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OGDEN — An Ogden couple is celebrating 75 years of marriage, showing the world that equal parts happiness and gladness can go a long way.
Hap and Gladys Link, who are both 97 and current residents at Gardens Assisted Living, first met in the late 1930s when they were in the sixth grade.
"We were living in McLaughlin, South Dakota, which was a town of about 900 people," Gladys Link recalled. "When Hap moved in, he became really close friends with a cousin of mine, and he automatically ended up being part of our group. We ran in the same circle but there were only 13 in our graduating class, so there weren't many of us to begin with."
The two dated in high school and graduated together in 1945. Due to world circumstances at the time, however, their relationship would need to be put on hold. Hap Link was drafted to serve in World War II, and had to report to duty just three days after graduation.
Even though their budding love was put on hold for a bit, Gladys Link wasted no time ensuring that she was equipped to stand on her own two feet when he returned.
"At that time, I went to a (Methodist) church college in Iowa, and I stayed with it even though Hap was discharged from the Army a little over a year before I graduated," Gladys said. "We felt that it was best that I go ahead and get my degree because it was doubtful that I would end up getting one if we ended up getting married before that. We were actually an unmarried couple for about four years before we said our vows."
The couple was married in that same small town on Aug. 2, 1949.
'It's been a delightful journey'
As the years went on, the couple added five children to their family, with one daughter passing away shortly after birth. Gladys Link taught music, and then went on to work as a bookkeeper, which is something she said she really enjoyed. Hap Link served in the Army, and also worked an office job. Both boasted of a simple and very happy life.
"Oh boy, it's been just a smooth and unbelievable life," Hap Link said. "We've had a quiet life."
"I'd almost have to say that it was just luck that we ended up together, but it has been a delightful journey," Gladys Link added. "It has been an unbelievably simple life. Of course, it's not been without the little speed bumps now and then, but we have been so very blessed that we have each other. Hap is so easy as a partner. He is so caring, but he's also so agreeable. He's been a marvelous daddy."
The couple's second eldest daughter, Barbara Evans, came ,from Rock Springs, Wyoming, Friday to celebrate her parents' anniversary, and spoke fondly about growing up in their home.
"Dad was always very quiet. When he had something to say, he'd say it," Evans said. "Mom never said, 'Wait until your dad gets home,' or anything like that. They had such a great way of raising us. I've spent a lot of time with them over the years, and I now count them as two of my closest friends."
The couple spent many of their retirement years between Arizona and Idaho, balancing out their summer and winter months before deciding to settle in Utah. They lived a few years in Farr West, on the northern edge of Weber County, and then settled at the assisted living center two years ago. Gladys Link said they love to go on walks and be in nature together.
She said that there are two main factors that have contributed to their longevity as a couple: luck and compatibility.
"There have been so many things that we have in common," she said. "We both enjoy traveling. We both enjoy going to concerts. We both thoroughly enjoy nature. There have been many times when we would just take off on a picnic. We are both very much on the very same wavelength.
"I don't have a lot of advice to give, other than to find someone who you're that compatible with; the other thing is just good luck," she said.
