Browns married in 1945
Seventy-six years ago the world looked quite different.
The value of a dollar then is equivalent to $14.63 today, World War II was coming to an end, and Peter and Mary Brown were just being wed.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is how the couple thinks.
“We haven’t changed to go along with the time,” Peter said of his 76 years spent with wife Mary. “We’re old fashioned. We’ve been old fashioned, and we’ll continue to be old fashioned.”
On April 20, the couple will celebrate a milestone in their relationship, 76 years of marriage that began in 1945.
Having built a life together in Michigan and having raised three, now-successful children there as well, the couple relocated to Florida where Mary worked for the State of Florida and Peter ran his own business.
The couple stayed there for 30 years before deciding to retire in Mineral Bluff, where they’ve remained for the last 30 years.
They said they entwined themselves in the community upon moving to North Georgia as they enjoy helping others and bringing smiles to faces.
After becoming members of St. Anthony Catholic Church in Blue Ridge, Peter said he was president of their guild and, with a laugh, said that Mary was “chief cook.”
Today, the two said they spend most their time reading.
When asked of a favorite memory, the couple couldn’t pin point just one. “We have a lot of favorite memories,” Peter said. “We’ve had so much pleasure in life, and we’ve traveled.”
He went on to cite vacations and summertime memories as well as days simply spent with family.
In years past, the couple would have enjoyed dinner and a night out dancing and singing.
“We did a lot of, I wouldn’t call it partying, but where we were raised, we had access to what they called ‘Big Bands’ that came into town,” Peter said. “Of course, this was one of our favorite things, to go with another couple to go to see either Tommy Dorsey or one of the other big bands.”
This year, they may settle for just the dinner, he said, but “we’re happy.”