But this prom’s king and queen were a bit more seasoned: Paul and Evelyn Winn are 94 and 93 years young and celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary.
“You just feel she’s the right one, and hope she felt the same way,” Paul said.
The pair married on Feb. 8, 1947, in Blackburg, Virginia.
“I was back in school for the Army [and] we just decided to get married,” Paul said.
When Candle Light Cove’s Executive Director Cissy Nickel heard about the milestone, she offered to throw the couple a senior prom.
“Seventy is a big one so we thought we’d do something a bit bigger,” she said.
Nickel said it also gave the community a chance to celebrate three other couples.
“Each of these couples, you can just see, no mater what they just really have that passion for each other and that real deep love,” she said.
The Winn’s secret?
“Just keep loving each other,” Paul said. “Make the best of it. I don’t have a secret. It just happened. I dion’t think we ever expected to reach this far, but we made it.”
It’s been a marriage full of trips around the world and a beautiful family including two children, two grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
“We had some times when we both had medical problems,” Paul said. “We were concerned and found the best source of treatment we could possibly find.”
Evelyn’s health forced her to move to Candle Light Cove about two years ago. Paul lives a mile away but visits every single day.
“Except when raining or snow, I just feel I should,” he said. “I’m hoping it would help her some if I showed up. I think it has.”
“She just lights up when he comes” Nickel said of Evelyn when her husband visits.
As for how they’ll celebrate their 71st anniversary?
“Just hope we make it!” Paul said.
“I think we’ve told everything!” Evelyn chimed in.
“You hope and pray,” Paul added.
