Myrtle

“When I was a very small child, perhaps 8 or 9 years of age, I met a young man who was the best looking guy I had ever seen. He must have been about 14 years old. We did not hit it off well together at all. However, as time passed, I fell madly in love with him. He didn’t even know that I existed. Nevertheless, I said to myself, ‘Someday, I am going to marry that man.’ To make a long story short, I won out. On August 21st, 1934, I married J.R. Williams, and we were married for 67 years until he passed away in 2002. Did we ever think of leaving one another in all those years? No, but we thought of shooting one another at times! (*laughs*) I'm just kidding. Ours was truly a love story. We adored each other. We didn’t just love one another. We were ‘in love.’ We were willing to give as well as to receive, to see the other’s viewpoints, and to acknowledge and appreciate each other’s thoughts and talents. It was important to have God in our own home too. He was good to us, and he gave us what we needed.

“I must mention my sweetheart’s reaction to my retirement. When I drove in from my last day of work, my honey was waiting in the driveway for me. To my surprise and great pleasure, he had prepared a wonderful meal: shrimp cocktail, baked potato, and a salad. He even bought a bottle of champagne with which to celebrate. He had set the dining room table and the candles were all aglow just for the two of us.

“We were in our 70’s when we started teaching ballroom dancing, and we did that for 12 years. Even after he passed away and I moved to a retirement community, I was still dancing. In fact, I only stopped a few months ago. I’m 100 years old and not quite as steady on my feet as I used to be.” 

Myrtle's beloved husband:

Myrtle as a young woman:

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