She was married in a blue dress because it was her father’s favorite color. Edna Cahill married James Finn on Nov. 22, 1939 in the manse adjacent to the Echo Lake Baptist Church in West Milford. Back then a “mixed” marriage, when the bride and groom were of different faiths, caused concern. So they married in the manse, not the church, and they stayed married for 56 years, until James passed away in 1995. Edna Finn, a lovely, spirited, down-to-earth woman of 92 years, is a true West Milfordite. Born in the Apshawa section of town, she moved to town center in 1934. She met James at a friend’s house when she was in the eighth grade. When she was a sophomore in high school, she and James started to date, and she married at the age of 19. “There was no work for girls then, no stores, no ShopRite, none of that stuff. Girls got married and had babies,” Finn said. They had a small wedding followed by a reception in what was called at the time “Mechanics Hall,” currently the location of Town Cycle. “My mother and mother-in-law put on the reception,” she said. West Milford was a different kind of town when Finn was growing up, even in the center of town the houses were few and far between. The children played outside more and the vacant summer homes provided amusement for Finn and her friends as they’d spook each other by pretending those seasonal homes were haunted. As a teen Finn found work at a concession stand where Paul’s Place is today and at the now defunct Green Valley Park on Wooley Road. Most teen get-togethers took place in church parish halls. When they got married, the Finns moved into James’ parents’ home on Union Valley Road and she lives there to this day. Occasionally they would venture out to Pompton Lakes for a movie, but most of the time they stayed home. “My husband played the guitar, we sang and there was mom and dad’s player piano. On Sunday afternoons we’d watch the boats on Greenwood Lake,” Finn said. The Finns had their first child, born at home, in Dec. 1940. That baby was followed by five more; in 1943, 1945, 1947, 1952 and 1957. While Edna was busy tending the brood, James worked for a construction company and did radar work for the government during the war years. The Finns were both active in the first West Milford Volunteer Fire Company (now Co. #6) when it opened in 1944 in the current bike shop, just a few doors from their home. Company #6 stayed at that address until 1971. James served for years as fire chief and Edna was active in the women’s auxiliary, but she did more than bake cakes. When a fire call came in during those early years the phone would ring at the Finn’s home and she’d run to the fire house to blow the fire whistle. Around 1948 Finn’s father-in-law opened what was to become a piece of West Milford’s history - Finn’s Cracker Barrel. Located next to their home, the small town general store, with its inviting front porch, provided residents with household staples. But more importantly, there was the pot belly stove that became a gathering place for local men. They’d just sit around talking, Finn said. It conjures up visions of a Norman Rockwell painting and it appears that the elder Finn enjoyed the company. “He never closed the store until 11 o’clock at night,” Finn said. Both Edna and James worked there, as did some of their children. The store closed in 1970 and has since been home to several stores, most recently a consignment shop. It is now vacant, it’s front porch a sagging a little; it has the aura of a time gone by. Edna Finn has lots of memories and lots of folks remember her. She comes from a time when there were no street lights and about one car per hour would pass her house, yet she admonished her kids not to cross the road to get to the candy store. “But there are no cars, Mom,” her kids would complain. She’s a satisfied woman, the mother of six children, grandmother of eight and great-grandmother of eleven. She uses a walker to get around the old homestead now. Her son, Ed, lives with her and she enjoys his company as well as his help. Her mother, she said, lived to be 98 years old. “When God calls me, I’m ready. When he wants me, I’ll go,” she said. She recently sold her property to make way for a new township library but she will remain in her home throughout her lifetime. She’s content with her decision and in the meantime, she’ll sit on her back porch each morning bird watching and getting her vitamin D, she said. She doesn’t cook much any more, and when she does it’s with Ed’s help. She thinks back to the time when she was always making biscuits and soups, “anything to fill up their bellies.” Now Edna savors the memories. If she had a pot belly stove there would probably be lots of friends sitting around, just chatting. Maybe she’d ask them to go home before 11, though. Edna’s Date and Nut Bread Stir together: 2 lbs. pitted dates, cut up 3 cups boiling water 2 tsp. baking soda Let cool Mix in: 4 cups of flour 3 eggs 4 tbsp. melted butter 2 tsp. baking powder 3 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 cups of walnuts, cut up (There is no sugar in this recipe) Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour Test with toothpick Makes 2 loaf pans or 4 small pans