Being married for 50+ years is a feat in this day and age.

Annually Fountain View Village hosts couples who carry that distinction with an anniversary luncheon. This year’s event featured 14 couples celebrating from 53 years of marriage to 69 years.

Fountain View Village Resident Program Director coordinates the luncheon, giving the couples a chance to offer advice for keeping a marriage successful for so many years, as well as share stories of their early years together.

The pairs filled out questionnaires, giving younger married couples ideas on having a long, happy marriage.

The couple with the distinction of being married the longest, Ed and Mary Jane Wade, indicated that kindness and patience go a long way in making a marriage happy.

“We will be married 69 years July 17,” Ed said. “I think we have made a pretty good go of it.”

Elaine and Tony Ricci, who attended the luncheon from Scottsdale, said they credit “giving in a lot, trusting each other and having some separate activities.” The Riccis have been married 59 years.

Howard and Millie Linville, who also will have been married 69 years in October, said they celebrated on the wrong day on one of their anniversaries.

“So we celebrated the next day, too,” Millie said.

Millie and Howard were both in the medical field, with Howard working as a surgeon in the same hospital where Millie was a medical technician.

“He wouldn’t stay out of my lab,” Millie said. “He finally broke me down.”

Nearly all the couples agreed that laughter is one of the main keys to a good, solid marriage.

“You had better be able to laugh,” said one of the women. “There are lots of things that are hard to laugh about over this many years, but keeping a sense of humor can really help.”

While most of the couples had simple lives when they started out, they enjoyed family, children, travel and discovery all through the years.

Lynn and Valerie Barker had the most unusual honeymoon. Valerie belonged to a women’s organization and through that group knew a travel agent.

The agent arranged for the couple to go to Hawaii on a ship. Valerie said Lynn was looking forward to being hugged by a beautiful girl when they arrived on the island, but instead was met by a gentleman, who was handing out the traditional leis.

“He gave Lynn a peck on the cheek,” Valerie said. “He wasn’t that happy.”

They stayed at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. They paid $30 a day for the room; they decided to forgo the ocean-view room, which went for $40.

After the luncheon, couples enjoyed wedding cake. The Wades cut the cake, as is customary for the couple being married the longest.

Larsen commended the celebrants for having long marriages.

“Thank all of you for such a wonderful accomplishment,” she said. “We are glad we are here to celebrate with you.”