Its good to talk say Shaw diamond wedding couple
The childhood sweethearts, who have known each other since their early teens, got together when Mr Howe was 22 years old and Mrs Howe 17 – and within months they married at Newbury Register Office.
Now, six decades later, the couple, who live at Glebe Fields, Shaw, have celebrated their diamond anniversary with a gathering of family and friends at Shaw Social Club.
Mr Howe’s brother Henry and Mrs Howe’s sister Phillis – who fell in love after being introduced by the pair – got married alongside them in a special ‘double wedding’ to save money.
With funds tight, Mr Howe even sold his prized motorbike so that they could afford outfits for the wedding.
Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News, 77-year-old Mrs Howe, who worked in the kitchen at Park House School for four years, said: “I met him through another friend and I thought he was lovely – as did my mother – and here we are all these years later.
“We used to enjoy going to the pictures when we could afford it and particularly liked going to Victoria Park and Snelsmore Common for picnics.
“We both have this great love of the outdoors – Charlie likes his football and his horses and I love my gardening.”
When their romance blossomed, Mr Howe was working on the gallops at Upper Lambourn, while Mrs Howe was living at home with her parents in Newbury.
When the first of their six children arrived and they neeeded a bigger house, they moved to Pond Close, Newbury, where they stayed for 13 years, later moving to Gaywood Drive, Turnpike, living there for 31 years.
Together the pair raised five boys and one girl – and now have more than 20 grandchildren across the world.
Mr Howe, who is now 82, said: “I have had a great life and have loved our time together. She’s my world.”
When asked what has kept their relationship so strong over all the years, he simply said: “It is about giving each other space and talking your problems through.
“These days nobody seems to sit down around a table and talk about their problems and resolve them – they prefer to jump straight from the pan into the fire. It’s so important to talk to each other.”
The couple are planning a summer holiday in Bournemouth to mark the anniversary.
