Poole couple celebrate 66th wedding anniversary

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

Howard Moore, aged 91, and his wife, Marlene, aged 88, toasted their 66^th wedding anniversary at Care UK’s The Potteries, on York Road.

When asked what the secret to their long-lasting marriage was, the couple responded with “friendship, church, and patience.” 

It was love at first sight when Howard, then aged 20, and Marlene, aged 17, met at church, as the only youngsters in their congregation. For their first date, they took a walk around the gardens near to the nursing college where Marlene was studying to become a district nurse. 

Knowing he wanted to marry Marlene, Howard purchased a beautiful engagement ring. However, after Marlene was reprimanded by one of the hospital doctors for having a bulging pocket, she quickly emptied the contents, a chocolate biscuit, into the hospital sluice – not realising her ring was stuck to it! Despite the best efforts of a plumber, the ring was never recovered. Mortified, it was some time before she owned up and told Howard what had happened. 

The two were wed on 2^nd November 1957 at Penny Gate Mission Church of The Nazerene, in Luton, and went on to have two children together, Rachel and David, and now have four grandchildren. 

Howard became an ordained Minister in 1953 and this saw the couple live in in many different locations across England, including Dorset, Leicester, Leeds, and Scotland, where he was Superintendent at Ayr’s Fisherman’s Mission. While working there he actively ministered and interacted with fishermen and their families until 1968 when the couple moved to Aberdeen’s Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen.

After leaving mission work for a role in insurance, Howard remained active in the church and was a regular preacher at his local Evangelical Church in Leicester until as recently as 2017 when they moved to Dorset. 

To celebrate the special milestone, The Potteries’ team decorated the home’s lounge with balloons and banners, and the home’s Head Chef, prepared a three-course meal which the couple enjoyed together. 

Zita Turner, Home Manager at The Potteries, said: “We were honoured to help Howard and Marlene celebrate this momentous milestone. 

“The team were thrilled to put together a lovely meal for them and listen to them reminisce about all the memories and tales from their life together that the happy day brought up. 

“They are a wonderful couple, with lots of wisdom about building a strong and successful marriage that I think we could all learn from. The atmosphere in the home was wonderful and prompted many residents to reminisce and share fond memories of their own weddings.

The Potteries has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives in a luxury environment. The home provides full-time residential care, nursing care, dementia care and respite care and also boast plenty of space – both indoors and out, for relaxation and recreation.