Elgin couple married 70 years: Say 'I love you' every night
Joe and Marian Good have plenty of differences - she's a Republican and a Cubs fan, he's a Democrat and roots for the White Sox - so, not surprisingly, they have distinct answers about how they've stayed happily married for 70 years.
“If Marian is always right and Joe is always wrong, there's no arguments. There's no fights,” 96-year-old Joe said with a twinkle in his eyes. “I just conceded that she's always sharp.”
That got a laugh from Marian, 93, who acknowledged she's the more assertive of the two. But the real reason, she said, is Joe's personality.
“He's so easygoing,” Marian said. “That is a very deciding feature that we had, in his being such a sweet, loving, kind man. ... And in being hardworking, in working hard to provide for the family.”
The Elgin couple celebrated their milestone anniversary Tuesday with a gathering of family and friends at The Greens of Elgin, where they've lived for about a dozen years. They have six children, 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.
Another secret to their marriage? Never going to bed without holding hands and telling each other “I love you” - even in the middle of a fight, said daughter Kathy Bruno of Elgin.
“Until you get married on your own, you don't really appreciate or understand it,” Bruno said. “To me, they are two amazing people who have kept this whole family together through their love of the family. Family is everything to them. Every family holiday, birthday, whatever, it's always a major celebration that makes you feel so special and loved and appreciated.”
Joe and Marian were married Feb. 2, 1946, in Chicago, just two weeks after Joe returned from Europe, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge while serving in the U.S. Army in World War II. “I had the good Lord on my side with her, and I had the good Lord on my side in the Army,” he said.
They had met about six years before, when they worked across the street from each other in downtown Chicago. Joe had spotted Marian from afar, but she wouldn't give him the time of day until her supervisor invited him over for coffee. Joe drove her home after work and they ended up having dinner and going to a movie that same night. “The spark was beginning,” Marian said.
They raised their family in Arlington Heights, as Marian stayed at home and Joe worked a factory job for 35 years, followed by a job as a night custodian for Northwest Suburban High School District 214. When their youngest child started school, Marian got a job in sales at Sears at Woodfield Mall.
Her parents were sensible about money, taking the kids on outings to watch horse races at Arlington Park and watch planes land and take off from O'Hare International Airport, Bruno said. “It was memorable and fun,” she said.
Once the children were grown, the Goods started enjoying traveling, especially cruises, and competing in slot tournaments at the Westward Ho Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where they once placed second.
There were fights along the way, sure, but it's all about how quickly you get over it, Marian said. She also credited their Catholic faith with supporting them through the years. “I give thanks to my Sacred Heart for all the blessings He has given to me,” she said.
He and his wife also are grateful for their children's love, Joe said. “They love one another. There is no jealousy among the six of them. And most of all, they love their mother and dad. That's what makes a wonderful, wonderful family.”
Despite ailments like arthritis for both, and diabetes, vision and hearing problems for Joe, both are in fairly good health. “That's because we never smoked!” Joe said.
And as for politics and baseball, “sometimes (differences) like that work out to your advantage because you have things to talk about,” Marian said. “You discuss more as to why you think you have the best.”