Inspiration Nation: What Love Looks Like 70 Years After “I Do”

Sunday, March 5, 2017

What Love Looks Like 70 Years After “I Do”

It’s incredibly rare to find a love like Jerry and Marilyn’s, also known as, Papa and Gigi. Married 70 years, they certainly know a thing or two about wedded bliss, and their grandson’s wife, Sophie Epton set up a photo session to celebrate just that. Papa and Gigi’s are dishing their secrets to a healthy marriage below, and we couldn’t be more honored to share their sweet story.

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“I have always loved her, I always will love her.”

-Papa

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From Jordan Epton, the photographer’s husband…I told my wife, Sophie, exactly what it would be like when she met Papa and Gigi for the first time. They were picking us up from Palm Beach International Airport, and I said, “As soon as we round that corner, we’ll see them waiting – gigantic smiles on their faces. As we approach, Gigi will be standing there with her arms crossed, and the sweetest, most welcoming smile on her face. Papa – he’ll be dancing and clapping, smiling, singing, and eagerly waiting for us to get to him for the biggest hug ever. Then, just as soon as Gigi hugs you, Papa will steal you away from me, tell me to get lost, and tell you that he’ll take care of you now.”

Needless to say, I was spot on, and Sophie was instantly welcomed into the Epton family. I feel like I’m a unicorn – I’m 34 years old, my parents have been married for almost 40 years, both sets of my grandparents are alive, and have been married for 70 and 69 years, respectively. Understatement alert: I’m extremely fortunate.

This story is about my paternal grand parents, Jerry and Marilyn Epton , who are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary this year. Sophie and I were lucky enough to visit them in Florida recently and capture their life story with an anniversary session – icing on top of a wonderful weekend full of chapters of their history together.

Papa apologizes to Sophie a lot, because as he so frequently points out, that [Papa] is me in 60 years, and he’s so sorry for Sophie, because that’s what she has to look forward to. You’ll never hear me complain…

A conversation with Papa is always a combination of emotional, heart-felt stories and feelings, constantly peppered with slapstick humor and random bursts into song (Mel Brooks-esque.) Gigi, a very classy lady, has somehow put up with her nut of a husband (his words) for so long, and knows how to drop in a great anecdote herself.

Words of wisdom on 70 years of marriage

From Gigi:

“What can I say? You gotta have a sense of humor, you gotta REALLY have a sense of humor. Understanding, and have to be married to a very perfect person. So, he is! (hee hee hee….) No, I’m kidding about the perfect. Everybody is different.”

From Papa:

“You wanna know what it takes to be married for 70 years? I think you really have to number one, respect one another, I think you have to love one another because not every day goes smooth. In our particular case, I think we’ve probably lived a charmed life. We’re two different people, we were raised differently. But from where I’m sitting, I have always loved her, I always will love her.

I love my lady, and she loves me, and you better love each other for a long time. No one’s right all the time, sometimes you’ll have an argument, and you’ll be plenty ticked, and so will she, but you gotta know that you’ve got each other, and you’ve got each others’ back. That’s the key. Respect one another, love one another, and fool around as much as you can. In every room, or at least try, which is what I do! Every once in a while I get lucky…”

There is far too much content to concisely describe my feelings and relationship with Papa and Gigi, characterizing any experience with these two souls, and sharing how thankful I am that my wonderful wife has had so many years to build a friendship with them. He’s a flirt, and she’s a lady; he’s the talker, she keeps him in check. These two wasted no time in sharing their hearts with one another, and we’re all the beneficiary. We should be so fortunate to witness this kind of love in our lifetime, let alone participate.