BLADEN COUNTY (WECT/Gray News) — A North Carolina couple is celebrating a milestone Valentine’s Day after 70 years of marriage.
Edna Baxley, 87, and Charles Baxley, 92, met seven decades ago and say they still love each other as much as the day they first met. Their home on BCM Road has been witness to decades of memories.
The couple’s love story began when Edna visited her brother in Bladen County.
“My brother was living down here and his wife, and I came to visit him. And so they were having a church revival that night. Him and his friend came and picked us up, and that’s how I met him, so he kept coming back,” Edna Baxley said.
The Baxleys raised 11 children together — four boys and seven girls. They now have 34 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren.
“We done good raising our kids together. They didn’t do everything right. They were always respectful and still are, you know, and tried to do what they could to help mom and dad, so they still do,” Edna Baxley said.
The couple credits their faith as the foundation of their long marriage.
“We always did go to church, you know? And I think that means a lot in your life when you have Christ in your life to help raise your family, you know, have a good marriage,” Edna Baxley said.
Edna has been cooking since she was nine years old and took on traditional domestic duties, while Charles worked to support the family.
“He was a good provider. He was a man that liked to be outside,” Edna Baxley said.
The couple says balance was important in their relationship, including spending time with friends and keeping romance alive throughout their marriage.
Edna believes that it’s possible to continue loving each other through their core beliefs.
“Well, you know, in a marriage, most of all, like I say, have Christ in your life and be true to each other,” said Edna.
They hope to have many more years together.