New Jersey couple has to prove they are married in court — nearly 54 years later
Robert Stulack doesn’t remember much about his wedding to Nancy Stulack. You can’t blame him – it was nearly 54 years ago.
He does remember that about 50 people attended the ceremony at the Church of St. James in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, officiated by the Rev. Joseph Wade. “It was nothing really big, but it was nice,” Stulack said.
However, according to the state of New Jersey, the wedding never happened.
That's why Stulack, 80, and his 72-year-old wife are going to Superior Court to prove they are really married.
They thought it would never be an issue until they were required to provide proof of their marriage for pension survivor’s benefits, according to papers filed with Superior Court Judge Robert Ballard.
They were baffled to discover that despite being married and living together for 53 years, owning homes together in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, raising two boys together, and having phone numbers, bills and cars together, no one had a record of their marriage license.
Not his town, not the New Jersey Department of Health, nor the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry.
That wouldn’t be so bad if the Stulacks could file a "Delayed Report of Marriage," which couples can file if it has been less than seven years since the date of marriage.
But it’s been more than half a century since they said, "I do."
The priest passed away 35 years ago, and the two original marriage witnesses are not available, so it's not quite so simple.
“This has been a real pain in the butt,” said Stulack. “How can they say we’re not married when we got married in a big church, it was in the newspapers, and we have a marriage license? I’ve never heard of this happening before.”
Their attorney, Richard Mattoon II, hasn’t heard of it either.
“It’s rare enough that even the people in the offices that deal with this didn’t seem to know what to do,” the attorney said. “But it’s something that needs to be done so these people can live out their lives.”
Mattoon expects that once the case makes its way to the judge, the situation will be deemed a simple administrative error that will be remedied.
“Apparently the priest forgot, or someone at the rectory didn’t know what they were doing, or it got lost, but the license was never submitted to the state,” Stulack said. “We’re just trying to get them to understand that we have been married for over 50 years. I was a police officer for 29 years – I’m not allowing the state to say that my wife isn’t getting her portion of my pension when I die.”
Other possibilities include that the license was lost since Bernards Township records have moved several times since the Stulacks were married in 1969. Or there was confusion since their original wedding date was moved by about two months.
However, to prove their wedding actually happened, the Stulacks submitted newspaper clippings, church records and affidavits from wedding guests.
But Robert’s love for Nancy is perhaps the greatest proof of all.
He met Nancy when she moved in across the street from his Basking Ridge home.
“I had been dating many girls, but when I found Nancy, she was the one I wanted,” Robert said. “She was such a beautiful young lady, and I was very much in love with her – and I still am.”
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the Paste BN NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog.