Margret Would Love this Article

Margret would have smiled, chirped with glee, bounced and clapped her hands to have this article read to her.

She had a boyfriend or three, but her relationships never reached the point of seriously contemplating marriage. Contemplating marriage was something she did on a regular basis, though, even marriage with guys she had only seen walking down the street, or heard about from some friend. It's the seriously part that didn't happen.

Thanks to Jess on Raising Joey for this link:

http://www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-28/1240740321256200.xml&coll=3

Sunday, April 26, 2009
By Monetta Harr, For the Citizen Patriot

A school-age snapshot of Alex and Alexis sharing a hug clearly shows the affection between the two when they were classmates at Columbia’s Miller Elementary School.

Flash forward to high school. Alex’s family had moved to the Napoleon school district, and the friends lost contact until his photo appeared with a Citizen Patriot story about him serving as manager of the boys basketball team.

Alexis’ mother saw it and suggested her daughter give him a call and invite him to prom.

Today they celebrate their first wedding anniversary. It is a love story made even more so because the couple have Down syndrome.

“I can’t even put into words how wonderful that feels, that Alexis found someone to love and be happy with. It’s what every parent wants for their child, and it’s wonderful,” said Laura Smith of Clark Lake, Alexis’ mother.

On April 26, 2008, Alex DeNato, 27, and Alexis Smith, 25, were married in Queen of the Miraculous Medal Catholic Church, vowing to love one another as husband and wife.

They have a two-bedroom apartment in Alpine Lake Apartments, chosen because it is on the Jackson Transit System line and they use its Reserve-A-Ride service to get to work.

Alex washes dishes and peels potatoes at the Napoleon Café, and Alexis bags groceries at Polly’s Country Market in Brooklyn. They walk to Citizens Bank on Fourth Street and often walk to visit his parents, Mark and Chris DeNato, in Summit Township.

Alexis handles their money and checkbook, and Mark DeNato tracks it online, but rarely does Alexis make a mistake.

Laura Smith drives them to Polly’s Country Market at Ferguson Corners one weeknight each week.

“I usually sit in the car and talk to my sister,” said Smith, an X-ray technologist at Columbia Medical Center in Brooklyn. “They do their own shopping, have a list, and they don’t need me.”