T
h e Wedding Issue
LOVELESSONS
SO, WHAT’S MARRIAGE REALLY LIKE? WE ASKED A WIDOW,
A COUPLE MARRIED FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY,
RELATIVE NEWLYWEDS AND TWO FORMER SPOUSES WHO
HAVE REMAINED COMMITTED DESPITE THEIR DIVORCE
As told to Angie Fenton | Photos By Tony Bennett
Tony & Benita Romeo
Married for 52 years
We met on a blind date and married three
months later. I was 15; Tony was 18. I came from
a broken home and just feel like God placed him
there for me at that time. Grant you, I’m sure he
and I have thought about walking out the door
once a week, but it was just a thought. Plus, (she
laughs) he’s a pretty good guy.
Tony is an old soul. He’s always been there for
everybody. He’s someone you can really trust. He’s
been my rock. We’ve struggled some through the
years. If there was a need, he could not lay down
and go to sleep at night. He’s been there for the
good times and the bad times, and (she laughs)
he used to have hair!
It seems impossible that we’ve been married
for 52 years. There are so many outside influences.
What comes next? I hope we’re blessed with a
few more years. –Benita Romeo
We went out on a date and she gave me an apple
to eat (he laughs). We were just attracted to each
other. We come from a different generation. People
today, the times we live in are difficult. When we
got married, there weren’t personal computers,
there weren’t cell phones, there were only three
These stories have been edited for space and clarity.
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TV stations. In our generation, when we grew up,
if our razors got dull, you just replaced the razor
blade. Now you throw away the whole razor. The
grass is alway greener on the other side of the
fence. People judge by the looks and how shiny
it is instead of what’s on the inside.
We’ve stayed married so long because we have
two TVs (they both laugh). As you get older, you
get more used to your partner. We’re not perfect.
Yet, anymore everyone’s trying to be. We want our
teeth so white they blind you. You’re going to get
your fat sucked out. You’re trying to be Barbie and
Ken. We don’t accept people for who they are. The
happiest people? Things don’t matter to them.
After 52 years, we’re closer to the end than we
are the beginning. So, you try to make your last
years enjoyable and provide for your kids and
your grandkids and try to leave some type of
legacy. We lost 35 friends and family in a five-year
period. We’ve dealt with that, but that helps you
appreciate life. Treasure the time that you have
and each day. It’s the simple things in life: the
sunshine, the trees and the birds. We all have an
expiration date. Like they say, “There’s no luggage
rack on a hearse.” –Tony Romeo