Local news covering Laurel Lakes, Victoria Falls, Oakcrest, Montpelier, and the Route 197 corridor
Oakcrest Couple Celebrates 60th Anniversary
Zenaida and Milo Punsalan of the Oakcrest neighborhood recently celebrated 60 years of marriage in the way they prefer: surrounded by family and friends sharing memories and laughter over a meal. The couple has lived in their home for 45 years, but their story started back in high school in the Filipino city of Mabalacat. Milo took a liking to “Zeny” and started writing her love letters. “I didn’t answer them back then,” Zeny says, explaining that she comes from a conservative family and was told she was too young to date. She went off to college in Manila for a teaching degree, while Milo embarked on a career locally as a mechanic. During her second year of college, Zeny returned home to attend a Valentine’s Day dance party her sister had organized, where she and Milo reconnected. Soon thereafter, she started getting love letters again. “This time I started writing back,” she laughs.
The couple married in 1964. Zeny taught elementary school, while Milo branched out into appliance repair, working for a time at Clark Air Force Base. By 1970, they had three children—Michael, Marissa, and Maita. When job opportunities in the U.S. arose, Milo emigrated a year ahead of the rest of the family; he went to Washington, D.C., where several family members already lived. Milo worked for General Electronics and, for a time, lived in a house with four of his eight siblings. After Zeny and the kids joined Milo, they moved to an apartment in Hyattsville. Zeny worked for a while as a customer assistant at a print shop, and Milo began a new job at General Electric, where he ultimately worked for 30 years as an appliance repair specialist.
The couple moved to Laurel in the mid-70s, at first sharing a home on Holly Street with one of Milo’s brothers, and then purchasing a house two streets over, on Cypress Street in 1979. A few years later, Milo’s mother, Angela, also moved to Oakcrest on Spruce Hill Street; she lived there until she died last year at the age of 104. Sunday night family dinner at Milo and Zeny’s became a family tradition, and it continued for many years, long after their three children had married, moved out, and blessed them with nine grandchildren. These days, the extended family has outgrown the split-foyer home, but they often gather at one of the kids’ houses or at a restaurant for celebrations.
When asked about their secret to a long, happy marriage, the Punsalans responded with, “understanding, patience, love, and care.”
Safety Issues Lead to Temporary Vacate Orders at The Tiers
In November, residents at The Tiers condominium community received Vacate Orders from the City of Laurel following a three-year saga over unsafe exterior stairwells. Although the original vacate deadline was December 9, Mayor Keith Sydnor granted an extension to January 10 to avoid displacements during the holidays. The city hosted a special meeting about the situation, at which residents aired their frustrations. Newly elected Homeowner’s Association Board members alleged that the previous board and project manager had mismanaged funds, and the contractor had bailed for lack of payment, but they assured their fellow residents that they, the new project manager and the new contractor, were committed to transparency and swift resolution. City inspectors noted that several extensions had already been granted because of work stoppages, but the wooden stairwells had deteriorated to the point of being dangerous and, thus, the vacate order was necessary. The new contractor began work in December, and two stairwells had already passed inspection as of December 10, according to HOA Vice President Natalie Stuppard. City officials confirmed that residents could return to their homes as each four-unit building passes inspection.
Residents received some very good news just a few days before the vacate order from the city was to take effect. Just days before the deadline of January 10th, Mayor Keith Sydnor announced that the vacate order was being rescinded after 54 of the 58 unsafe stairwells had been repaired and passed inspection. He lauded the Tiers’ management and Homeowners Association Board of Directors for addressing the matter “with urgency and care.”
Diane Mezzanotte is a staff writer and member of the Board of Directors for The Laurel History Boys. In addition to covering Laurel city municipal news, she also reports on all things from South Laurel.
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