad picks different ladder to climb See Marriage, Page 10

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