“In sickness and in health.”

Those are the vows Randy and Mary Ellen Davisson, of Oxford, take to heart as they celebrate their 60th year of wedded bliss.

The couple met locally during their teen years. According to the pair, the beginning of their story was anything but “love at first sight.”

Randy recalled splashing around with his friends, delivering “cannonballs” to everyone around them while swimming at Big Fish Lake in Hadley Township during the summer.

“He annoyed (my family and I),” said Mary Ellen with a laugh.

“We would go to the lake in the morning, he was there. We would go in the afternoon, he was there. We’d go out at night and he was there. Finally, we quit going. Then in the fall, I went to school and here he comes walking down the hall and I told him to get out of my school. I wanted nothing to do with him.”

It was there at Ortonville High School that Randy and Mary Ellen first formed their bond through school events.

“She was very smart… graduated top of the class, and I was at the bottom, of course. We liked each other’s company and we liked a lot of the same things, but we also had different interests,” Randy said. “Mary Ellen was very quiet, particularly in those days, and I wasn’t. We helped balance each other out.”

After several months of dating, they were married at Ortonville United Methodist Church on July 14, 1956.

Five daughters, six grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren later, they still bring that same balance to each other’s lives.

When asked the key to a happy and successful marriage, Randy pulled out a sign the couple had picked up at a truck stop during their travels over 15 years ago, titled “Ten Rules for a Happy Marriage.”

Randy and Mary Ellen said they enjoy traveling by car and truck rather than by plane, so they can better appreciate each other’s company.

Among the ten bits of advice on the sign were “Someone has to win an argument, let it be your mate;” “Always give at least one compliment each day;” and “If you have to criticize, do it lovingly.”

The couple said the sign currently sits on the bathroom wall at their Oxford home as a daily reminder of how to be a good spouse.

“We tend to live pretty much by it and we tend to read it a lot,” Randy said.

They also agreed their shared Protestant faith has also played a part in the success of their marriage.

Today, the pair spends much of their time visiting family, traveling and playing euchre together.

They recently celebrated their six decades together at a family party at American Legion Post 108 in Oxford. It was hosted by their five daughters and something very special was presented to them.

“The cake had our original topper with the bride and groom,” Mary Ellen said.

“When our first daughter got married, we gave it to her for her cake. She saved it and when we got to the party, there it was, sitting on top of our cake. It’s been in the family for more than 60 years now.”

Even with six decades of memories together, they’re still looking ahead to the future.

“We’re looking forward to growing old, gracefully, together on this property,” Randy said.

Happy anniversary to the Davissons from the Oxford Leader. We wish you many more pleasant years together.