Wyoming Couple Celebrates 81 Years of Marriage
Contributed By Amber Clayson, Church News staff writer
Geraldine and Edwin NeVille will celebrate their 81st wedding anniversary on November 25, 2014. They have lived in Byron, Wyoming, their whole lives and are strong, active members of the Church.
Article Highlights
- High school sweethearts Edwin and Geraldine NeVille of Byron, Wyoming, were married on November 25, 1933.
- The couple has three children, 18 grandchildren, and 47 great-grandchildren.
- They feel the gospel has greatly blessed their marriage.
“They just seemed to get along together and overlook the crazy things one another did and just move forward with a sense of humor and stay faithful with each other and enjoy one another’s company.” —Denney NeVille, Edwin and Geraldine NeVille’s son
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On November 25 in the small town of Byron, Wyoming, Edwin and Geraldine NeVille will celebrate their 81st wedding anniversary.
Brother and Sister NeVille, members of the Byron Ward, Lovell Wyoming Stake, first met in high school and married when they were 18 and 16 years old, respectively.
Eighty-one years later, the faithful couple still resides in Byron. Ruby Hopkin, a good friend of the NeVilles, said Sister NeVille is a beautiful woman who has always been a great example of faith and friendship. “She’s always just so friendly, always smiling,” said Sister Hopkin, a member of the Powell 1st Ward, Cody Wyoming Stake. “She’s always been an example of loving her family and being friendly and an example to her children and grandchildren.”
Brother and Sister NeVille raised three children and now have 18 grandchildren and 47 great-grandchildren. Their children, Denney, Wally, and Cody, feel that their parents’ involvement in their lives has strengthened their family.
“They were always there when we were doing things and involved in athletics and other activities,” said their oldest son, Denney NeVille.
Not only did the NeVilles make sure to share their time with their children, but they also shared their testimony of the gospel.
“They kept us going to church and supported me on my mission to France,” Denney said. “They were there to help and encourage us to further our education.”
In the Church, Sister NeVille served in Young Women and Relief Society presidencies and in the library. Brother NeVille served as a counselor in the bishopric, a Scout leader, executive secretary to the stake president, and in Sunday School. He was also the mayor of Byron from 1957 to 1959.
“They were always willing to serve, and that just set an example for us kids to be involved in [the Church],” Denney said.
Sister NeVille said the hard work of her husband and the gospel carried them in their marriage.
Geraldine Pryde NeVille will celebrate her 81st wedding anniversary with her husband, Edwin NeVille, on November 25, 2014. They have lived in Byron, Wyoming, their whole lives and are strong, active members of the Church. In this photo Geraldine is 17 years old.
Edwin NeVille will celebrate his 81st wedding anniversary with his wife, Geraldine Pryde NeVille, on November 25, 2014. They have lived in Byron, Wyoming, their whole lives and are strong, active members of the Church. In this photo Edwin NeVille is 19 years old. Photo courtesy Denney NeVille.
“He has been a good example. He’s supported all of us. When the kids were raised and went to college, he was all for it, whether there was very much money or not. He taught the kids … how to work, the value of work.”
The NeVilles were married on November 25, 1933, in Byron. When they left on their honeymoon to Yellowstone National Park, the couple had only a little money to their name. “We drove until half of our money was spent, then turned around and went back home, ending our honeymoon with only 10 cents left in our pockets,” Sister NeVille said.
It wasn’t until 20 years later that the NeVilles made the trip to the Salt Lake Temple to seal their family for time and eternity. Sister NeVille said their completion of the temple ordinances greatly blessed their marriage.
“It’s made it better,” she said. “It gave all of us purpose in living and what we’re doing.”
Sister NeVille said one of the biggest keys she learned in her marriage was patience and reverence with her spouse.
“We didn’t have a lot of quarrels and arguments in our family,” she said. “We had a lot of fun and a lot of humor in life.”
Denney joked about his mother’s humor. “She was recently asked how they made their marriage last for 81 years. She answered, ‘Neither one of us died.’”
Brother NeVille currently resides in a nursing home in Lovell, where he uses a wheelchair because of knee problems. Sister NeVille goes with her son to visit her husband as often as possible. She said life has been very challenging since her husband moved into the home, but with the help of her children she is able to make things work out.
“I go to church with him every Sunday,” Sister NeVille said. “They have a Church [service] there in the nursing home every Sunday, and they have sacrament meeting.”
Denney said his parents have made it to 81 years of marriage because of their love and understanding for each other and their determination to never give up. “They always tried,” he said. “They just seemed to get along together and overlook the crazy things one another did and just move forward with a sense of humor and stay faithful with each other and enjoy one another’s company.”
