Durban - Reaching decisions together and sharing kisses every morning and night was the key to making a marriage last 70 years.
And, while it was not “love at first sight” for Dennis, 90, and Jean White, 89, more than seven decades ago, they celebrated their anniversary at the Beverly Hills Hotel in uMhlanga on Tuesday with family and friends.
Another function is planned for Saturday.
The couple, originally of Johannesburg, moved to Somerset Estate, uMhlanga, about 10 years ago.
They are the proud parents of 11 children (six daughters and five sons) and have 20 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
The couple met when Jean, 17, boarded at 19-year-old Dennis’s parents’ house after the death of her mother. They lived in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, and married on September 8, 1945, two years later.
The couple said through their daughter and 10th child, Janet Wolfaardt, that while staying there, Jean had fallen ill and Dennis’s mother persuaded him to keep her company, because she was “very lonely”.
“They talked for a while when something strange happened: they found themselves kissing.
“To this day they cannot explain how it came about that two people who actually ‘disliked’ each other could suddenly be in love. They feel it could have been a ‘divine intervention’.”
Wolfaardt said her parents renewed their wedding vows in an intimate ceremony a few weeks ago.
The Whites believe all couples should share equally in decisions.
The road together, they said, was not without its fair share of bumps.
“There were many challenges. They had to raise a large family and provide each child with the best education possible. They had lost their second eldest child, Patrick, who passed away at the age of 60,” Wolfaardt said.
The couple had endured brief separations, the longest of which spanned about two weeks.
“Dennis was in hospital for a heart operation. It was very stressful for both of them, and they were very thankful that all the children came to Durban to provide support.”
Daily News