Right off the bat, I'll tell you that this article will be less about tips on how to make love last and more tell the story of my extraordinary grandparents that spent 50+ years in each other's company.
Issac Grier McLaughlin was born February 27th, 1927 in a small North Carolina town named Newell. One of six brothers, he was accustomed to working long hours on the family farm as well as attending school. He attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for engineering and after college, found himself in Miami on business. This is when he met Thelma Palmer on a blind date.
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Thelma Mae Palmer was born July 7th, 1931 in Sebeka, Minnesota. Similar to "Cheaper by the Dozen", her mother had five children, her father had five as well, and together, made two, one of which being her. Being the youngest of twelve children, Thelma always had someone to watch over her. As she found herself moving from high school to college, she attended Hamline University for nursing. As one situation led to another, she was stationed in Miami, Florida in 1955 to meet Isaac McLaughlin.
After a few weeks, my grandfather had to go back to North Carolina, seeing as he was only stationed in Miami for a short time. They exchanged addresses and became frequent pen pals for a few months. As my grandmother continued nursing, she found a job opening in Asheville, NC. She immediately took the job with her good friend and they headed up north for the mountains. As they settled in, my grandmother continued to write letters to my grandfather, until one day he showed up at her doorstep and asked her to marry him. And that was all it took. This resulted in a beautiful marriage lasting 57 years, bearing three children, and a lifetime of happiness.
It was common for marriages in that time to be sustained on habit or predictability. Divorce wasn't even a concept in that time and even failing marriages stayed together either for security or for "the sake of the children". This could not be more wrong for my grandparents. They continued to love, respect, and inspire each other till my grandfather's last days. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with dementia, a disease that would slowly deteriorate his mind and his body for many years. My grandmother stood by him, protected him, and helped him until she no longer could. He passed away in the Winter of 2013. Only death could tear my them apart and that's what lasting relationships should aspire to do.
