They live in Inyoni Creek Retirement Village which is set on sprawling luscious grounds.
The couple met at their friends’ wedding in Pietermaritzburg in 1965 when Felicity was the bridesmaid and David the best man. Three months later, the same friends invited Felicity and David to spend the weekend with them hiking in the Magaliesburg.
“I made my decision when I saw this young blonde carrying the heaviest pack,” laughs David.
“The next day I wrote a letter to my dad and told him that I had met the girl that I wanted to marry!”
Felicity accepted David’s proposal on 15 August that same year, and the couple soon married, also in Pietermaritzburg.
They three children, David, Mark and Jessica, who all spent their teenage years on a six-acre plot in Glenferness, Midrand. During their stay on the plot, the family experienced the freedom and joy of country life with wild hares, hedgehogs, birds, visiting porcupines, chickens, ducks, horses and snakes.
David and Mark were weekly boarders at Christian Brothers’ College, Mount Edmund in Pretoria; and Jessica attended Brescia House in Bryanston. “Jessica was the envy of her friends as our home was always filled with boys,” said David.
David and Felicity, who now live with their two treasured eight-year-old dogs, moved to Inyoni Creek Retirement Village in 2009. “It was a good and timely move. We are blessed to live in such lovely surroundings where we have made caring friends.”
David obtained his BSc Engineering at the University of Witswatersrand and was awarded a scholarship to attend Birmingham University where he obtained a Masters degree in Highway Engineering. He was one of only a few in South Africa to have this qualification at the time.
Felicity studied teaching at Natal Training College and worked as a teacher in KwaZuluNatal and Johannesburg.
“When I met Felicity 51 years ago, I saw a happy, strong, positive, caring and smiling person. To me, she is still beautiful and I thank God each day that she agreed to be my wife,” said David.
An important aspect which strengthened their marriage is faith. “Life presented us with times of deep sadness, but our steadfast belief in God drew us closer in faith, love and compassion,” said Felicity.
When asked what the secret to such a long and happy marriage is, Felicity responded, “David has a good sense of humour and makes me laugh. To me, it’s kindness, patience, understanding, communication and love. We have a shared faith, share the same values and think the same politically.”
“I have been very well loved, looked after and supported. Felicity is a wonderful partner and friend,” adds David.
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