They grew up blocks away from each other, and then a friendship morphed into a romance. Joe Delaney seemed to always be running laps around her block and Carolyn Dudley just as coincidentally would be sitting on her porch just about every time he passed.
Next thing you know, they date a couple years and get married in secret on Dec. 30, 1978 … only to be outed a few weeks later.
Her ring was modest but precious, because Joe came from such poverty — one of eight children, sharing clothes, rarely able to eat much but beans and rice — but worked so hard hauling hay and doing any number of other jobs to pay for it.