Couples offer insights on decades of marriage

Knowing when to keep quiet is key to a successful marriage.

That advice came from the husband of the longest-lasting couple at the Arena Building for a Valentine's Day party sponsored by Schnucks on Tuesday. The 29th annual event is open to couples married 50 years or more.

Nobody at the party had been married as long as Jackson residents John and Mary Smith -- 70 years.

"Keepin' my mouth shut kept me out of a lot of trouble," John said.

Mary believed the key to maintaining a 70-year marriage was "to know when to hold your cards, know when to fold them and know when to walk away."

The Smiths were Jackson High School sweethearts and were married Jan. 4, 1936.

"That was a leap year, and he didn't run away," Mary said. "We're enjoying being with each other in our retirement. We never get bored. We play cards together, do crosswords and he likes to cook."

The couple went through the Depression together. "If you can get through that, you can get through anything," Mary said.

More than 200 husbands and wives shared their love stories with each other at the party. Several couples had recently celebrated golden anniversaries.

Vernon and Ada Long, of Jackson, were married 50 years ago this past Saturday.

The couple met when Ada was working as a car-hop at a drive-in restaurant. Vernon ate at the restaurant several times before Ada finally agreed to go on a date with him.

"Persistence," Vernon said. "That was the key. It was two years after that when we got married."

William and Annis Heuring of Scott City have attended the Schnucks Valentine's Day party for the last six years. They celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary on Monday.

The Heurings met on Feb. 13, 1942 in Ancell, which later became Scott City, at the former Arrow dance hall.

"That night after I met her I went home and told my parents, 'This is the girl I'm going to marry,'" Vernon said. Six months later, they were married.

Annis said the key to longevity in a relationship is love.

"Every morning when we get up, we give each other a kiss and say, 'I love you,'" Annis said. "Then when we go to bed, we do the same. You have to give and take in a relationship also."

The award for a married couple who had traveled the longest distance for the Valentine's Day party went to JoAnn and Richard Stecker, who live in Florissant, Mo.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245