Valentine’s Day is a significant cultural and commercial celebration of romance and love around the world. Men and women find themselves shopping for a gift and sifting through greeting cards for a special message to express love for another. Serious love. In spite of life’s speedbumps, many of Cupid’s arrow-struck couples have endured the test of time. Here are profiles of five Anderson love stories.
Alan and Ann Ramsey celebrate their 49th anniversary this year. They met in church and hung out with their church’s teen group. Ann was captivated by Alan’s blue eyes; Alan was attracted to her smile and laughter. Each thought the other had a big heart and soon found they could talk about their own family issues without judging each other.
Ann shared, “Friendship led to love, love to marriage, and marriage to three children and seven grandchildren. We promised each other we’d never take our problems to our family – we’d work it out between us. We’ve stood together through good times, bad times, military deployments, and anything life threw our way. Forty-eight years later, it’s still us against the world.”
Dr. Bob and Nancy Hanley celebrate their 45th anniversary this year. They met when a friend invited Nancy to join them at Bob’s masters program’s graduation dinner. After dinner, Bob sent Nancy flowers and wrote a song for her. Since then, they have both served many years within the nurturing Christian environment at Anderson University.
During courtship, Bob noticed that Nancy was not only a loving mother to two small children, but she also excelled as a full-time teacher and dedicated to the Lord. Bob says, “For me, love came easy, fast, and strong. I wanted to be a part of that family.”
Nancy says, “Bob was thoughtful, respectful, and Christian. He loved my children. These qualities let me know he was the right one. He would bring his guitar and sing songs he had written. My children sang along with him.”
Bob and Nancy agree that the secret to an enduring marriage is to put God at the head of the home and the family at the center. They advise making decisions based on what’s best for the family and plan to spend quality time together as spouses and as friends.
Brent and June Copeland began dating when he was a sophomore and she was a freshman at TL Hanna High. He was on the football team and she was a cheerleader. Sound familiar? They dated for the next seven years and tied the knot in July 1981 after his freshman year in dental school when June graduated Dental Hygiene School.
They continue to manage a successful marriage and dentistry practice together in Anderson. So, what advice do they have for young couples who are in it for the long haul? “Get involved in church, keep life fun, and don’t take yourself so seriously. You don’t have to always be right.”
Larry and Wanda Dunn celebrate their 49th anniversary this year. They met as freshmen at Lakeside High School. They began dating on Valentine’s Day in 1970. Larry brought Wanda a giant box of Valentine’s candy. After graduating high school, Larry went to Tri-County Tech and Wanta enrolled in Clemson as a nursing student curriculum. They married six years after their first date – on Valentine’s Day, 1976. Wanda graduated the following year with her nursing degree.
Larry joined the Marine Corps in 1982. Wanda worked full time at ANMED while raising the first of their two daughters. Wanda says the “secret ingredient” for endurance – career, family, or marriage – is determination.
Tommy and Angela Lowe married on Valentine’s Day 45 years ago. They met in a junior high citizenship class that had alphabetical seating. Tommy sat in front of Angela. She explains, “I fell in love with those green eyes. He was easy to talk to and outgoing. I was shy and reserved. We became very good friends as I learned that under his rebel exterior was a kind and compassionate heart.”
Tommy said he knew it was right and was always confident they would make it as a couple. They say they’ve handled the rough times because they built a strong foundation on faith in Christ, supported each other in their individual interests, and found interests they could share together.
Cupid’s aim over the centuries has always been sharp, but his accuracy carried no guarantee that the excitement and feelings would endure. These profiles strongly attest that couples whose bonds do endure are grounded in a solid friendship, mutual respect, and faith in a higher power.