Durban’s Mario and Sheila strike gold
Mario and Sheila Markovic celebrated 50 years of marriage on 24 February.
A LASTING love and shared interests have been the secret to Mario and Sheila Markovic’s happy marriage. The couple celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday, 24 February.
Mario and Sheila met in 1965 when Sheila, who was 16 at the time, was on holiday in Durban with her family.
“I had taken my little sister to the movies and at interval I went out to buy something to eat and drink and noticed three or four guys standing with their backs to the cafeteria. One of the guys made a pass at me and I ignored him and went back to sit with my sister. He then walked up and asked if he could sit with us, and my sister said no and that she would tell my parents, so I told him to meet me at South Beach at the Little Top the next day. I never thought he would!” said Sheila.
Mario said the next day he had gone to the beach and seen her lying on the beach near the lifeguards in her red bikini. He started chatting to her, and the rest is history!
Sheila went back to Johannesburg, where she was busy with her matric year and Mario, who was 26, was in the army. They used to call each other often during this time.
“We got together and I was transferred to Auckland Park from Pretoria, so it worked well for us. Then a transfer went through for me to go to Cape Town. My car was on the train and I knew I couldn’t leave her! I phoned the Defence Headquarters in Pretoria and they stopped the transfer and I got my car off the train!” he said.
“I couldn’t believe it, it was amazing as I thought he was gone!” said Sheila.
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The couple courted for two years and were married in 1968 and moved to Durban. Mario took a package from the army and started working as a sales rep for a furniture company while Sheila got a job in foreign exchange at Nedbank, where she worked until she fell pregnant with their daughter, Teena-Vanessa.
Mario and Sheila moved to Pinetown and bought a family home, and five years later their son Daryl was born. While Sheila was working for Trust Bank, they sold their home and built a new house in Padfield Park. The couple then moved to live in Barcelona on the Durban beachfront, where they have been for the past 25 years.
Their son and daughter both live in Atlanta, US. Their grandson Jared, (21), is studying at the University of Georgia and granddaughter, Lauren, (20), lives in Florida.
Mario still works and said he is a one-man show doing electrical work and fixing household appliances. Sheila now works for her sister, after retiring from Varsity College where she worked from 1993 to 2014.
The couple are avid bowlers and are members of Durban Collegians Bowling Club. They have both achieved Port Natal Colours in bowls. Their biggest achievement is to have both won the Club Singles at Circle Bowling Club in 1998.
“We also keep ourselves busy by performing with a cast in a show called Musical Mayhem. We perform at bowling clubs to raise funds for the clubs, as well as at old age homes to provide residents with entertainment,” said Sheila.
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Speaking about each other, Mario jokingly said he doesn’t know how he survived in the marriage so long.
“Seriously though, it is amazing how we got together and how our marriage has survived so long. We do everything together,” he said.
Sheila said they shared the same interests and worked well together as she is very quiet, and he is headstrong and loud.
“It’s very seldom that we argue as I am so placid. Mario has been the most supportive husband and he has supported me 100 per cent in everything I have done and has always had my back. He is very complimentary and he keeps me young and on my toes!” she said.
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