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"How have you successfully completed 25 years or more of marriage?" Keep Living! John and Lucile Phelan (62 years)

Choosing the right Mate -- one that you Love and Respect, who is truthful, kind and understanding. You should communicate daily and you will be the best of friends.

Mildred and Herschel Weaver (53 years)

1. Be sure you trust each other.
2. Be a good listener.
3. Be compassionate when necessary.
4. Give in on "equal measure" to one another
5. Above all - love each other.
6. Pray together and God will be there for you.
7. Having a sense of humor in life helps enormously.

Richard and Joanne Munly (50 years)

By having the same as well as different interests, an absolute trust in each other, and by always keeping busy.

Gene and Hilde Newberry (50 years)

Pray together and play together; don’t forget to cultivate your sense of humor!

John and Sylvia Teem (45 years)

Make good friends with each other! Constantly remind this friend how much he/she means to you. Use good humor, and a friendly tone of voice. Love each other!

Val and Donna Zadnik (40 years)

We found a news clipping in the back of Milt's parents bible. It was a letter written to a news columnist. His parents had been married for over 50 years and must have thought it important to pass on to us:

Dear Mary,

I look forward to your marriage and lovingly pass on this advice to you: "Look not for perfection in your mate. You will not find it and it's just as well. Living with a saint can be very tiresome."

"Let your love be stronger than your hate or anger."

"Learn the wisdom of compromise for it is better to bend a little than to break."

"Believe the best rather than the worst. People have a way of living up--or down-- to your opinion of them.

"Remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. The person you choose to marry is deserving of the courtesies and kindnesses you bestow on your friends."

Please hand this letter down to your children and your children's children. The more things change, the more they are the same.

Grandmother Jayne Well, Baltimore MD, May 2, 1886

Milt and Eleanor Werthmann (36 years)

Our advice is simple. Love each other and grow together.

Mike and Kathy Burke (35 years)

In 35 years of marriage, our struggles to become educated, raise children, and become productive members of society, we continue to rely on love and compromise.

Maryann and Bob Ramos (35 years)

The secret is to FIRST, and foremost, be best friends. Be there to hear what is on each other’s minds and give a "good friend’s" advice. Do the things together that best friends do together. SECOND, remember that a marriage foundation is love, trust, and respect.

If you argue, never say anything you can’t take back and wish you had not said. Just don’t say it.

And also VERY important, is for your lives to be Christ-centered. Be a worshipping family and your lives will always be grounded and happy.

By both giving a HUGE effort and not giving up at the first adversity will sustain a relationship.

Cecilia and Tim Brady (31 years)

Patience, understanding and respect for each other have been the guiding principles of our marriage. Upon taking our vows we clearly understood that we were making a lifetime commitment and that it was up to us, alone, to make it work. Founded strongly in our faith in God, they have been a wonderful 28 years.

Maria and Joe Aponte (28 years)

Communication, communication, communication. This can never be stressed too much. No matter how busy your life is, make time to be alone together. Know your strengths and weaknesses, then work together as a team. Talk, listen, share.

Monica and Larry Craven (27 years)

Mary’s Irish recipe for a good marriage:

Our marriage cake is:

1 cup of commitment
2 teaspoons of good humor,
melt in integrity and sprinkle on plenty of love.

Money, sex and fame are like icing on the cake, good, but not essential for real angel food.

Ed and Mary Biddle (26 years)

Chemistry: we celebrate the mystery of our attraction to each other, returning to it in times of confusion. Gratitude: a daily practice of giving thanks for all the good fortune, gifts, and friends we have.

Peter and Dorothy Denning (25 years)

1. Commitment to stay together.
2. Belief that God has a plan for us in all the trials and joys.
3. Communication.

Marilyn and Mark Krause (25 years)

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