Joel and Carolyn LaPray share a love story that could be in a storybook. And as you learn more about this happy couple who will be celebrating sixty-four years of marriage, you’ll discover that love like this simply does not happen every day. While the couple has been married for more than sixty years, they have known each other for eight-two years or since they were both little toddlers.
The pair met in Idaho back in the 1940s. They were neighbors, and their parents were friends with each other. The two children would often get to play together and establish a bond beginning when they were very young. They first met right before the United States entered World War II.
Because of the war, both Joel and Carolyn’s families moved apart. However, the pair managed to reestablish a connection during their teen years when both families moved to Utah. Even when they were sophomores in high school, Joel knew that he wanted Carolyn’s hand in marriage. He asked her to the military ball. But Carolyn was not so sure about her feelings for Joel and was resistant to his overtures.
Their relationship continued to bloom throughout high school until their senior year, when they began to fall in love with each other. By the time they graduated from high school, they were fully in love and committed to starting their lives together.
The year following high school graduation, the two lovebirds both attended Utah State University. After they finished their freshman year of college, they decided that enough was enough, and they tied the knot. Sixty-four years later, Joel and Carolyn continue to be dedicated to each other and shower one another with a lot of love.
They’ve also managed to build a large family over the years. They had six children of their own, who then had twenty-five grandchildren, who then had thirty-three great-grandchildren. They now have to same descendants that Joel says he no longer counts how many grandchildren and great-grandchildren he has.
However, the math is quite simple. Joel and Carolyn have built a family that has more than seventy people included in it.
The pair share a lot of memories after knowing each other for eighty-two years. They also had a black and white photograph of them as toddlers when they first met. Joel’s mother had the image painted as a wedding present and placed it near the cake, along with a message that said, “Joel and Carolyn, their first date.”
When it comes to their secret for a happy marriage, Joel was quick to respond that the answer was compromise.
“We each have different opinions, we compromise, we do it her way,” he joked.
However, Joel believes that so long as his wife is happy, he can be happy. He abides by the principle that a happy wife is a happy life.
What do you think about this couple’s lasting marriage?