With half of todayís marriages ending in divorce, couples who have been married for 50, 25 or even 10 years are becoming as rare as a precious gem. However, Nick and Bev Ordon and Dick and Jody Stratford are diamonds in the rough ñ and they were found right here in Falcon.How they metBev and Nick Ordon have been married for 60 years. A mutual friend introduced them when Nick was in the U.S. Navy. ìI fell in love with her as soon as I first saw her,î Nick said. Bev remembers the exact date they met. ìIt was the first day of May 1946,î she said. ìWe were already talking marriage by July.îShe said many of their family members told them it was never going to last. ìWe eloped,î Bev said. ìAnd because my family was in Iowa and his was in New York, we just did our own thing without any proper family introductions.î Regardless of what their families thought, the couple was confident with their decision. ìWe just fell for each other in the very beginning and that was it.îThe Ordons were married Sept. 21, 1946.Bev said she was first drawn to Nickís personality: ìHe was a big joker.î But Nick joked his decision was based on looks. ìI fell in love with her at first sight because she was so cute,î he said. ìCute as a bugís ear.îAppearances also brought Dick and Jody Stratford together, sort of. ìThe boy I was in love with was a Catholic, and my mother would not let me go out with him,î Jody said. ìAnd Dick was the adorable Baptist boy that my mom wanted me to go out with.î To please her mother, Jodi asked Dick to a Sadie Hawkins dance, but told her friend to invite the ìotherî boy. But, in the end, Dick won her heart. ìFate had other things in mind,î Jody said.Dick asked Jody to his junior prom, and they ìwent steadyî for five years. However, they took a two-year hiatus from their relationship when they went to college. ìWe broke up because we had been going together for so long and we werenít ready to get married,î Jody said. They each dated other people. ìIn fact, the weekend he (Dick) proposed to me, I had three dates,î Jody said.Dick had graduated from college and had gone on to the seminary. ìI called her and asked her if she would go out with me, and she said, ëNo,í and then I asked if she would marry me, and she said, ëYes,íî Dick said. They were married Aug. 28, 1971.The best of times ñ the worst of timesAs with most couples, the Ordons and the Stratfords have had their share of ups and downs, but they made it through those times.One of the toughest periods for the Ordons was shortly after they were married. When the Korean War broke out, Nick was sent to serve overseas. Bev took their young son and stayed with her family in Iowa. For more than a year, the couple wrote letters to each other everyday. Those letters and Bevís eternal optimism kept her believing that Nick would return.Challenges in the Stratfordsí marriage arose during life-altering events. Dick was under a lot of stress when he served as pastor at this last parish in Washington. ìThere was a lot of stress that was related to that, and we were struggling as a couple,î Dick said. Communication was an issue. Dick said he likes to keep things inside, and Jody likes to talk and share her feelings.The challenges escalated for Jody when the two decided to quit the ministry ñ after 23 years ñ and move to Colorado to open a coffee shop. ìWe moved here and didnít have a church home,î Jody said. ìWhen we moved, we always had people waiting for us ñ and that was hard.îJody also discovered that opening a new business was stressful. ìAnd I left a job I loved,î she added. But they recovered from the move and a new career ñ two of lifeís major challenges. Today, Dick primarily runs the coffee shop, and Jody re-started her practice as a counselor.The Ordons credit the good times to their similar interests. ìWe always have projects going,î Bev said. ìLife is not dull.î Nick agreed that they have always been involved in something. ìWe have always been involved and supported our community,î he said.They enjoy travel as well. ìAfter we retired, I came up with ëThird Thursday,íî Bev said. Every third Thursday of the month, she asks Nick to choose a get-away place. ìSometimes it requires an overnight stay; other times it is just a day trip.î The Ordons ëThird Thursdayí trips have taken them all over the state of Colorado, she said.
Love at first sight is easy to understand; it’s when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.-Amy Bloom
How they made it workAfter reflecting on the good and the bad, both couples said the key to a successful marriage is to not give up too quickly ñ stay in it for the long haul.The Ordons marriage has remained intact because theyíre friends and theyíre compatible.They credit their longevity not only to love but also to a real liking for each other ñ being friends. ìLike is a bigger word than love,î Nick said. ìWe really like each other,î Bev said. ìHeís my best friend.ìWhy we get along so well is because we have similar goals, and we have always been great communicators with each other.î Nick is the first person Bev turns to in any situation.ìHeís a very patient and compassionate man,î she said. ìThatís just Nick.îNick echoed the same sentiments.The Stratfordsí recipe for success is similar to the Ordons. Dick summed it up.ìA lot of people think that love is a feeling. But thatís only part of it. Love is a commitment.î
