JUST KEEP DANCING
December 25, 2023
As a little girl, I wished for two things more than anything else - to have straight, long, thick, and shiny hair like 2 of my sisters (if you know me at all, you'll understand) and to be able to dance. Really, REALLY dance. Neither wish was granted - not even close. My parents passed a lot of good traits on to me, but sadly, the rhythm gene was not among them. They had it in spades, though.
"They were the envy of every boy and girl at the dance - the best dancers in the school, by far." That's what my Aunt Carol - my mother's younger sister - told me about my mom and dad when they were in high school. Apparently, it was like the parting of the Red Sea when football star Neil Pagni took cheerleader Marilyn McCoy by the hand and led her to the dance floor. The crowd would circle, cheering them on as they "rocked around the clock" to the biggest hits of the 1950s at the school sock hops; Mom's ponytail bouncing with the beat - her dazzling smile and beauty queen looks making every boy there wish they were my dad. Dad's ridiculous good looks and effortless ‘Elvis-like’ cool factor making all the girls swoon. He would always save one dance for my Aunt Carol, and I'm pretty sure she reveled in the jealous stares from all the other girls! She also said that a boy once dated her only because (she found out later) he hoped she would grow up as beautiful as her big sister. I guess you could say my parents were the 1950s power couple of Grove City High—a great team and an absolute force of nature.
Twenty-some years and four daughters later, life was a lot more complicated, but they were still dancing. Every once in a while, we would push the furniture back, put the 1972 hit "Your Mama Don't Dance" by Loggins & Messina on the giant RCA stereo console in our living room, and watch wide-eyed as they perfectly adapted The Jitterbug to this "modern" tune. They were still so effortless, so cool - and so good-looking!
Fast forward 20-plus more years, and they did a lot less dancing but, make no mistake, still had that "it" factor. By now, we were all grown with families of our own, and they had a lot of free time on their hands and had moved on to other things - you know, perfectly normal activities for grandparents of 12; Dad was riding motorcycles while Mom was doing stuff like white water rafting and 100-mile bike trips. Still, every once in a great while, when we were all together, we would push the furniture back, play "Your Mama Don't Dance," and they would show the younger generations how it was done - still so effortless, still so cool. And, of course, still so handsome and beautiful.
Another 20-plus years have passed, and they're still together. They haven't jitterbugged in a long time, but again - they've moved on to other things. Dad works out for an hour every morning. He still has that mysterious magnetism and effortless way around strangers and friends alike - and a full head of thick, shiny hair. (And I'm not bitter about that hair, mostly...) Mom joined a competitive ice skating team in her sixties and continues skating to this day. She is also the beloved and most popular person at her part-time job and always brings the fun wherever she goes. Oh, they still get on the floor at every family wedding or event where there's dancing; they just move a little slower these days. But they're still so cool - and the best-looking octogenarians you'll ever see.
To nearly everyone's surprise (including their own, I believe), the dynamic duo of football player Neil Pagni and cheerleader Marilyn McCoy has stood the test of time. It certainly wasn't (and isn't) always easy, but they just kept dancing. They showed us that anything is possible, life goes on, and working it out is worth it. They've moved through 6 and 1/2 decades as a team who sometimes battled each other, but both ended up winners, especially in the eyes of their loving and devoted daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
And though I may not have the rhythm gene, I inherited something far more important from that still beautiful, still a force of nature power couple, Neil and Marilyn Pagni: tenacity. No matter what, I will always keep dancing. I'll just never look as good as they did doing it - and my hair will be a mess.
Thank you, Mom and Dad - for everything.
