Seventy years and counting
Couples, Doug and Paula McGarr and Brian and Molly Wray, who all reside at the Eden Gardens Retirement Complex in Essenwood, mark 70 years of marriage this February.
TWO couples at the Eden Garden Retirement Complex in Morningside celebrate their 70th wedding anniversaries this February.
Doug and Paula McGarr tied the knot on February 20 in 1954, and the pair are still tied at the hip to this day. According to Doug McGarr, he and his wife got married in Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia, at Salisbury Cathedral Church.
“We were introduced by a very good friend of mine. It was his birthday, and I said, ‘I’d like you to meet a very nice young girl’, and when I did meet her at the party, I thought she was one of the prettiest people I had ever seen. At the time I was 22 and Paula was 19.”
Doug says the pair had four boys during the course of their marriage, with two of them, unfortunately, passing away.
“The first few decades of our marriage were wonderful. We spent 11 years in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe). Paula worked as a secretary, and when we moved to South Africa, I worked in engineering. When Paula retired, she got into her favourite hobby which is artistic painting, and she is a wonderful artist. There are several pieces on display at the Eden Gardens Retirement Village.”
Although Paula suffers from dementia, the pair are still deeply in love, and Doug helps her every step of the way. “There are so many things I love about Paula – she is still the most beautiful woman to me. I love how she loves me and our children, and she is a fantastic artist!”
Doug says the secret to a long-lasting marriage is acceptance. “You have got to accept the person as they are and work at the marriage every day, and the foundation of the marriage must be love – if you love a person, it’s easy.”
Love to last a lifetime
Brian and Molly Wray will celebrate their wedding anniversary on Tuesday, February 27. Brian says the couple will be having a celebratory gathering at the local retirement home with their friends and family.
The couple met at a softball game in 1950. “My friend invited me to the game because she thought we’d hit it off. I offered to look after his jacket while he played, and that was a hint to him that I liked him,” said Molly.
“Nothing happened for six weeks, so I invited her to the next game, and after that, I still didn’t hear from her, but six weeks later, I got a call from her inviting me over to her house for Christmas lunch. I was so happy to get that call, and we never stopped after that.”
Brian says he and his wife got engaged in 1952 and were married in 1954. “I was 19 when I met her, and she had just turned 18, so when we got married, she was 21 and I was 23.”
Molly worked as a secretary, and Brian worked in engineering, and the pair, who are both from Durban, had two children together, who now both live in America. “We have four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, who all live in America, so we’re really looking forward to seeing them because they will be coming to South Africa for our anniversary celebration,” said Molly.
Molly describes her husband as very patient, generous and loving.
“The secret to a long-lasting marriage is tolerance and mutual understanding. We have great communication, and she’s my favourite person to spend my time with,” said Brian.
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