You might know the song, "Grow Old With Me, The Best Is Yet To Be." For one Michigan couple, those lyrics ring very true.
This week, Les and Gerri Shoemaker celebrated their 75th Valentine's Day as a married couple. Their love for each other is nothing short of inspiring.
"A lot of it was taken in Tucson, Arizona where we wintered for 30 years," explained Les as he and his wife Geri flipped through photo albums together. They are images of a lifetime of memories.
"These are all pictures of our children and grandchildren," said Gerri. A legacy, 75 years and counting.
"It is amazing I never expected to live this long," laughed Gerri. "When it turned to be 2000 I thought boy, now it's 2018 and I'm still here, praise the Lord," said Les.
You could say the Shoemakers are making it work, better than most. Gerri knows the reason why.
Marry somebody like Les," she laughed, "because he is so thoughtful and kind and optimistic."
"I treat her like royalty, it's not me it's her," explained Les.
The two married in 1944, just two months before Les was drafted. They recall the sweet good bye at Fort Custer.
"There was this field just full of soldiers, thousands of them, all waiting to get shipped out," said Gerri. "A sergeant came up and said are you looking for someone? I said yes, I'm looking for my husband. He said well they have been leaving all day I don't know if he is here or not but we'll see. So he kept walking from one group to another and calling out his name and finally way toward the end Les raised his hand...here!"
She remembers the story like it happened yesterday.
"We hugged and kissed each other and about a thousand GI's clapped," said Les. "We had a big audience that day."
The decades together also led to some difficult times.
"We lost our third baby. He was two days old," explained Gerri. "I was still in the hospital so he had to take care of the funeral and everything, which was really hard for him. That brought us closer together too."
Shared passions for family, travel and photography, kept their connection strong.
"We've been to every state in the country," said Les. "We love to travel. We've been to Hawaii, to Europe two or three times."
They've also leaned on their steadfast faith.
"We love the Lord so much and rely on his guidance and grace, it's number one for us," said Les. "I've seen so many miracles in my life, I can think of 10 or 12 of them."
She's 95. He's 96. 75 together. Some say that's also a miracle.
The Shoemakers live at Samaritas Senior Living in Grand Rapids. Both grew up right here in West Michigan.