Rowing Champ, Wife He Met On Ocean City Beach Get Boardwalk Bench

Ocean City is where Frank Schiesser became a hall-of-famer. He met his future wife on Ocean City Beach. Schiesser and his wife, Helen Garber, were officially honored when Ocean City installed a boardwalk bench with their names.

The bench honors their marriage on May 5, 1956. Schiesser was a lifeguard and Garber was a waitress at Watson's when they met on the beach, according to their daughter, Kim Schiesser Swindall.

Schiesser and Garber already instilled a rich history in Ocean City. A Patch archive shows Schiesser and Jim Macallister won a doubles rowing race in 1950, giving the Ocean City Beach Patrol their second straight South Jersey title.

Schiesser made the OCBP Hall of Fame in 1978. His son, Jay Schiesser, served on OCBP for 10 years.

Pat Schiesser and Garber have five children and 12 grandkids. Their family had the idea years ago to honor the couple with an Ocean City bench plaque.

Their son, Peter Schiesser, received a phone call a few months ago: Ocean City would install a boardwalk bench that honors Schiesser and Garber.

"We gave it to them for Christmas and showed them the pictures," Kim Schiesser Swindall said. "(Frank) literally had tears in his eyes. He was just so excited."

Frank Schiesser turns 93 next month. Garber turns 87 this month. They live in Atlanta haven't visited Ocean City in two years. But now they have another reason to visit the beach that started it all.

"It’s a lot harder for them to get around," Kim Schiesser Swindall said. "But we told them that they have to get up there this summer."

Photo by Kimberlee Rose provided by Kim Schiesser Swindall