Editor’s note: Subtitles for this story are lyrics from the song, “Through the Years” by Kenny Rogers

They have beaten the odds by three times or more.

On the average, marriage in the United States lasts about eight years, but altogether, these six couples have spent 237 years of their lives as husbands and wives ever since they said their vows at the altar. Their stories of successful longevity are written inside their hearts with love, struggle, respect and trust.

Through all the good and bad

Kit and Frank Hall of Kunkletown have been married 65 years. They certainly didn’t take the traditional route to get to the altar, having eloped to North Carolina when she was 18 and he was 16.

“Our parents weren’t too thrilled with us when we came home,” said Frank, “and after we got an apartment, I finished high school, but Kit had to quit nursing school because they didn’t allow married women to become nurses back then.”

In a very short time, the Halls became pregnant.

“We really did love each other, and that’s what got us through early days of financial problems and raising children,” Frank said.

Bruce and Vera Kramer of Walnutport have been married for over 48 years. They met in the student lounge at United Wesleyan College in Allentown.

“We met on Jan. 16, 1971, and got married on Sept. 2, 1972,” said Bruce, who hurries home from work every day so he can be with Vera.

Unforeseen circumstances test the strength of a relationship, and for the Kramers, a serious accident was certainly that. In 1998, at an industrial site, Bruce fell 15 feet onto solid concrete, which left him with serious head trauma. Once his survival was confirmed, a cognitive psychologist told him that not only was he never going to be able to return to the work he did, his personality would likely change, and head trauma was a leading cause of divorce.

“Throughout the 10 years I was home on disability, I put my faith in God while Vera took care of me,” said Bruce, who has since earned his minister’s license. “We got through it.”

Sometimes, faith and a little bit of luck can help a married couple. Ralph and Lisa Virno of Coaldale met in Brooklyn and have been married 27 years.

“It was love at first sight,” Ralph said.

“I was running a karaoke show in a bar and restaurant when Lisa came up to sing,” Ralph said. “We started performing as a duet singing love songs and we fell in love.”

Like the Kramers, the Virnos are a Christian couple and have been practicing their faith for 31 years.

On the morning of 9/11, a simple change of plans probably saved Ralph’s life. He was supposed to go to work as an EMT in Manhattan, but Lisa asked if she could take the only car they owned for an overdue inspection.

“I was reminded of a Psalm that reads, ‘1,000 may fall on the left and 10,000 may fall on the right, but no harm will come to you,’?” Ralph said. “The hand of God definitely kept me from harm that day and gave Lisa and me another reason to follow his way.”

Desiree and Tom Kelly of Albrightsville married 28 years ago. She has multiple sclerosis and is in a wheelchair.

“I do whatever she needs me to do to help her,” said Tom, “like helping her into bed and getting her into the shower.

“When you marry, it’s for sickness and in health, and for better or worse,” he said. “Those are just words, but to me they’re my feelings every day.”

You’ve kissed my tears away

Bob and Deb Strausberger of Lehighton have been married over 27 years. They were high school sweethearts, having spent their first date at a McDonald’s following a football game. Raising children can be both stressful and tearful, and the Strausbergers were well aware that losing focus on each other breaks apart many marriages.

“A lot of married couples make their children the nucleus of the family and they don’t make their relationship a priority,” Deb said. “Bob and I kept a strong focus on each other. We also made sure we were co-parenting with a happy medium so our kids didn’t see either one of us as the heavy or as the pushover.”

Doing something without being asked has also been a strong point in Deb and Bob’s relationship.

“If Bob knows I’m so tired that I could cry and there’s a basket of laundry that needs to be washed, he’ll pick it up and do it for me.”

Wendy and Butch Borger of Bowmanstown met at the Allentown farmers market and have now been married for 30 years. It’s taken much of that time to learn that the pursuit of the dollar bill can be a major strain on a relationship. Butch had been working 72 hour weeks until he got sick.

“He was put on a ventilator and he almost died,” said Wendy. “His disability was a godsend, because it made us realize that life is more important than money.”

Accidents and a health issue strained Diane and Felix Spitzer’s relationship. The Jim Thorpe couple will be married 40 years this summer. When he was young, Felix was shot in the leg in a hunting accident and the bullet pierced his sciatic nerve.

“It’s been difficult for me with the pain, but Diane has been there for me every step of the way,” he said.

Felix recalled another difficult time that followed Diane’s double mastectomy. “I was cleaning her dressing on the Fourth of July, and we noticed something was oozing from where the stitches were. I took her to the hospital right away. After she came home, she was told to rest for a long time to heal. I was able to stay home and take care of her for the next three months.”

When the Halls’ youngest daughter was born, she had a condition that prevented her from keeping liquids down.

“She had to have surgery to correct the problem when she was 6 months old,” Frank said. “Kit and I relied on our love for each other and our faith to get us through such a difficult time.”

The Kellys had a second serious circumstance when Tom had a minor stroke while he was driving a truck on his job.

“I managed to pull over and wait until the first responders arrived.”

Then, a few years ago, Tom lost his job when the trucking company closed their doors.

“Whatever we have to get through, we always come out stronger than before,” Desiree said. “Tom and I stay united. We’re a team.”

You’ve never let me down

The Kramers believe that an essential part of a good marriage is having time for conversation.

“As a family, we had always made it a point to sit everyone down at the table for dinner. That’s where we bring family together to talk about our days,” Bruce said. “Vera and I make sure we find some alone time for conversation, too.”

“I asked him one time to make dinner for us. He’s been doing it ever since that day, and besides, he’s a better cook than me,” Vera said with a chuckle.

When two become one, priorities change.

“Marriage is not about me or about you,” Felix Spitzer said. “It’s a partnership.”

“You have to work hard every day at staying together,” said his wife, Diane. “We always put the other first before our personal needs.”

“Even if it’s for only a half-hour Bob and I find time for each other just to talk and laugh,” Deb Strausberger said.

“Wendy and I came into our marriage believing that you should never go to bed angry,” said Butch Borger. “And we don’t.”

“Intimacy is very important for us,” Lisa Virno said. “It’s not just about sex; we have a spiritual connection that keeps us very close no matter what we have to face together.”

The Halls both admitted they grew up in unhappy homes.

“Since we didn’t have role models, we relied on our faith and our hope for better days to keep us going forward,” Kit said.

Together we were strong

A solid marriage is based upon common likes, but getting through disagreements in a respectful manner is also important. The Kramers have moved several times during their marriage, and at each residence, they have worked together to renovate their home.

“We have the same interests,” said Bruce, “and we work well together. At one home, Vera and I ripped up the carpet and we figured out how to put down hardwood floors.”

All married couples argue, including Felix and Diane Spitzer. She keeps her promise to him every morning before he leaves for work.

“Saying ‘I love you’ is a choice I make,” she said. “You just never know the last time you might see your husband, and you would not want to live with the regret of staying mad and not telling him you love him.”

Paying attention to each other is a key to a happy marriage.

“I’m a type A person and Bob is very level with his emotions,” Deb Strausberger said. “That’s a good balance for us, and communication is so important. There’s a difference between hearing and really listening to each other.”

Couples build a stronger relationship if they agree on how to raise their children.

“Our faith in God has kept us strong through everything,” Lisa Virno said. “We were very hands-on parents, but we didn’t lose track of each other, and we’re never selfish with any decisions we have to make.”

The Kellys say they put each other first above everything.

“We’ve raised three children and one has special needs, but Tom and I have always put our relationship first.”

Kit Hall said, “We always had a plan to move ahead with something and we supported each other. I went back and finished nursing school, and Frank went to Temple to get a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice after he was a Philadelphia policeman for 23 years.”

“Communication is the key,” Butch Borger said. “Wendy and I talk everything out. We don’t really argue unless it’s about where we want to go out and eat,” he added with a laugh.

The sweetest days

All seven couples look forward to adding more days and years of love, respect and trust to live out the promise they had made at the altar.

“We accept each other for who we are,” Vera Kramer said. “A sense of humor helps, too. When we end an argument, my husband often says, ‘I’m sorry,’ but to make himself feel better, he’ll speak for me and say, ‘That’s all right, Bruce.’ I can’t help but laugh.”

“I was all his as soon as I saw Bob’s smile,” Deb Strausberger said. “He had the whitest and straightest teeth I had ever seen!”

“As humans, we are all flawed in some way,” Felix Spitzer said. “At the end of the day, even if I don’t feel like it, all I have to do is look in Diane’s eyes and then I say, ‘I love you.’?” Felix added, “I just like spending time with her.”

“Every morning, I wake up happy,” Butch Borger said. “Wendy and I live each day to the fullest.”

“Bruce and I like the simple things like meeting for breakfast whenever we can,” Vera Kramer said.

Desiree Kelly puts a perspective on her long relationship with her husband, Tom.

“Life is difficult, but our marriage is easy.”

When the Halls moved into their house in Kunkletown, Frank hung a sign out front that said, “The Impossible Dream.”

“Kit and I love looking out our window at the Blue Mountain Ski Resort,” he said. “From where we started to where we are, it’s been a dream we thought we’d never get.”

Ralph Virno’s four simple words best reveal the answer to the question about how he and Lisa have sustained their marriage through all the years.

“Love endures all things.”