August 29, 1964, Bob and Norma Clark exchanged vows in a
church south of San Francisco in front of their family and friends. Almost five
decades later, as the Clarks entered their seventies, they began end-of-life
planning. Norma read a WSJ article that said without a marriage license, a
surviving spouse can’t collect their partner’s Social Security benefits. That’s
when the Clarkes realized they didn’t have a copy of their license. They sent $20 to the San
Mateo Hall of Records for a copy. But San Mateo had no record of their union.
For some reason, the pastor who’d married them had never filed with the county.
In the eyes of the law, Bob and Norma weren’t married. November 21, 2012, Bob
and Norma showed up at city hall to make their 48 years of commitment official.
Now, when one of them passes, the other is prepared. Memo to me: check our
filing cabinet. Just in case.
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