Downham couple wed 72 years
NEWLYWEDS could do worse than taking marital advice from Bill and Dee Crouch – after all the childhood sweethearts have just celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary.
The couple, of Oakes Court, Downham, marked the fantastic achievement earlier this month with a family party at their daughter Vanessa Bowron's home in Sprowston, near Norwich.
Mr Crouch (94), who still drives, said: "It was a wonderful day, we had so many cards, flowers and bouquets, it was just wonderful."
The couple met at school in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, and started dating in their teens. After several years together they married on November 2, 1935, in Cambridge.
In 1940, Mr Crouch was called up by the Army to serve in the Second World War, and spent most of his six years' service with the King's African Rifles in the Middle East and East Africa.
"My wife wrote to me every day. I would normally get the letters in batches of ten, 12 and sometimes 15, and I would read them in date order like a diary."
The family moved to Downham in 1947 after buying a shop they saw for sale during a family trip to Hunstanton.
They ran WD and DE Crouch stores for 20 years, and Mr Crouch also opened and ran the town's first driving school, Downham and District School of Motoring.
After five years of running the driving school, seven days a week, Mr Crouch got a job with the Ministry of Transport as a driving examiner to spend more time with the family - and ended up getting a promotion which saw them move back to Cambridge where they retired.
In 1982, they moved back to Downham, in St Edmunds Road, to be nearer their children Geoffrey, of Snettisham, John, of Ipswich, and Vanessa. They also have five grandchildren and five great grandchildren.
"We have a very close, supportive family," said Mr Crouch. "Each of our children visits at least once a week."
Four years ago Mrs Crouch (93) suffered two strokes and a heart attack and was cared for in a nursing home for six months. When she was better they moved into Oakes Court sheltered housing accommodation, where they have been for two-and-a-half years.
Mr and Mrs Crouch decided to celebrate their anniversary this year as preparations to mark their 70th were cancelled when Mr Crouch suffered a heart attack two days before.
"For our 71st anniversary last year we thought we had better not tempt fate but this year is rather special so we decided to hold a big do at our daughters," he said.
Asked what the secret to a successful marriage was, he added: "That's easy. It's a question of give and take and making a point of never going to bed in a temper."
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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