When Merle Derscheid first asked his future wife Cleva out for a date, she slammed the door in his face.
"I said, 'Woman, you are going to suffer for that,'" Merle Derscheid said. "And she has, for 70 years."
On Saturday, the Derscheids celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in front of family and friends at Faith Lutheran Church in Sun City.
Cleva Derscheid, 90, donned the same white satin gown she wore on her wedding day, while Merle Derscheid, 92, wore expressions of joy and seriousness as he renewed his vows to the woman he calls his "soul mate."
"I am proud of them," said their daughter, 58-year-old Cynthia Prentice of Phoenix. "They taught me a lot about relationships and what you need to do to keep a relationship special. Respect, honor ---- but mostly respect."
Merle said he will always cherish his wife for the dedication she has shown him.
"She has been with me for thick and thin," he said in an interview before the ceremony. "What is not to love? That is all I can say."
For her part, Cleva explained that she had to slam the door in Merle's face all those years ago because her strict father was sitting nearby.
Today, she's thankful Merle didn't give up on her, she said.
"We never really had too many arguments," she said of their 70 years together. "He is very kind."
The two were married Nov. 30, 1941, right after Merle left the Navy after serving for four years. He is quick to point out that his ship ---- the USS California ---- was sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
"My ship was sunk while I was in South Dakota getting married," he said.
Not too long after they were married, Merle left Cleva and their 9-month-old son to join the Merchant Marine during World War II.
That was tough, he said.
"I sailed away and left her at the dock not knowing when or if I would see her again," he said.
When he returned, the couple was able to carve out a good life together, albeit with hectic schedules.
She raised their three children while he worked nights and went to college. After their children were grown, Cleva took on jobs in the jewelry industry while Merle worked for the Byron Jackson pump company for 40 years.
This setup kept them busy and allowed them to maintain their own individuality, one reason for their long marriage, Cleva said.
"He would be gone at night and then I started working and I was gone in the day," she said. "At times we didn't see each other very often, but when I worked, I enjoyed my job at the jewelry business."
After they retired in the early 1980s, they went on many trips and cruises together. Often, they scheduled their trips to coincide with their wedding anniversaries.
"We both loved to travel," Merle said. "It was a celebration."
As they've gotten older, health issues have sprung up. Cleva was given the wrong medication in the hospital nine years ago and she has never fully recovered from that, and Merle has rarely left her side since.
"We vowed 70 years ago that we would love each other and take care of each other regardless of what happened," he said. "I signed in for the long haul. When you make a promise, it's something you keep."
A year ago Merle suffered a heart attack, but he wasn't about to leave Cleva.
"It didn't affect me that much," he said. "When you have got a job to do you just do it. If she needs something done, then that is my job."
Merle said whenever he is asked about the secret to a long, happy marriage, his answer is always the same.
"There will be days when you disagree, there will be days of sadness, there will be days when you are in trouble, there will be days when you are angry with each other," he said. "But regardless of what happens, do not ever let a day go by without saying ‘I love you.' And that is what we have done."


Read more: http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/swcounty/region-couple-celebrates-years-of-marriage/article_5a6ee572-91f7-5b23-b660-d3328d7e4b73.html#ixzz1n4CtKFKk