Husband and Wife Say God is the Secret to Their 75-Year Marriage
Hazel and Norman Bollinger of Minnesota will celebrate 75 years of marriage this June and they have some advice as to what has kept their marriage strong through all the years. The couple, who met in 1945, shared some advice on how they have made their marriage work. Norman shared, “Be a good listener, admit when you are wrong, share your feelings. Be complimentary and say ‘thank you,’ laugh a lot, have good friends, and be able to forgive. Keep going! Look for the positives; don’t get bogged down in the negatives.” Norman added that God has played a daily role in their relationship. “We thank him for our marriage every day,” said Norman. “Keep close to God, and he will keep close to us. If you have faith in God, all you’ve got to do is ask, and it’ll be done.”
Hazel and Norman, both 100, first met when they were just 21 years old, and have quite the story about how they did so. Norman, a farmer from North Dakota, decided to take time off of work to go to his cousin’s wedding in Minneapolis. On the way home from the wedding, Norman’s cousin dropped him off at an annual camp meeting at Buffalo Lake Pavilion. Hazel, was preparing for a trip to California, but heard a nagging voice for her to stay home. The next day, her minister’s wife asked her to help as a camp guide at Buffalo Lake Pavilion, the same camp Norman was at. Norman immediately noticed Hazel’s beauty. “I spied the most beautiful young woman in a white blouse and blue skirt.” Miracle #4 was when he asked her to go for a walk. “After dinner, I was in just the right place. … here comes Hazel with her girls to get water. I pumped water for them, and when I gave Hazel her cup, I said, ‘I’d like to get acquainted with you, can we go for a walk down by the lake?’” The pair fell in love and ended up in a long-distance relationship for 4 and a half years where Norman would fly his small plane to see her in Minneapolis. The pair tied the knot on June 10, 1949 at the Christian Missionary Alliance Church in South Minneapolis. They had a double wedding with Hazel’s sister, Phyllis, and her husband, Ken.
