Page 18 - 2-13-15 Friday's Edition

Happy Valentine’s Day
After Years Of Marriage:
Couples Celebrate Valentine’s Day In Special Ways
MR. AND MRS. JAMES (GWEN) HAYES ... Married 50 Years
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Valentine’s Day is an “unofficial” holiday that is celebrated throughout the world. Although offices and businesses operate as usual, it is special because it signi- fies love and romance.
Named in honor of St. Valentine, the celebration of Valentine’s Day can be traced back to the 5th Cen- tury. No one really knows how it started, but there are at least three different sto- ries about the day. And, not surprisingly, all of them are shrouded in mystery, love and romance.
One story credits Valen- tine with secretly marrying soldiers after a rule was in- stituted that banded Roman soldiers from marrying. An- other talks about an impris- oned Valentine who sent love letters to the woman he loved and signed them, “From your Valentine.”
Regardless of how the celebration got its start, the celebration of love and ro- mance continues today. It is expressed with any manner of gifts from flowers to jew- elry between lovers.
This year, Valentine’s Day will be celebrated on Saturday, February 14th.
The Sentinel spoke with some couples who have been celebrating Valentine’s Day and other holidays for many years. They shared how they spend the holiday.
Mrs. Gwen Hayes and her husband, James, will celebrate their 50th Anniver- sary on February 25th. Mrs. Hayes said, “After years of exchanging gifts, flowers, and candy, we usually go out to dinner and celebrate qui- etly.”
Mrs. Beverly Lane and
MR. AND MRS. CURTIS (BEVERLY) LANE ... Married 53 Years
PASTOR AND MRS. ERNEST (CHLOE) CONEY, SR. ... Married 45 Years
MR. AND MRS. CLARENCE (YVONNE) FORT ... Married 54 Years
MR. AND MRS. HAROLD (JANIE) ADAMS ... Married 38 Years
her husband, Curtis, have been married for 53 years. Mrs. Lane said, “We cele- brate prayerfully by giving thanks to God for the many years He’s given us. And we look forward to many, many years more.”
Pastor Ernest and Mrs. Ernest Coney, Sr., were childhood sweethearts and have been married for 45 years. Mrs. Coney said, “Every Valentine’s Day morning, we make sure that we tell each other we’re glad to be together and we love each other. If time permits, we usually go out to dinner.”
Mr. and Mrs. Clarence (Yvonne) Fort celebrated their 54th wedding anniver- sary on December 31st. He said, “We do not celebrate as we have in past years. We may go out to dinner or something like that. We’re in our 54th year and we’re not as active.” However, they do still exchange gifts.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold (Janie) Adams have been married for 38 years. Adams said the day re- mains romantic and special.
“We are thankful that God has given us this time to- gether and hope for many
more years together. We still exchange gifts, and go out to dinner. We reaffirm our love
for each other, enjoy each other’s company, and spend time with our children.”
PAGE 6-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015