PRAIRIE GROVE -- Announcements for couples celebrating 50 years do not come often.
An announcement for a couple celebrating their 71st anniversary is almost unheard of.
Yet, that's what Hank and Pauline Garrett of Prairie Grove are celebrating. They married at 19 years of age on Aug. 14, 1943, in a minister's home in Fayetteville. Today, they are 91 years-old and live on a family farm in Prairie Grove.
They first met when they were 14 years-old. Pauline was a member of Viney Grove United Grove Methodist Church and Hank Garrett visited the church. Hank Garrett attended Farmington schools and Pauline went to Prairie Grove.
"I thought she was the cutest thing I ever saw," Hank Garrett said. "She was always the sweetheart."
Pauline says her husband is the talker of the family.
They married when Hank was on a five-day leave from the U.S. Navy and then he was gone for a year. When he returned, she moved to San Diego, Calif., to live with him. He was at sea for another year and the war was over.
Hank Garrett said Arkansas at the time did not seem to offer many choices for permanent employment so the two left for Illinois. He worked for Clark Oil Refinery for 40 years.
Pauline was in nursing while her husband served in the Navy but stayed home as a homemaker when they moved to Illinois.
Pauline said her parents' farm belonged to her grandparents and great-grandparents and had been in the family since before the Civil War. She said it was her parents' wish the farm remain in the family. She and Hank purchased the 70-acre farm in 1963, built a home and retired to Prairie Grove in the 1980s.
The Garretts realize 71 years of marriage is quite an accomplishment. Her mother died at 43 years-old and his mother died when she was 50.
They are the only two left in their family. They have twin children, Suzanne Osterbur of Edwardsville, Ill., and Danny Garrett of Little Rock. Suzanne and her husband, Stan, have one son, Michael Garrett Osterbur, also of Edwardsville.
What's their secret?
Hank said when couples say they never fight, he scoffs. But he and his wife follow the scripture in the Bible, Ephesians 4:20, which says, "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger." They try to resolve any issues before going to sleep, he said.
Another scripture they cherish, "There are three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love," from 1 Corinthians 13:13.
"The thing that has held us together is that we both grew up in hard times, in the Depression, and when you make a commitment, you stuck with it, good or bad," Hank Garrett said. "I think of my wife as a good person. She was a good mama and a mother of two kids who were raised right."
He added, "It takes a lot of love, respect and trust."
Spiritual guidance has been an important part of their marriage, he said.
"We all need spiritual guidance and I think Jesus Christ is just who he says he is," Garrett said. "He has blessed us."
The couple was married six years before having children and Hank Garrett said they established principles and rules to govern their home and their children were taught to follow those principles.
Daughter Suzanne Osterbur said she is not surprised her parents are in good health and still married.
"We know Mom and Dad and how much they cared about family, It doesn't surprise me. They were such a great team together. Both worked very hard. We're so proud of them and admire them so much," Osterbur said.
She said her parents provided a stable, secure and safe home.
"We were together as a family a lot doing things. They taught us so much about being respectful and being honest."
She attributes their long life to healthy food and a healthy lifestyle.
Pauline has arthritis but stays busy in her garden. Hank Garrett raises cattle but said it is more of a hobby than anything else. They both enjoy being at home.
"We've both worked hard all our lives," Hank Garrett said. "I found out in life, you don't have to be rich to enjoy life. You have to be honest and have guidance in life. You can't live life to and fro. One thing that's been a blessing to us is that we've always depended on a higher power to give us strength, supply our needs and raise our children right."
The couple did not make any special plans to celebrate their 71st anniversary.
General News on 09/10/2014