Buckner senior living communities are full of couples whose love for one another, and for the Lord, has lasted through the decades. They set examples of love that withstands life’s ups and downs and is better for having done so. We’re blessed to have these couples share their tips for relationship success in this month’s series “Loving Well.” Sole and Beverly Coleman, residents at Buckner Westminster Place, are one such couple. The southern lovebirds have now been married 67 years, but they almost didn’t make it out of the church. They were married in the middle of a raging hurricane, and after the ceremony in Mobile, Ala., drove through torrential rain and high-powered winds to Biloxi, Miss. As the couple says today, the eventful start to their marriage prepared them for life’s harder storms ahead. It was a foundation they would need later when Beverly was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and again when their family experienced significant and unexpected loss. Through it all, their love has stayed strong. Their secret to a long, successful marriage? “Be kind to one another!” Beverly said. “Thoughtfulness and consideration of each other,” added Sole. The Colemans laughed that grace is undeniably another ingredient in their recipe for happiness, as Sole always misses his wife’s April birthday to go turkey hunting. “We made a deal,” Beverly explained. “He could go hunting on my birthday and I could do just whatever I wanted.” Today, this happy couple laughs easily and often. They enjoy life alongside friends and neighbors at Westminster Place and cherish their growing family of two children and three granddaughters. The Coleman’s obvious commitment to each other inspires us to love our own families with the same persistent, unconditional love.
Couple shares windy start to their 67-year marriage
