Written by Carole White Hessels (2019)
I was born in the house at 607 LaReine Avenue on November 28, 1944. My parents, Jean and Vincent White, and my grandmother raised me in that house which was built by my grandfather, who worked for Lewis Lumber. My husband John and I raised our family at 607, and we still live there.
John was born in Tilburg, Holland, and arrived here in 1956. The family was meant to go to Illinois, but because their sponsor didn’t show up, they came to Avon where another sponsor took them in. Later they moved to 603 La Reine Ave., just two houses away from me.
My grandmother, Isabella White, was the first to notice John, because he was so helpful and always assisted her with anything she needed. She told him he had to meet her granddaughter, Carole. In 1958, John asked me to a boardwalk dance, and from that moment on, we were inseparable. I wore his ring around my neck for years until he proposed on Fletcher Lake Ave., where he pulled out a ring and said to me, “Look at that thing shine.” I will never forget it. At 15, I knew we were meant to be. We went steady for years and enjoyed movies at the Palace and the Boardwalk. We both attended Asbury Park High School and upon our graduations in 1962 and 1963, we decided to get married.
We married by Reverend Samuel Constance on September 12, 1964, in Ascension Church (which my grandfather helped build and where my father was an altar boy). The year after, John was drafted and sent to Vietnam. Of course, I waited for him at home. It was a long two years. We thought we were going to adopt a Vietnamese boy whom John befriended over there; he had no family left and followed the troops. They called him Sam (after Uncle Sam), but it wasn’t meant to be. One day, Sam followed the troops out into the field and was killed. John came home but was disabled, and over the years, he became 100% disabled. Still, life was good. John joined the Bradley Number 3 Fire Company, and I belonged to the Auxiliary. We missed not having a child, but in 1971, our first son named Sam (what else?), was born. In 1972, Robert was born; Johnny arrived in 1974. Our last son, Tracey, was born in 1976. Our sons attended Bradley Beach Grammar School and then went on to the Marine Academy in Sandy Hook. Through all this, our lives have been enriched. We ran a company, John A. Hessels Construction, and eventually got into commercial work, which my two sons have now taken on in a new company.
Bradley Beach has always been so good to live in; there is everything here to raise a family and enjoy. It never gets old. One thing I need to mention is that I feel it was fate as John was supposed to go to Illinois, and through a mix-up, he ended up two houses away. When he put in for his plaque on Ellis Island, his was numbered 607, which is the number of our home. We both plan on spending the rest of our days in each other’s arms and in our town, Bradley Beach.
Carole White Hessels passed away in July 2024.
