New Era couple celebrate 66 years of marriage
When asked the secret to a happy marriage, the couple say it is about giving your all to your partner.
John and Maxie Keevy from New Era will celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary on Friday.
The pair, who were friends for two years before they had their first date, have been living in wedded bliss ever since.
“I used to live on Third Street and used to see him when he visited his friend who lived two houses from mine.
“He had the most beautiful ginger hair you’ve ever seen,” said Maxie.
John said: “Being friends before we got engaged made a good foundation for us because I went to work on the copper belt in what was then Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). I could comfortably get engaged and go, knowing we were going to get married in the end, nothing could stop our marriage.
“That set our marriage up for us because we knew if we could stay apart for a year and still love each other, then it was a good foundation for us.”
The couple was blessed with two daughters and a son and lived in Zambia for 10 years before returning to South Africa.
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John and Maxie say God has blessed them during their marriage as they haven’t been beset with tragedies.
“I sometimes wonder why He has been so good to us, but we’ve always lived carefully.
“All glory to God, our father. He has met our every need, every day,” said the couple.
When asked the secret to a happy marriage, the couple says it is about giving your all to your partner.
“You have to give 100 per cent to your partner, not 50/50.
“I always say if you’re not giving 100 per cent to your partner, to whom am I giving the other 50 per cent?” said John.
When asked what one should look for in a partner, John advised looking for someone stable and faithful.
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“There must be chemistry. At a young age, love is a sexual thing, but as you get older, that becomes a different kind of love, a deeper love.
“I always call it a different flavour of love.
“Looks, size and shape, that doesn’t come into it, just stability.
“As a woman, you must also prove you’re stable and play your part.
“You give your best to your partner and your partner must give their best, and then you can’t go wrong,” he said.
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