George and Louise Dennis.Photo:wtvy
wtvy
An Alabama couple is celebrating a truly rare milestone — 80 years of marriage!
George said he first laid eyes on his future bride when he was delivering a newspaper to her house on his route when he was 16.
“There she was standing on that porch. That was one pretty sight, I’ll tell you. Gorgeous,” he recalled to the outlet.
They began dating, and before long decided to sneak off to Bonifay, Florida, to elope without their parents' permission. Then they came home and broke the surprising news.
“I said, ‘Well, we went off and got married.’ Oh, you could have heard her [Louise’s mother] scream clean from Dothan,” George jokingly remembered.
While he can laugh about it now, both of their families attempted an intervention at the time. Ultimately, though, they secured the blessing of Louise’s father and settled into their married life together.
Eight decades later, George affirmed that eloping with Louise was one of the smartest decisions he’s ever made.
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Just months after their marriage, the couple faced another major test on their relationship: George was drafted to serve in World War II.
Before he left, they vowed that they would never be separated again once the war was over.
In December 1944, Dennis was seriously injured when he tripped over a land mine. He eventually lost part of his leg, and returned home to continue his treatment.
They faced another difficult time together when their daughter Crystal, whom they adopted in 1952, died in an accident involving a horse. “You never, never get over the loss of a child,” Louis said.
When asked about the secret to their long marriage, the couple, who owned a rug business together for more than 40 years, credited their faith — and one very important principle.
“Tell the husband to say, ‘Yes, dear,’ " George joked.
source: people.com
