Plenty of patience is key to long marriage of Dudley couple
Having plenty of patience and being good friends is the secret to the marriage of golden wedding sweethearts Jean and Dennis Roberts.
The happy couple of Quarry Bank in Dudley tied the knot on July 22, 1972 at Holly Hall, at a traditional white wedding ceremony followed by a honeymoon in Lloret de Mar, Spain. They met while working at engineering factory H.L. Thorne, in Tividale.
Jean, now 71, says she was a shorthand typist at the time and later worked at other places, while he was a buyer and stayed at the firm until about 20 years ago when he set up a gardening business.
Lifelong Wolves fan Dennis, 72, and now retired, explains: "I thought she was very nice and attractive. She was quiet like me. I think you have to be patient with each other and spend time together. We like gardening and going on walks."
They initially lived in Rowley Regis before moving to their current home, in Chancery Way, Quarry Bank, 42 years ago.
Jean says: "We were good friends before we started going.Our first date was to the cinema to watch Bonnie And Clyde. Our secret to a long marriage is to good friends and respect each other.
"These days the younger generation tend to end things if they don't like something, but you have to work at a marriage."
They celebrated their golden wedding with a meal with relatives at The Cottage Inn, in High Street, Kingswinford, and hope to embark on a Paris river cruise holiday soon.
Dennis travelled to Wembley three times to see the FA Cup victory against Blackburn Rovers in 1960, and Football League Cup Final victories over Manchester City in 1974 and Nottingham Forest in 1980.
