A
man and his wife who have been married for as many as 70 years without a
hitch, have revealed the secret to a long-lasting and happy marriage.
Stan and Dolly Izatt
This happy couple who have just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary has revealed the secret to a happy marriage.
According to them, one of their secrets is ‘a lot of bleeding patience’.
According to Metro UK, the couple identified as Dolly, 89, and Stan
Izatt, 91, were both born and raised in London, and grew up living
opposite each other. They tied the knot in 1947, when they were 19 and
21.
However, while it might seem like a fairy tale, Dolly admits it wasn’t love at first sight for her.
‘When I first met Stan, I fancied his friend. I didn’t fancy him at all,’ she said.
‘But within a couple of weeks he was telling everybody he was going to marry me, don’t ask me why.
‘I mean then I was fifteen, straight hair, never wore makeup,
but everywhere I went he followed me, on his bike. I’ve gone in a shop
and bought something to avoid him but there we are – he persevered and
wore me down I think.’
Stan, a Second World War veteran, eventually made a breakthrough
and asked Dolly if she would write to him when he was away on service.
The soldier, ‘far from a scholar’, said he would not write back but would like to receive the letters.
But Dolly wasn’t going to give to get nothing back – and so she
demanded replies, telling Stan that she would not put pen to paper
unless he responded.
Of course, he gave in – though he found it difficult, often struggling to find the words to write.
Once back from the war the pair wed, and Stan got a job on the
railways. When he was made redundant, the pair moved to Praa Sands,
Cornwall, where they both started working at Two Chimneys Caravan Park.
Stan said: ‘We used to come down here on holiday and I came home
all in a temper and said to Dolly, “that’s it I’m going to sell up house
and home and move to Cornwall’ and we did. I have no regrets. We’re
very lucky.”
Dolly ended up becoming the manager, and the pair went on to become a family, as she gave birth to three daughters.
Now, the couple have five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, who are their ‘pride and joy’.
Their family are also incredibly proud of them – with their
daughters recently arranging a party for them to celebrate their 70th
wedding anniversary.
The couple were joined by family and friends and even received a
card from Her Majesty the Queen, who congratulated them on their
impressively long marriage.
Dolly’s favourite flowers are red carnations, which she had in her
wedding bouquet, and each significant anniversary Stan makes sure she
receives another bouquet with one carnation for every year – this year
she almost struggled to hold her 70.
The couple did things their way at the party – with Stan enjoying
his favourite meal of steak and chips, and Dolly surprising him with a
special trip in March to the Hammers’ new stadium, as Stan is a huge
West Ham United fan.
‘I’ve been saying for years that I would love to go up there and see what they’ve done,’ said Stan.
The platinum pair described themselves as very lucky and have some
insightful advice for anyone searching for the key behind a long-lasting
and successful marriage.
Dolly said: ‘When our grandson got married in May, Stan decided he would give him the benefit of his advice.
‘He said to him in marriage you need love, you need trust and you need a lot of bleeding patience.
‘And for once I agree with him and that doesn’t happen very often.’
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