‘Never go to bed on an argument’ – Maidstone residents reveal the secret to a happy marriage

Love was in the air at a Maidstone care home when two residents celebrated a very special milestone. 

Joan, 84, and Reg, 88, toasted their 66^th wedding anniversary at Care UK’s Invicta Court, on Gidd’s Pond Way, where they both live.

 

To celebrate their wedding milestone, team members at the care home arranged a private three-course meal which was thoughtfully prepared by the home’s Head Chef, William Carpenter. Rose petals and flowers adorned the home’s dining room, while Joan and Reg reminisced about their early days as a couple and discussed their secret to a happy marriage – which Joan said is ‘never going to bed on an argument’. 

The couple first met a youth club in Sompting when Joan was 16 and Reg was 19. Knowing it was love at first sight, the couple spent a year dating before Reg proposed to Joan on a special trip to London. The couple married a year later, on 17^th September 1955, at St Mary’s Church in Sompting. In the years that followed, the couple had a family of their own – welcoming four daughters: Sandra, Claire, Karen and Wendy. 

After qualifying as a civil engineer, Reg’s career led him to work on jobs around the world, including in Syria, Jeddah, and Mozambique. With their daughters grown up, Joan went to live with Reg in Mozambique where the couple spent four years. The couple spent some of their happiest times in South Africa enjoying many safaris in Kruger National Park and would often invite family and friends over for an extended holiday break. As a result of a project he was working on during this time, Reg was awarded an OBE for his work oversees. The couple returned to the UK to retire, where Joan spent 20 years volunteering in a local hospice shop. 

Jacqui Pompeus, Home Manager at Invicta Court, said: “Here at Invicta Court, we regularly celebrate big anniversaries and understand the importance of maintaining relationships and celebrating life’s milestones. We were honoured to be a part of such a special moment for Joan and Reg. They are truly inseparable, and we can all learn a thing or two from their long-lasting marriage."

Invicta Court offers a full range of older people’s care services in luxurious surroundings, including a café, hair and beauty salon, bar and cinema. The highly trained, professional team delivers permanent and short-term nursing and residential care, as well as specialist dementia care.

To book a place at the free event, please visit careuk.com/invicta-court.

For more information on Invicta Court, please call Customer Relations Manager, Jaime Jukes on 01622 807994, or email jaime.jukes@careuk.com.