Couple celebrate 60 years of marriage
“I thought he had the nicest blue eyes when he first approached me. Little did I know I would spend 60 years with him.”
Atlegang Makgoba
“You can’t make coffee!” were the first words Jan Vos (84) said to his wife Martie (79) in 1961.
The couple from Kempton Park will celebrate 60 years of marriage on May 26.
The two recalled their life together after they first met.
“I was in school when Jan first approached me. He as an aircraft engineer in the air force,” said Martie.
Martie already had a suitor pursuing her at the time.
“When I first saw him I thought he had the nicest blue eyes and they even stood out more because of his blue air force uniform.
“We started talking about if I can make coffee or not and although I had a boyfriend at that time, Jan was very persistent that I would be his.
“I remember my mother also worked for the air force and I was surprised that he knew my mother before me,” said Martie.
Martie said Jan had to go overseas for work. However, he could not leave the country with the chance of losing his one true love.
“When we got engaged, Jan was meant to leave for America to work there for a couple of months and before he left in November 1961 we got engaged because he wanted to make sure that when he came back, I was still here,” said Martie.
The couple tied the knot on May 26 in Littleton, Centurion, in a beautiful church ceremony, where Martie walked down the aisle with her father.
They raised three sons and one daughter.
Their son, Etienne Vos said it was incredible to have such exemplary parents.
He testified to the love their parents brought him and his siblings and how strong their relationship is.
“They are two of the most peaceful souls there can ever be. We were raised and taught that the foundation of any relationship is respect, and we have seen that in them. They are always free around each other. Their influence has made me become the man I am today,” said Etienne.
“Jan always says that no matter what the situation is, we never fight against each other. We are fighting everybody else, and we do so together. We are always there for each other and talk to each other every day. We are making sure to never go to bed angry at each other,” said Martie.
