By Katie Gager, Student Reporter

John and Evelyn Willis cannot help but laugh when remembering their first date in October of 1954.

“We attended the ACC bonfire, and it was extremely cold outside,” said Dr. John Willis, professor of Bible. “We then went inside to Sewell Auditorium, which was packed full with over 2,000 people, and it was boiling hot.”

The next day Evelyn came down with the flu because of the quick change of temperatures that night.

“We always say our first date made me sick,” said Evelyn Willis,73, with a grin.

After 53 years of marriage, four children, 14 grandchildren and one great grandchild, the Willis’ still find humor in their marriage and life together.

“You have to laugh about things and find things to laugh about,” Evelyn said. “You don’t want to always be serious.”

Throughout all the years of their marriage, the Willis’ have learned to depend upon one another. In the first year they moved more than 1,000 miles away from their family and began to develop the bond and reliance they still have today.

“We felt like we had to depend on each other, and there was a bond that grew that was necessary,” Evelyn said. “It’s just a matter of learning to understand the other person, and we always have to keep a sense of humor.”

The Willis’ encouraged each of their children to do the same when they married. They believe it is important for a newly wed couple to have those first few years on their own to grow to love and respect one another.

Even after all these years, John, 75, believes it is important to always remind the other person that you love them.

“I regularly send her flowers. I have for a hundred years, even though we have only been married for 53,” John said with a chuckle.

Evelyn said it is important to carve out special times with one another. Whether that means going out to eat or going to a movie, it always was about doing things together.

“We would go to what was considered something like the McDonald’s of the time,” she said. “It isn’t about money. It was a place that we could go and spend time together.”

The Willis’ said they think they are different than most families on only one point; through the years as their children grew up, they always spent their time together as a family.

“So many families today do things on their own,” John said. “That isn’t wrong, but we liked to spend our time together.”

They would go on vacations together and were involved in many activities as a family, Evelyn said. In 1971, the Willis’ took the entire family on a camping trip around Europe.

“It was something that we did that was very important, but you would never know it till after the fact,” John said.

Overall, the Willis’ stress the importance of getting to know the person you want to marry.

“You need to learn as much as you possibly can,” Evelyn said. “Not just facts, but who they are. Be as honest as you possibly can and be patient.”

“I like the word ‘realistic’. You are going to get sick and you may have an accident and be out of work. That is when you need to be there for each other,” John said.