Carol Ahl (née Lambert) of Center Moriches talks about meeting her husband, Harry.
I grew up in the town of Johnson, Vermont, until my family moved to upstate Port Henry. In 1957 I graduated from Port Henry High School, and attended Elmira College before transferring to Albany State University.
My future husband, Horst Dietmar Ahl, emigrated from Germany with his family in 1951 to live with relatives in Queens Village. Horst, whose name was quickly changed to Harry, attended Kingsborough Community College, where he studied restaurant management.
For three summers I worked in a shop inside the lobby of Saranac Inn upstate. My folks gave me their old Studebaker to run errands for the shop. One summer, Harry was sent by his college to Saranac Inn to be a night auditor. He was 19 and I was 21 when our two worlds met.
Harry’s roommate needed a ride to Monticello, and he knew that I had a car. So Harry, a complete stranger, came into the shop to ask me if he could borrow my car. I agreed, but told him that the horn didn’t work. After dropping off his friend, Harry continued home to Queens to wish his father a Happy Father’s Day. He returned my car the next morning after driving all night. Not only did the horn work, but the car now had a new tire.
Harry and I began to hang out together. We especially liked canoeing on the lake. I was shy and was attracted to this gregarious life of the party kind of guy. When summer ended I met his parents. His mother lovingly prepared a German meal of pinkelwurst and kale. I pretended to like it. Harry took the bus to Albany to attend one of my sorority dances.
After graduation, Harry worked as assistant manager at the Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Mineola. When I graduated, I took a position at Long Island Lutheran Middle & High School in Brookville teaching Latin and English. After two years and a brief breakup, Harry proposed at his parents’ home.
We were married Oct. 27, 1963, at the Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church in Port Henry. We wanted to honeymoon in Montreal, but Harry’s mother inadvertently took his green card home with her. Instead, we took a leisurely ride home to our first apartment in Hicksville in Harry’s convertible. Our first daughter was born nine months later.
In 1966, we moved to Center Moriches, where Harry’s hobby became boating. That year, Harry became a naturalized citizen and our second daughter was born. Harry managed and worked in almost every Howard Johnson’s restaurant on Long Island. He also was co-owner with his father of the Corner Restaurant in East Moriches. I began substitute teaching and received a master’s degree in English Education from C.W. Post College (now LIU Post).
We left Long Island in 1981 when Harry took a position in Scarsdale. He later owned pizza businesses in Mt. Kisco and Ossining. After retiring, Harry worked as a school crossing guard. I am retired as an associate broker for a real estate firm in White Plains.
In 1989 we took Harry’s parents back to Germany, and Harry and I later returned there twice. On our 50th anniversary, we renewed our vows at Trinity Lutheran Church in Scarsdale.
In 2017 we moved back to Center Moriches. We are blessed with four grandchildren.
Carol Ahl, with her husband Harry, celebrating her birthday in September. Credit: Newsday/Ahl family photo
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2023-11-25 10:00:00Z
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