Senior Couple Love Stories
Love means to be very unselfish.
Midge & Richard Johnson
How they met:
Midge and Richard met at BYU when Midge was working for a telephone company. Richard went into the company to get his telephone line connected and met Midge. He remembers her as cute and bubbly. Even though she was engaged (and had been engaged a few times before), they decided to go out. “She was engaged, but it was right,” Richard recalls. Things just clicked between them and they got married after only three months. Midge remembers that her father thought the marriage would never last and was surprised as each marriage anniversary passed along. Today, Midge and Richard have been married for 41 years. “We love each other immensely,” says Richard.
Midge’s words on love:
“[Love means] to be very unselfish, to have charity and love—a pure love of Christ.”
“[Love means] more than romantic—[it means] respect. [It means] to put others before your wants.”
A little anecdote:
Midge served on the City Council for eight years. During those years, Richard came to all but one or two of Midge’s weekly meetings even though Midge says the meetings were very boring. “He came every Tuesday to support me,” she said. They continue to have a close relationship and still do the little things like holding hands.
Clyde & Eva Bradford
How they met:
Clyde and Eva came together when each had concluded a first marriage. They already knew each other because Eva was formerly married to Clyde’s cousin. Clyde was wanting to get married again and so he went to Eva for advice on where to find a good lady. He had made a list of traits he was looking for and read it to her. When Clyde finished reading his list, Eva said, “The only one I know that fits all of those categories is me!” They began dating and after two years were married. In marrying, they melded two families together, giving them a combined total of six children. Clyde says a key to their success was that “we dated long enough to become good friends and that friendship led to an eternal marriage.” To date, Eva and Clyde have been married for 28 years.
Clyde’s words on love:
“[Love is] genuine concern for someone. [It is] accepting them for what they are—not what I want them to be.”
“Be friends: [a key for love].”
A little anecdote:
Eva and Clyde do many things together, though they also take time to develop themselves. Together, they have traveled thousands of miles with pioneer wagon trains. They’ve also taken many horse rides through the mountains together. Another activity they share is business. The two are partners in a rental property endeavor. As Clyde says of Eva, “She’s my sweetheart, lover, wife, business partner.” Together time is an important part of their marriage.
Jim & Beverly Tracy
How they met:
When Jim was just seventeen, he began to teach a Sunday school class. That was when he first saw his wife to be: Beverly. At the time she was only fifteen, but Jim remembers her as the most beautiful girl. They fell in love and waited until they were old enough to marry when she turned eighteen and he was just shy of twenty. After marrying, they moved all over for Jim’s job with the Air Force. He said he loved coming home to her wherever they were and just holding her hands, expressing how happy he was to be home. “She made every place home,” said Jim. They were married 57 years until Beverly passed away. Jim counts that they’ve been married 60 years, as he believes their marriage did not end with death.
Jims’ words on love:
“When you’re doing what is right, the path is always open.”
“To me [love] was always sharing my life with someone. Sharing our dreams, the things we wanted for each other and our growing family. It was something you couldn’t be selfish with.”
“Remember, put all you can into it.”
A little anecdote:
“I can’t remember going anyplace without holding hands [with Beverly]. That was such a precious time. That was one of those special moments—to be that close to each other,” said Jim.