Dub and Betty Miller celebrate 75 years this Valentine’s Day.
It was the 1930s and teenagers Dub and Betty both had roles in the church Christmas pageant — she was an angel, he a wise man.
At one point, the adolescent angel peered down from her choir loft to see the wise man digging through her purse.
Upon confrontation, Dub claimed he was looking for any information — a photo or love letter, perhaps — pertaining to a boyfriend, whom he already was prepared to consider competition.
Betty fell for the line, and for him. The two dated some three years beyond that incident, and on Valentine’s Day, 1942, they eloped to Durant, Oklahoma one of few cities that would marry 16-17 year olds.
Before the Justice of the Peace, they exchanged wedding vows, then returned to Texas where they continued to live with their parents until they could afford a place of their own. At 17, Betty gave birth to the first of three children.
They just knew wholeheartedly, they say, that they were right for each other.
… just stick to it.
And you know what? Those crazy kids weren’t so crazy — today the Lake Highlands dwellers, who have moved into the Presbyterian Village North retirement community (near Forest Lane and Greenville Avenue), celebrate their 75th anniversary.
What is Betty and Dub’s secret? “Make sure that their significant other is truly the one, because a lot of people settle these days and are not truly committed.”
With laughter, they recall that they met in church and have spent many years of their life since in church; that is still an integral part of their lives.
You have to learn to be patient if you want to last this long, they add.
“Couples should learn how to overcome their differences without arguing and just stick to it,” they note. “Love and marriage is about letting go of stubbornness and being committed to one another.”
Shared interests such as hunting and travel — they have traveled to all 50 states and 50 countries — also are a big part of a happy relationship, they note.
Dub and Betty say that after all this time, they are “still a part of each other and not complete without the other.”
