I've been married about a month now. (That's me, my groom, some hippies and a tightrope walker above.)
Frank and Angela Lullie of Elgin have been married 72 YEARS.
So when the Lullies' daughter Joanne M. Carlson of Huntley invited me to cover the anniversary party for the couple last week at the home in Elgin they've shared more than 65 years, I jumped at the chance to ask their advice on how to make this marriage thing work. That, and the fact I'd written about the couple several years ago, and they remain some of the most hilarious people I've met on the job.
Turns out I wasn't the only one curious.
At the party, Angela answered a rapid-fire series of questions from her family:
- Who holds the purse strings? "Both of you."
- How did you get through the hard economies? "We just made the best of it."
- How does that compare to today? "These kids are all spoiled."
More marriage advice, after the jump.
She also offered this advice on marriage:
- "You've got to be nice to each other. Don't ever lie to each other, and you'll have a happy home."
- "Don't ever go to bed angry, even if you're as right as the world. It helps."
- "We make every day a holiday."
- "We don't have much, but what we have, we share. That's why the dear Lord shines on this home."
- "Oh, we argued. Don't even kid yourself. It's not human if you don't."
And this, on longevity (Angela is 95 and Frank, 93):
- "Just have a wonderful time and eat everything. I'm not exaggerating."
And, OK, this doesn't fit into any of those categories, but it is a fantastic quote:
- "I told you, I did everything but make money."
-- Emily McFarlan-Miller, Readers' Reporter
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