Advice from Seasoned Couples

Each year, Our Lady of Light hosts an Anniversary Dinner to celebrate couples in our family of parishes who have been married for 25, 30, 40, 50+ years with a celebration of the Mass with a complimentary dinner following. Among the 70+ couples who RSVPd this year, the longest married couple in attendance has been happily married for 66 years!

Our seasoned couples have gone through many trials and triumphs. What they have experienced in life serve as inspiration for all, especially newer couples who have only just begun their lives together. We asked those who were registered for the event if they had any advice to share, and their thoughtful answers showcased just how beautiful marriage is when Christ is at the center. Here is what they had to say:

Daniel and Mary Beth Hutcheson, married 55 years

• Keep your family small and close to you (we had four children, but came from families of nine or six children).
• Family comes first.
• Life is a journey – be a loving servant to one another.

Ben and Brenda Carter, married 25 years

• ​​Expect the unexpected. Life throws crazy curveballs sometimes that can truly test our strength and faith. It is during these most challenging times that we need to lean into each other and God to carry us through.

​Richard and Carolyn Bradfield, married 65 years

• Remembering our wedding vows from the day of marriage: To have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, until death do us part. We encountered every one of these circumstances during our 65 years other than one of our deaths. We did experience the death of our 38 year old special needs son some years ago. It is our love that grew and matured that enabled us to meet all situations.  A very special day is our Anniversary when my husband gives me one red rose for every year that we have been married; it began with one on our first anniversary and will be 65 on August 20.  Thanks be to God.

Jordan and Patricia Vangel, married for 25 years

• Never go to bed mad with each other.

Jerry and Bette Kronenberg, married 50 years

• Marriage is give and take but it works really well if you give more than you take with kindness. Don't keep score of who do what or who does more. Enjoy each and every day. 

Bill and Linda Simonton, married 55 years

• I would tell them that it seems that it can't have already been 55 years. Cherish each other. (And keep a diary!)

Gary and Carol Vance, married 56 years

• Try to develop patience and perseverance in your marriage. Remember your sacramental vows in the hard times.