A diamond geezer has learned the secret to 60 years of marriage is answering “yes dear” to everything his wife asks him.
Bill Greenwood has learned a thing or two since marrying wife Dorothy in 1955, and the loved-up couple reach the milestone anniversary this weekend.
They’ve also both recently celebrated their 80th birthdays – making this year a sparkling success for the childhood sweethearts.
Bill said: “We’re as devoted to each other as we were on our wedding day, and we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.
“As long as you agree with a woman, you’ll be alright. I know the best answer is always, ‘yes dear’.”
“We’ve been very lucky and been blessed with a wonderful family.”
It was love at first sight for Bill and Dorothy, who met at The Odeon Cinema in Burnley, Lancs., in 1952.
Knowing she was the woman for him, chivalrous Bill escorted Dorothy on her 12-mile walk home to Clitheroe, Lancs., before trekking another 13-miles to Cliviger, Lancs., where he was camping with friends.
Dorothy said: “Bill makes me laugh, and we definitely enjoy each other’s company.
“It has been a great year for us because we’ve both celebrated our 80th birthdays and of course our diamond wedding anniversary.
“Remarkably, both my parents and Bill’s parents were married for 62 years so it must run in our genes.”
The couple, from Padiham, Lancs., have one daughter Louise, grandsons Neil and Craig, and great grandchildren Freya and Stanley.
To celebrate their diamond anniversary, their family have bought them a holiday to Tenerife, where they’ll jet off to in January.
Both Bill and Dorothy are now retired but during their working lives, Bill worked as a press tool setter in the gas industry and Dorothy was a supervisor in a picture gun factory.
Dorothy revealed that she and Bill tied the knot at 11am on 26 November 1955 – the exact same date and time that Bill’s parents got married.
She said: “It was just a nice touch and sort of became a bit of a family tradition.
“We had planned to go and get married in Gretna Green but my mother begged me to have a white wedding because she and my dad got married in a registry office.”
“It was a wonderful day and we’ve had a very lucky life since.
“We’ve had our ups and down but they’ve mainly been ups and we still have a laugh today.”
Bill added: “If you ask me, it feels more like 70 years, than 60.”
