Whites celebrate seven decades of love
uMhlanga couple, Dennis and Jean White, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last week. However, it was not love at first site for the duo.
MOST love stories begin with the notion of ‘love at first sight’. But this is not the case for uMhlanga couple, Dennis (90) and Jean (89) White, who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last week.
The two met while Jean (17) and her sister were boarding at Dennis’s (19) parents’ house in Johannesburg, shortly after the death of their mother.
The Whites admitted that they were not initially fond of each other, but then Jean fell ill and Dennis’s mother instructed him to keep her company. It was at that time that something unexpected happened.
“We began talking and we just connected. Slowly we fell in love. We even began to meet up after work and would walk home together,” said Dennis, who was an apprentice diamond cutter at the time.
Several months later they got engaged. Jean’s brother, who was enlisted in the army, was set to be deployed, and it was his wish to see them get engaged before his departure. Two years later they were married at the Braamfontein Catholic Church on 8 September, 1945.
Now the Whites are proud parents of 11 children (five boys and six girls). Their family grew even more with the arrival of 22 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
While Dennis remained within the diamond industry, he and Jean also dabbled with a catering business as well as poultry farming. Ten years ago, the couple retired to uMhlanga.
When asked about their recipe for a successful marriage, Jean said they kissed each other good morning and goodnight every evening.
“A couple should also be prepared to give way to each other, do things together and work out any disagreements,” she said.
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