Newbury couple celebrate 65 years of marriage
“If you’re happy it makes a difference, doesn’t it?”
A SPEEN couple will be spending a cosy 65th wedding anniversary together as they celebrate in isolation.
Eric and Doreen Scott married on April 11, 1955, at St John’s Church, Stockcross, and will enjoy the day with a slice of cake.
The pair have supported each other in sickness and in health, as Mr Scott has battled against cancer, suffered a broken back and had half a lung removed, while Mrs Scott is now partially deaf.
The pair are enjoying their retirement – Mr Scott after a varied career, first as a stone-mason, then HGV driver and an engineer, and Mrs Scott after working at Newbury Natural Therapy Practice.
They like to keep active by going on walks three or four times a week and attending the tea dance in Thatcham.
On what they could put the success of the marriage down to, Mrs Scott, 82, said: “Just love one another.
“Fifty-fifty down the middle.
“The wedding only seems like yesterday – it’s gone so quick.
“If you’re happy it makes a difference, doesn’t it?”
Mr Scott, 85, added: “I’ve got a lovely wife – she’s looked after me.
“Without her I’d be six-foot under now.
“I still feel young now – Doreen has to tell me to slow down as I want to go outside and do jobs and she tells me to come and have a rest.”
The pair met in the early 1950s after Mr Scott had been seeing Mrs Scott’s friend Eunice, but he said that “she was a bit too old-fashioned for me”.
Mr Scott and Mrs Scott (pictured in 2015) then got talking and have been together ever since.
The pair are currently in lockdown, but are looking forward to a big family get-together when the restrictions are lifted.
They have one daughter, Debbie Hutt, two grown-up grandchildren, Neil and Kim, and six great-grandchildren – Max and Chloe, aged 12, Jack, 10, Megan, eight, Ashley, seven, and Zac, two.
They also expressed their gratitude to their neighbour and “daughter number two” Rachel Hawkins for helping to look after them, as well as close friends Joyce Bowsher and Pamela Griffiths.
The Newbury Weekly News covered the couple's 60th anniversary in 2015.
