The TowneLaker's

2005 Tournament of Roses Winners

Evelyn and Bill Hopper

Honorable Mentions

The TowneLaker would like to congratulate all of our honorable mentions and all their wonderful years of marriage and wish them many more to come!

Bea and Jack Burgess - The Burgess's came in a close second in the contest being married for 60 years and five months! They were married on August 27, 1944. They were

nominated by their son-in-law Jerry Bates. They spend their winters in the Towne Lake area and the rest of the year in Montague, NJ.

Bonita and Kenneth Alley - The Alleys were married on May 18, 1985, which means they are set to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary soon. They were nominated by their daughter Amanda Alley.

Glenna and Douglas Shaddix - The Shaddix were married on February 24, 1954. They will be celebrating 51 years of marriage this month. Douglas nominated his wife and himself. They were married in New York City on the nationally televised show "Bride and Groom." They met when they were in the 9th grade at O'Keefe High School in Atlanta.

Elaine and Don Schmidt - The Schmidts were married on September 20, 1947 and will celebrate their 58th anniversary this year. They were nominated by their daughter Lucy Schmidt Sugg of Eagle Watch. The Schmidt's live in Rose Creek and Dr. Schmidt is a semi-retired Family Practioner. Elaine remains active by attending North Metro Tech, where she takes horticulture courses.

Susie and James Glisson - The Glissons were married on January 18, 1946 and recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. They were nominated by Terry Cowley who is a customer service representative for a utility company. She sees the couple each month when they pay their bill and was touched by how sweet and committed they are to one another. Susie takes care of James who has developed Alzheimer's disease.

Mary and Harold Pusey - The Pusey's were married on June 21, 1947 and will celebrate their 58th anniversary this year. They were nominated by their son Kirk, a local chiropractor. The Pusey's actually lived on the same street growing up but didn't know it until years later. The Pusey's moved to The Arbors in 1996 wanting to get away from the cold winters in their home state of Michigan. They have three children and seven grandchildren.

In this day and age, where marriages seem to come and go quickly, it's refreshing and inspiring to find couples who have celebrated the good times, weathered the bad and remain committed to each other and their vows. Each year, The TowneLaker holds its Annual Tournament of Roses contest to honor a couple in the Towne Lake area who have been married the longest. We had a range of submissions from couples who had been married for 20 years to those who had been married for 60 years. This year's winners are Evelyn and Bill Hopper who have been married for 60 years and eight months!

Bill and Evelyn met when they were 16 years old and became high school sweethearts in their hometown of Defiance, Ohio. They married when Evelyn was 21 and Bill was 20, on May 14, 1944. In fact, Bill recalled that his father actually had to sign granting him permission to marry since he wasn't 21 yet. They spent more than twenty years living in Berea, Kentucky where both worked at Berea College. Bill managed the college bookstore, and Evelyn was a secretary. They moved to Georgia in 1990 to be closer to their only daughter Linda Morrison and her family, including their only grandchild, Stephanie.

Evelyn and Bill have an easy and connected spirit between them, and it's apparent their life together has been filled with a lot of happiness. On the secret to staying married for 60 years, Evelyn said, "We've always been best friends, even before we were married. We are always considerate of each other's feelings, and we respect each other." Bill agreed and added, "We truly enjoy being together. We work and play together."

They have a close network of friends through the Kennesaw United Methodist Church. They belong to the Happy Voyagers Club at the church and have been able to participate in a number of day trips with other seniors. They also enjoy playing cards with friends and you'd never know they were both 81. They garden and maintain their yard and house. They also are a big part of Stephanie's life, who is 17 and attends Etowah High School. They routinely give Stephanie rides home from school, and Evelyn walks the Morrison's dog daily. Bill and Evelyn are fortunate in that Linda and her family live in the same neighborhood.

Congratulations to Evelyn and Bill and may you have many more years together!