Rynfield couple’s love goes platinum

Rynfield residents Joan (89) and Keith Rowe (90) recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

“I remember very well when I first met Joan. My friend at the time had a girlfriend who was friends with Joan and they decided that we should meet, so they set up a blind date for us,” explained Keith.

“I will never forget seeing her climb off the train. I knew right then and there she was going to be the girl I would spend the rest of my life with. Sounds cheesy but it was love at first sight, and I fully believe that when you know, you know.”

Joan said: “I was very nervous and very shy. I had never been out with a boy before as I was 16, so Keith was my one and only and forever will be.”

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The couple resided in England most of their childhoods and then relocated to Edenvale for 32 years before relocating to their current residence in Rynfield, where they have happily been for 23 years.

But before leaving England, they said their vows and got married despite negative comments about their marriage.

“I was 19 when I married Keith, and I remember our wedding day fondly. It was such a wonderful day.

“We had all our family there and most of them had said we were far too young to be getting married and that we weren’t going to last. Well, look at us now, we proved them very wrong,” explained Joan.

Before retiring, Keith was a qualified fitter and turner, while Joan was working for the clothing trade.

They had two children and four grandchildren.

“Our daughter is now 68 and resides in Birch Acres, Kempton Park, while our son is now 60 and lives in the wilderness, exploring,” said Joan.

“We are very proud of our children and grandchildren. They really are doing so well for themselves. The lockdown was pretty hard, not being able to see our daughter as often as we would have liked to and usually would have, but it was understandable.”

Joan and Keith showing the only secret to sustaining a marriage is undying love and support.

“One of the biggest things to remember is you are always going to be learning something new about each other. The trick is to understand each other better each day. Marriage isn’t a walk in the park. It’s a give-and-take relationship that can be sustained with supporting one another and putting all your trust in our Lord,” concluded Keith.

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Joan said: “When we got married, as I am sure everyone who is married would feel the same, it was very hard. You are merging two puzzles into one, but we came through it by supporting each other and trusting in God.

“During the lockdown, we were together almost 24/7 and this wasn’t hard for us at all. We got on famously and were very content being in each other’s company.

“Keith is not only my husband but my best friend. Whenever he says to me ‘Joan, you’re my best friend’, I always respond with ‘Keith, you’re my bestest, bestest friend.”