On June 12, 1954, James K. Livingstone married Shirley M. Byerly*; both former employees of Bryley Systems, with Jim’s tenure extending from 1988 through his retirement in 2013. (Shirley’s was employed at Bryley Systems in the late 1980s.)
The wedding ceremony was conducted at a local church, after which the group congregated at 6pm at Shirley’s parent’s home in Pansy, PA. (Pansy is 17 miles north of Punxsutawney, PA; it is farm and (was) coal country where the local population remains sparse, but slightly larger than when Shirley went to the area’s one-room schoolhouse where grades K through 12 sat together; upon entering school, Shirley was immediately promoted from first grade to second grade due to her being the only first grader in the room.)
Refreshments were cake and ice-cream, followed by a boisterous celebration, which included hoisting the groom onto the shoulders of the wedding party and trying to bounce him in the air, followed by catcalling the married couple when, fearing for their lives (the ceilings in the house were extremely low), they took refuge in an upstairs bedroom and locked the door.
Jim and Shirley enjoyed their 65th wedding anniversary at the historic Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA with son-in-law Steve and daughter Tracey Welch, owners of Communications Link Services, Inc., and with Cathy and Gavin Livingstone, founders of Bryley Systems Inc. The Sudbury Ancients Fife and Drum Corps paraded through the restaurant performing traditional, colonial-era battle music and adding a revolutionary flair to the evening.
Jim and Shirley live comfortably at their home in Framingham, MA. Over 65 years of marriage, they have six children, 12 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren.
* Note: Bryley was derived from Shirley’s maiden name, Byerly. Bryley is the middle name of Stacey, the daughter of Cathy and Gavin Livingstone; her middle name was used in 1987 to name Bryley Systems Inc., although Bryley is also an Old English girl’s name.
According to Urban Dictionary, Bryley means “Beautiful Girl” or “A beautiful wonderful person and the Best Friend you’ll ever have…”, although Names.org states that Bryley means “The pure hearted unicorn caregiver and lover of animals real or not” while Babynology suggests that: “Normally people with the name Bryley are very patient. Such people are social, and always treat others with respect.”