CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Creek plans to live to be 100 years old. ‘If the Good Lord plans to keep him upright,’ he’d like to continue officiating weddings — something he’s been doing with passion, grace, and tender care for over three decades.
“I plan on staying in the business as long as the Lord sees fit,” said Creek. “I’ve officiated weddings for the children of people that I’ve joined in marriage years ago. I run into people almost daily who I’ve previously married. They’ll say we had our 20th anniversary or remind me of something that happened at their wedding.”
Creek, 83, a U.S. Army veteran, is a Montgomery County Commissioner by trade, but in between government business and meetings he weekly spends his time joining people together in holy matrimony.
Creek has been an officiant for 31 years and presided over close to 25,000 weddings all over Montgomery County. He’s wed people in over 60 churches in Clarksville-Montgomery County and about seven chapels in the Fort Campbell area.
With such a record, the love stories he recounts are the best and run the gamut from romantic and sweet to funny and zany.
Creek has presided over formal weddings with large crowds and small informal weddings at home. He’s performed weddings at the Riverwalk, Trahern Mansion, the County Club, the Courthouse and even in people’s homes. He’s even officiated a wedding on TV for a bride at Opryland for a TV show featuring her expensive dress.
At another wedding he performed on the Riverwalk, when it was time to exchange the rings, the groom took the rings out of his pocket and it was caught up in a conglomeration of items in his pocket. As he looked for the ring, it popped out and to the couple’s horror rolled straight into the river.
“Only one ring was exchanged that day”, Creek said.
During another wedding at the Riverwalk, Creek said after he pronounced the couple husband and wife, to everyone’s surprise, the groom ran with glee and jumped in the river, swam out and turned to wave to his blushing, shocked bride.
“I’ve officiated weddings for people from all walks of life,” Creek said. “I’ve married doctors, professors, and pastors, I’ve even married homeless people who lived in a truck. I’ve met tons of folks and I’ve heard beautiful love stories. “I’m full of stories.”
From “I won’t” to “I do”
Creek began his extensive career as a wedding officiant, in a peculiar way. It started as a prank played on him by a good friend.
Mercer McKinney, his good friend owned a floral shop on 41-A and performed weddings that were fun and memorable.
“He did unusual things,” Creek said. “One time a guy was a chimney sweep and he performed his wedding on a roof.”
Creek said McKinney approached him with the idea that he should start performing weddings.
“I said I didn’t think I’d be interested in doing that,” Creek said. “Mercer invited me to a wedding in his home. He was a jokester and he played a prank on me.”
Mercer called Creek on the phone and pleaded for help in a sick voice.
“He said, ‘I have a wedding. Come over please and help me with it,” Creek said. His compassion moved him to help his friend.
Creek nervously officiated his first wedding.
After the ‘I dos’, Creek said Mercer’s voice changed drastically after the wedding.
“Lo and behold that joker was not sick,” Creek said, laughing heartily.
Yet, Creek fell in love with joining people who are in love.
And at 83-years-old he said he doesn’t plan on stopping loving the work he does in celebrating love every day.
Why?
He said one of his most memorable weddings sums it up perfectly and he tells the story with pride.
Many years ago, a woman called him and said her 83-year-old mom wanted to get married and she was bringing her to Clarksville from Illinois to marry her long-time love.
Creek performed the ceremony and said it was one of the most beautiful love stories he’d ever heard. The groom was 85 and his bride was 83 years old.
“After the ceremony, the groom said, ‘The lady I’m looking at was my childhood sweetheart. I couldn’t marry her when we were younger so we went our separate ways. I got married and when my wife died, I received a sympathy card in the mail. It was from my childhood sweetheart and she said she understood what I was going through. She said she was praying for me. I read that card over and over.”
The two then widowed former-sweethearts rekindled their relationship and Creek felt honored as he realized he was a part of such a beautiful love story.
“Love has no boundaries,” Creek said.
