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EDEN — Patience, trust and love are the necessary ingredients for a long and successful marriage, said Ruth Emory.

She should know. Ruth, 96, and her husband, John Emory Sr., 98, will celebrate their 77th anniversary on Sept. 25.

A private family reception will be held the day before at Arbor Ridge in Eden, the independent living community where the Emorys have lived since last year.

“We’ve had our ups and downs and misunderstandings over things, but we never fussed and cut up,” John said.

Ruth agreed.

“We never argued or discussed unhappy things before the children,” she said. “We settled it by ourselves.”

“We’ve had a good life together,” John said.

“You’ve got to trust each other,” Ruth said. “You have to be considerate of each other, and I really and truly think getting involved with the church” is important.

The Emory family attended almost every Sunday. Ruth was a Sunday School teacher and John was a deacon.

His parents were members of First Baptist Church, and John joined when he was 12 years old.

Ruth’s background is Primitive Baptist. She was orphaned at 14 and came to Eden to live with her grandparents. Her grandfather was a Primitive Baptist preacher.

One Sunday when Ruth was 15, she and her grandparents were visiting some church members, the Jeffersons on Irvin Avenue. John, who was 17 at the time, came to the house with some friends.

John drove Ruth’s school bus, so they began talking and getting to know one another better.

“We got closer, and he got to coming to see me,” Ruth said. “It was us together from then on.”

Eventually, John persuaded Ruth to go out with him. They dated for four years before they married. The wedding was held at her home, and they didn’t take a honeymoon because it was during the Depression.

A native of Leaksville and a Morehead High School graduate, John was manager at Pender’s Grocery in Leaksville. He also worked for Twin City Groceries.

They had four children, Sylvia, Jimmy, John Jr. and Fran. They also have seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.

In the late 1960s, John bought the Sealtest Dairy Bar and Grill on Bridge Street.

About a year later, Ruth quit her job at Belk to join him.

The entire family worked at the restaurant. Three generations were employed there over the years. They served hot dogs, barbecue, hamburgers, sandwiches and Ruth’s homemade pies and biscuits.

“Her homemade pies were one of the special treats,” Fran said.

Lime Flips were one of John’s specialties .

 Fran, a 1966 graduate of Morehead High School, recalls the dairy bar was a popular hangout for young people. The curb service was a drawing card.

The couple ran the restaurant until he retired in the mid-1980s and sold it to daughter, Sylvia, and her husband, Eugene Pulliam.

Ruth continued working until 1993.

 “One of the most important things for her was cooking — she was an outstanding cook,” Fran said. “That has been one of the most difficult things for her to give up when they moved into Arbor Ridge.”

Reidsville native Ann Fish has lived in Eden since 1979. Contact her at annsomersfish@yahoo.com