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Highlands Today

70 Valentine Days Celebrated Together

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

Thomas and Lillian Linton recently celebrated their 70th anniversary. They and 11 other couples will be celebrating Valentine’s Day together at Tanglewood.

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By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: February 14, 2008

SEBRING — Thomas and Lillian Linton don't claim to have the secret to love, but they have each other, and that's been enough to last them 70 years and counting.

Thomas jokes that the phrase "Yes, dear," has helped him significantly as well.
"We don't cause any problems," Thomas said. "It takes too much energy to fight."

Lillian agrees that making marriage work is about compromise.
"I've also learned that sometimes it's better to not say anything," Lillian said. "Of course, if you are going to say something, make sure you're right first."

Lillian said she would tell young couples to "follow their hearts."

"You have to have a good connection with someone to make things work," Lillian said.
Thomas, 92, and Lillian, 89, have both outlived almost everyone in their families, which they partially attribute to their strong relationship.

"I would imagine my marriage has really helped me live longer," Thomas said. "I would hate to imagine being without her and being alone. I imagine when one of us goes, the other will go soon after."

Although they went to the same high school in Lexington, Ohio, they didn't meet until a reunion a few years after graduation.

"I saw her and I told my brother she was such a cute little thing that I was going to marry her," Thomas said.

They started dating shortly after meeting at the reunion and loved to go to the movies together.

"One time they sold us kids tickets because we looked so young," said Thomas, who still doesn't look his age. "I didn't complain because it was less money. I bet between the two of us, we didn't weigh 200 pounds."

Their other favorite activity was dancing, which they still enjoy. They are known around the Tanglewood community for their moves on the dance floor.

"Whenever we have dances, they never sit down," said their daughter, Betty Bjorne, who also lives in Tanglewood.

The couple started ballroom dancing in the 1930s and until a few months ago, they would never sit out a song.

"We are actually starting to feel our age," Lillian said.
"But I always tell my wife, if I drop dead on the dance floor, find someone to finish the dance with," Thomas quipped.

They will probably share a slow dance tonight at an anniversary party in Tanglewood, where the Lintons will join 11 other couples celebrating 50 years of marriage in renewing their wedding vows.

After more than 70 Valentine's Days together, the couple admits they don't make a big deal out of the holiday. In years past, they have gone on a cruise and one year they even bought a house on Valentine's Day.

"When you get to our age, you are just happy to be around and to have each other," Thomas said.

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