A New Jersey couple is celebrating more than seven decades of marriage — and they say humor has been one of their biggest keys to staying close.
Stanley, 97 (or “97 and a half,” as he likes to tease), and his wife Leatrice, 94, from Norwood, N.J., recently spoke to CBS New York about their love story in honor of their 75th wedding anniversary.
Their relationship began in 1949 at a dance at City College in Manhattan. After the event, Stanley — who lived in Brooklyn — offered Leatrice and her friends a ride home to the Bronx.
Later, Leatrice decided she wanted to see him again, so she came up with a clever plan.
“I called him and told him I lost a pair of earrings in his car — which was not true,” she recalled.
“It’s called entrapment,” Stanley joked.
“So he said he’d look for the earrings and call me back. Then he called me back and said he didn’t find the earrings. And that was the beginning of our relationship,” Leatrice said.
The couple married the following year and have been together ever since. Today, they share three daughters, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, and live in a senior apartment building.
Stanley says their ability to laugh together has made all the difference.
“Her favorite meal to make is reservations,” he joked about his wife. “You’ve got to laugh at some things, because things get rough at times. So a sense of humor helps.”
They also believe in balancing togetherness with independence.
“We have happy hour every night at 5 p.m.,” Leatrice shared.
“I’m the bartender,” Stanley added.
Along with their nightly ritual, they make sure each of them has their own time and space. Stanley still drives his Pontiac about 10 minutes over the New York border to his favorite gym, where he’s the oldest member.
“They call me the mayor,” he said.
For Leatrice, his outings are more than just a workout — they give them something new to talk about.
“When he comes home, it’s something else to talk about,” she explained. “I don’t know them, but instead of just talking about this hurts and that hurts, it gives me something else to talk about with him.”
After 75 years, they’ve boiled their advice for younger couples down to one playful but telling line.
“Listen to what they say, and then tell them where they’re wrong,” Stanley quipped.
