ShareThisJust when you thought fifty years of wedded bliss was the biggest milestone in a husband and wife’s life, here comes a couple with 65 married years to their credit. Longevity, though a big plus in their union, is nothing compared to the real thing that binds them together for what seems to be a marriage that lives forever. It’s their unfailing love for each other that has continued to grow stronger through years of togetherness that sustained their relationship that spanned six and a half decades.
Married sixty-five Valentine’s days ago in 1946 in Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija, Philippines, Simeon and Soledad set out to start a young couple’s life in Jaen, a neighboring town. She was an elementary school principal and he was an intermediate teacher. The two had been blessed with five children, two boys and three girls. Today, their ful- blown family has yielded them 12 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. There, too, is the love of their successful and loving children, all of whom look up to them as a model of successful, happy marriage.
After retirement in 1986, Simeon and Soledad Javate traveled to the USA, alternately visiting their children who are just very happy and grateful to enjoy their company. Despite their age, Simeon and Soledad are in good health and they continue to love each other dearly. They confessed the secret of their long, happy and healthy marriage – to be devoted to each other and to never go to bed without praying the holy rosary.
On Sunday, February 13, the Javates and close family friends gathered in St. Thomas More Church in Munster, Indiana to witness the blessing of their parents, Simeon and Soledad, by Father Rick Holly. Reception followed at Dr. Rudyard and Mrs. Maria Javate Smith’s residence in Schererville, Indiana.