Young love: Meet a couple married 75 years and another that married after 80

At a skating rink on an otherwise unremarkable evening in the early 1940s, a young woman named Allene Siemers found the love of her life at the end of her foot.

"He was putting on my skates," she recalled with a smile.

His name was Leon Ainsworth, who as the rink's "skate boy" laced up skates for patrons in exchange for free skating time.

"In those times, I had no money," he explained. Their meeting was brief, and Leon was dating another girl at the time, but he and Allene still remember that first encounter; for some reason they each took note of one another.

Soon after, when Leon's girlfriend gave him an ultimatum -- either Leon would learn to dance or she would leave him for someone who could -- he sought out Allene for dancing practice.

Eva Wilson-Mullins's wedding ring is seen as she touches her new husband Jim's leg during a reception following the couple's marriage ceremony at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau Nov. 10.TYLER GRAEF

"So here goes up Leon to Allene's door," he said. "And they had a big police dog named Easy who was barking so bad, I thought he was gonna tear me up. And then the door opened up and there was Allene. She saved me."

The dancing lessons went nowhere. Instead, they went skating. Last month, they celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary at Chateau Girardeau where they live, just miles away from where they first met.

The secret to keeping a loving relationship for that long, Allene said, is simply being truthful. "That's the secret of our marriage," she said.

"And to love each other and trust each other 100 percent," Leon added.

But staying together isn't always the challenge. For some couples, trust and truthfulness is just as crucial in knowing when to make the jump together.

TOP LEFT: Eva Wilson-Mullins and her new husband, Jim, read wedding cards during a reception following the couple's marriage ceremony at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau Nov. 10. BOTTOM LEFT: Allene Ainsworth holds a stack of congratulatory cards she and her husband, Leon, received for their 75th wedding anniversary, which was Sunday, Jan. 27.TYLER GRAEF

Jim Mullins and Eva Wilson were both in their eighties when they met at the Lutheran Home assisted living facility in Cape Girardeau in 2017.

"At the time, I was in pretty bad shape," Jim said. He was struggling to recover after undergoing brain surgery that had affected his memory.

"And then Eva was there to talk with me before I had given up," he said. "She would help jog my memory and it wasn't long before I could tell I was getting better."

They began attending activities together and after a time realized they had become inseparable.

"It was scary at first," Eva said. "I had known him as a nice friend and then as a good friend and then it didn't feel like we were just good friends."

Lipstick is seen on Jim Mullins's lips following the first kiss as a married couple with his bride, Eva, during a ceremony at the Lutheran Home in Cape Girardeau Nov. 10, 2018.TYLER GRAEF

She said the staff at the Lutheran Home told her that if she ever wasn't in her room, they knew they could find her in Jim's room next door.

"It felt like first love is what it felt like," she said.

When they first began to talk about their feelings for one another, she recalled, "it seemed impossible, but our feelings were strong. Then the word marriage came up."

The logistics seemed daunting at first, but on November 10, 2018, they were married in a small ceremony at the Lutheran Home.

"But it was like a brand new beginning," she said. "And I can tell you it was no mistake."

BOTTOM LEFT: Allene Ainsworth holds a stack of congratulatory cards she and her husband, Leon, received for their 75th wedding anniversary, which was Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019.TYLER GRAEF

"She's one of the kindest people I've ever met. Everybody loves her," Jim said of Eva. "And if you're around her very often, you learn that real fast."

Now, they're looking forward to sharing their first Valentine's Day as a married couple. Eva said they're thinking about going to Red Lobster for dinner.

"It feels wonderful. Everything is new to us," she added. "We never sit on the couch unless we're sitting side-by-side."

tgraef@semissourian.com

388-3627

Leon Ainsworth gives his wife of 75 years, Allene, a kiss at their residence at Chateau Girardeau Wednesday.TYLER GRAEF