Charlie and Mary met in 1945 at a dinner arranged by friends from church. Mary, one of triplets, was home from Woman's College (now UNCG). The meeting was a success by all accounts and led to Mary and Charlie's marriage in 1947. "Mary's been feeding me ever since," Charlie, 90, said with a laugh. Mary's sister Marian married the pastor who attended the dinner.
Mary, 93, has the same feisty spirit she had as a young newlywed who insisted that Charlie get a college degree (he graduated from NC State with a bachelor's and master's degree in engineering). She was from a long line of educated women including her mother. Mary worked at the North Carolina Extension Service after their marriage while Charlie commuted between home and Maryland on weekends during his stint in the Army.
Time has curtailed some activities for the two nonagenarians but not as much as one might think. Charlie — known widely as "Mr. Fix-it" for his propensity to repair almost anything from clocks, televisions, radios, you-name-it — keeps busy fixing things, volunteering (145 trips with disaster-relief organizations) and golfing. Volunteer awards fill a wall in their Friends Homes at Guilford apartment including one from then Gov. Bev Perdue. "I like to be part of the solution and to be positive, not part of the problem," Charlie said.
Charlie and Mary have done so much volunteer work over the years at Friends Homes, including building an outdoor boardwalk and re-building a deck, that the on-site dining room is named in their honor. Charlie even has a repair shop on the premises. Mary also has a long history of volunteering and spent 20 years with Meals on Wheels and serving on various committees at Friends Homes. Her love for helping others led the couple to donate 45 acres of her family's land in Pleasant Garden to the town, now home to the community's town hall.
Mary credits their marriage success to a simple fact. "I go with Charlie when he volunteers; I don't stay behind" she said, smiling. "I have been asked if I was the cook on past projects. I always say no." She wields a mean hammer and has crawled underneath many buildings while helping Charlie install wiring.
Each has marriage advice to impart. "She lets me have the last word," Charlie said. "And, I always say yes ma'am." The couple also enjoys their longtime ritual of Mary greeting Charlie at the door each day. "At the end of the day, I sit on Charlie's lap and he tells me what he did all day," Mary quipped.
If the weather is nice, they head outside to eat and enjoy the scenery. You know the two are home when you see their matching his-and-her silver Lincolns parked side-by-side.
