https://www.wsbtv.com/news/national/hot ... /937604681North Carolina couple offers relationship advice after marking 82 years of marriage
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A North Carolina couple may have the answers for a long-lasting marriage.
“The secret to a long marriage is just be nice to each other,” they said.
D.W. Williams, 103, and Willie Williams, 100, offered the simple advice as they celebrated 82 years of marriage and their milestone birthdays on Sunday, which fall only seven days apart. Family members threw a party for them at the First Mayfield Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte, where they have been members for 19 years.
“The celebration was a wonderful experience. It’s a pleasure to see history come together with these two people and to learn from them. I’m very proud of them,” D.K. Ferguson, the couple’s pastor, said.
The couple’s daughter, Alice Erin, and granddaughter, BJ Williams-Greene, planned and hosted the celebration, which was attended by 115 family members and friends.
"I love them and the celebration was great. They are sweet, giving people who love God and family. He is an honorable, God-fearing man and she is a gracious lady,” Linda Reese, a friend of the family, said.
The Williams met in Newberry, South Carolina, in 1935 and married in 1937. They have one daughter and one grandchild.
“My grandparents' marriage is an inspiration. They communicate and make decisions together, they strive and achieve together and everyone loves them because they are genuine. They just inspire everyone to be the best they can be,” Williams-Greene said.
The couple enjoys spending time together and the simple things in life.
“We like to watch country westerns like ‘Gunsmoke’ and ‘Bonanza,’ and play crossword puzzles together,” they said.
They also believe communication is key.
“We don’t argue or have any fights. If we have a misunderstanding, we just talk it over,” they said.
The pair won North Carolina’s contest for the longest married couple in 2014.
The couple has lived through wars, the Depression and the civil rights era. The couple dealt with Jim Crow and segregation laws during the 1950s and 1960s, and said that was a particularly hard time.
“Although we lived during the Jim Crow era, we were still able to work and do things in the community. We were not impacted much by it because there were a lot of people willing to assist, who didn’t let the color of our skin stand in the way,” the couple said.
Willie is a retired day care nursery worker and D.W. is a retired maintenance worker with Armour meatpacking.
“They have had such a long, successful marriage because they put God first and are each other’s best friends,” Williams-Greene said.
These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
Too bad Paul Harvey isn't around to give his "Tournament Of Roses" award:
Last edited by Lord Jim on Sun Apr 07, 2019 9:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
- Posts: 5419
- Joined: Sat Dec 19, 2015 4:16 am
- Location: Louisville KY as of July 2018
Re: These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
Obviously fake news. Just look at the header: "HARLOTTE, N.C. - A North Carolina couple may have the answers for a long-lasting marriage." I don't believe there is really a place called HARLOTTE, N.C.
ETA: Snark aside, they look great and fully engaged. I'll be pleased if I look half as well when I am 15 years short of their age.
ETA: Snark aside, they look great and fully engaged. I'll be pleased if I look half as well when I am 15 years short of their age.
- Bicycle Bill
- Posts: 9015
- Joined: Thu Dec 03, 2015 1:10 pm
- Location: Surrounded by Trumptards in Rockland, WI – a small rural village in La Crosse County
Re: These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
Since becoming a nonagenarian is also a requirement for most marriages that run 70 years or longer, I'd also say it requires strong genes from your ancestors. But a Golden Anniversary (50 years) should be well within the reach of most people, considering the average life expectancy these days.
-"BB"-
-"BB"-
Yes, I suppose I could agree with you ... but then we'd both be wrong, wouldn't we?
Re: These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
I don't know what you're talking about Andy...Just look at the header: "HARLOTTE, N.C. - A North Carolina couple may have the answers for a long-lasting marriage." I don't believe there is really a place called HARLOTTE, N.C.
You must need to get a stronger pair of reading glasses...
Re: These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
I thought it was nice to come across an uplifting, hopeful and inspirational story like this...
(In the midst of all the latest outrages from Trump and the news about the killer mushrooms... )
(In the midst of all the latest outrages from Trump and the news about the killer mushrooms... )
Re: These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
Nice story. I think we have a few here that have a shot at the 50, if not any time too soon.
Re: These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
I heard someone once opine (male sexist pig to be sure) that marriage is the absence of hope.
Happily divorced and not missing being married one bit!
Happily divorced and not missing being married one bit!
Your collective inability to acknowledge this obvious truth makes you all look like fools.
yrs,
rubato
These Two Kids Found A Way To Make It Work...
Amen, brother dales. It's not for everybody. It was the worst contract I was ever sucked into.dales wrote:I heard someone once opine (male sexist pig to be sure) that marriage is the absence of hope.
Happily divorced and not missing being married one bit!
The two best things that ever happened to me:
#1) The day my daughter was born.
#2) The day my ex left for good.
“In a world whose absurdity appears to be so impenetrable, we simply must reach a greater degree of understanding among us, a greater sincerity.”