By PEACE IJIYERA
ENGAGED after one date and married after five months, Moe locals, Ronald and Ruth Pollard are celebrating 65 years of marriage.
Fittingly, their anniversary falls on the day this paper is published (February 11).
Married since 1961, the couple have lived a “full life”, and the love still radiates from their eyes.
The couple met after a friend turned matchmaker, recommended Ms Pollard to Mr Pollard.
Mr Pollard was told that Ms Pollard was “a pretty good girl”.
Determined to not miss his chance, he acted on it.
Finding her brother’s “tiny” two door Renault, Mr Pollard knocked on the window and asked a life changing question: “Ruth, would you go out on a date with me?”, he said. To which Ms Pollard replied, “yes”.
Their first date was at a Sunday school concert.
Mr Pollard was 23 and Ms Pollard, 20 when they tied the knot.
It was straight from the altar to the airport for the couple, as Mr Pollard was working on a project for a church in New Zealand. Ms Pollard jokes that she was left alone for two weeks to fend for herself “in a strange country”.
The Pollards took ‘be fruitful and multiply’ very seriously, having 10 children – nine of them boys. Their daughter was adopted after the chances of having a girl appeared slim.
“After we had five boys, we decided that there was little chance of having a girl naturally, the opportunity came to adopt a girl and so we jumped at it”, Mr Pollard said.
As you can imagine, raising 10 children was no walk in the park.
Though describing it as “hard work”, Ms Pollard says being a mother is her greatest reward.
“To be a mother, to me, is one of the best things you can do,” she said.
Luckily for the Pollard’s, their children were well behaved and didn’t give them much trouble.
“They were all good kids, they were all hard workers,” Mrs Pollard said. “They still are,” added Mr Pollard.
So, what’s the secret to 65 years of marriage?
Communication, respect, enjoying each other company, and having a sense of humour, the Pollard’s say.
“We made a pact when we got married. We said that we would not go to bed at night without resolving any difference that we had … we have maintained that throughout our entire marriage,” Mr Pollard said.
“You’ve got to have that communication … if the other person’s mad at you for something and they don’t tell you, it’s a little bit hard to sort anything out,” Ms Pollard added.
“You’ve got to have a sense of humour otherwise it’s very hard to survive.”
Mr Pollard, now 88 and Ms Pollard, 85, though she identifies as 65, have 37 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren who they are all very fond and proud of. They say that they love telling them stories of their lives and hope those stories can be be passed on.
Even after 65 years of marriage, Mr Pollard still serves his wife and works every day to win her heart.
Mr Pollard has planted more than 100 roses for his wife, who loves flowers. Every morning he gets up and picks out the very best.
“He brings me two or three flowers and puts them in a vase.
“We have a bargain going that he grows all the flowers and I arrange them,” Ms Pollard explained.
Reflecting on 65 years of marriage, Mr Pollard says that “it doesn’t seem like that long”.
Ms Pollard, truly having a sense of humour quipped, “I won’t swap you”.
