Young at heart: Couples celebrate 50-plus at Valentine's Day party

Two-hundred fifty couples proved Friday that a person is never too old for love.

They gathered inside the Arena Building for the 32nd annual Schnucks and KZIM Valentine's Day party for couples who have been married at least 50 years. The event featured trivia from 1959, music led by Robyn Hosp and Mike Dumey, pastries and recognition of veterans in attendance.

The party also included a presentation of awards for the couple with the most children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, those who traveled the farthest distance to the party and the couple that had been married the longest.

The couple married the longest was Lloyd and Ruth Francis of Oran, Mo., who will celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary March 24.

Lloyd Francis said the secret to a long-lasting marriage is choosing the right person.

FRED LYNCH ~ flynch@semissourian.comMarried for 53 years, George and Germaine Davis of Cape Girardeau dance as Mike Dumey and Robyn Hosp sing "Endless Love" during the Schnucks Valentine's Day party Friday at the Arena Building.

"I don't know of anyone else who would put up with me that long," he said with one arm around his wife. "We've had such a good life and have been blessed."

The Francises met in Advance, Mo., and were married inside a relative's home in Marble Hill, Mo. They have one son and six grandchildren.

"For anyone considering marriage I'd say be selective in picking the right companion," Francis said. "My grandpa said pick one at church, which I did."

Though they didn't win the award for being married the longest, Ernest and Lillian Reimann of Egypt Mills said they enjoyed attending the party. The couple is in their 69th year of marriage. They have three children, six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

"I ate well, slept well and didn't chase after women," joked Ernest Reimann when asked what his recipe was for a marriage that has lasted nearly seven decades.

Schnucks manager Dennis Marchi said the annual Valentine's Day party underscores the value that should be placed on marriage by American families.

"In today's society divorce is prevalent," Marchi said. He said the fact that the event has grown enough that it is now in its fifth location "says something about the importance of this event. Those who come back each year have so much enthusiasm."

Faune Riggin, program and news director for KZIM, echoed Marchi's thoughts during her opening remarks.

"I walk into this room and think I want to get married," Riggin said. "It's nice to see people like my parents and grandparents who fell in love in their 20s and have figured it out."

bblackwell@semissourian.com

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