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EVERYDAY ENCOUNTERS

A retired couple enjoys slower-paced vacation visiting Marin

A couple from Quincy, Illinois, met as high schoolers in the early 1970s. Fifty years, two kids and three grandkids later, they were strolling through Shoreline Park last week.

TYLER CALLISTER / THE ARKKai and Tom Ortbal are seen at Shoreline Park in Tiburon on May 8. The couple, visiting from Quincy, Illinois, have been married 50 years. ‘We still like each other,’ Kai says.
Tyler Callister
By TYLER CALLISTER · 1 min read

Tom and Kai Ortbal first met in the early 1970s as high-school students in Quincy, Illinois.

Fifty years of marriage, two kids and three grandkids later, they’re still savoring each other’s company.

“We still like each other,” Kai says as the couple strolls through Shoreline Park on May 8, visiting from Quincy, where they still live.

Tom, 73, spent his career as a lawyer and a judge on the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois. Kai, 70, worked as a veterinary assistant. Both are now enjoying retirement together, they say.

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A version of this story appeared in the May 13, 2026, print edition of The Ark. See something wrong? Request a correction.
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