A couple from Hamilton have celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary — and have shared their secret to a long and happy marriage.
Bill and Jean Marshall met on a bus trip in 1950 and married the following year, on December 29, 1951. Jean was 22 and Bill was 24 when the pair married at the Girl Guides Hall in Motherwell.
The couple, now aged 97 and 95, both had careers in Philips Lighting Factory in Hamilton, continuing to work there until retirement. They welcomed a daughter, Linda, two grandchildren named Ross and Laura, and four great-grandchildren: Cameron, aged 9, William, aged 6, Zara, aged 9, and Mia, aged 5.
On their 73rd anniversary, Bill said: “I’m still very much in love and besotted with Jean. She still looks as good as she did on our wedding day.”
Bill and Jean celebrated the anniversary at Douglas View Care Home in Hamilton, where they have lived since August 2022. Surrounded by family, the pair enjoyed an afternoon tea party, with HC-One Scotland care home staff decorating the lounge area with balloons and banners.
A handmade cake was made especially for the couple by the Douglas View Care Home’s head chef.
(Image: Robert Little)
The pair enjoyed scones, fancy cakes, prosecco and malt, as well as a customised swan floral handmade cake by the home’s Head Chef,. Bill and Jean were delighted to receive a congratulations card from King Charles and Queen Camilla on their 73 years of marriage.
The pair described the secret to a long and happy marriage is “to never go to bed angry with each other and on an argument.” They added they still “very much” enjoy each other’s company and “spending quality time together.”
They added: “We used to do everything together and still do plus we never disagree much.”
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