Long-lasting love is a beautiful and rare thing. It is a love that endures the test of time, trials, and tribulations. It is a love that grows stronger with every passing day, not weaker. It is a love that stands the test of distance, disagreements, and difficult circumstances.
The love story of Joel and Carolyn LaPray is unique, and their dedication to one another is incredibly admirable.
The pair has been together for 82 years and has been married for 64 of those years.
Few people can claim to have known their spouse their whole life.
They were neighbors and friends of each other’s parents when they first met as little children in Idaho in the early 1940s.
The romance between Joel and Carolyn.
When Joel and Carolyn first met as toddlers, the United States was just about to enter World War II.
Both families left their homes after the war, but Joel and Carolyn reconnected when they were teenagers and the families migrated to Utah.
Joel invited Carolyn to the military ball when they were sophomores in high school, but she wasn’t entirely sure of her emotions for him – despite the fact that he appeared confident that she would be the woman he would marry.
Joel was accurate, it turns out.
In their final year of high school, as they began to spend more time together, their love for one another developed. By the time they graduated, they were engaged and beginning their great life together.
After their first year of college, they decided to be married. The next year, they both attended Utah State University.
Their love story is really stunning, and 64 years later, they are still loyal to one another.
They have 6 children, 25 grandchildren, and 33 great-grandchildren as a result of their marriage.
a large family!
They have so many grandkids, according to Joel, that he has stopped keeping count.
But we’ll perform his family math. The family of Joel and Carolyn totals a whooping 70 members!
A lovely reminiscence to jog their memories of one another.
Joel and Carolyn had a black-and-white photo of themselves as little children from when they first met, and Joel’s mother asked a friend to paint it as a wedding gift!
With the inscription “Joel and Carolyn, their first date,” it was set up close to their wedding cake.
This present was and still is a priceless remembrance of their love story and something that most people will never possess.
What has kept a couple married for 64 years?
Joel answered immediately when asked what the key to 64 years of marriage was: compromise!
“Each of us has a different opinion, but we compromise and follow her lead.” (East Idaho News)
A happy wife leads to a happy life, as Carolyn suggests!
Joel does his best to live up to the level that demonstrates his love for Carolyn since he understands that as long as “momma” is happy, everyone will also be happy.