Ray and Darla (Mellor) Banfi of Platteville are celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary on May 22, 2026. They were college sweethearts. With Ray from the Chicago suburbs and Darla from rural Platteville, it was a story of opposites attract.
The wedding was held at St. Mary Catholic Church in Platteville. The reception was at UW-Platteville’s Beaux Arts Room, with dancing to the live music of the Marty Busch Band. For their honeymoon the couple travelled to St. Louis and camped at Starved Rock State Park.
Their children are Jason of Platteville and Katelyn Banfi Weiss (Tyler) of Dubuque, IA. They have two grandsons, Gus and Dexter Weiss. The whole family will celebrate in Minneapolis, MN, during the long Memorial Weekend. Ray and Darla also have a trip to Ireland planned.
The couple both worked in the field of education throughout their careers.
