52 Years - Daryl and Jackie
How many years have you been married, and how long were you together?
Daryl and Jackie have been married since August 1973 and will celebrate 53 years this summer.
How did you meet?
Daryl remembers first meeting Jackie at a church dance hosted by their catechism class. He says he asked her to dance and went to school the next day telling his teacher he had met the girl he would someday marry. Years later, they were married in that very church.
Jackie remembers knowing Daryl mostly through school and mutual friends. The real connection, she says, came later when they ran into each other again in college, her in nursing school in Omaha and him at Peru State, and began dating.
What’s something about your spouse that still makes you smile?
Daryl says he enjoys the simple moments, like being in the kitchen together. “The other day we cooked a bunch of fish together, and that was really fun. I’m not a great cook, but I help where I can.”
Jackie agrees — it doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s fun. They also share a love of travel. During Daryl’s years broadcasting for Peru State, they often turned trips into small adventures, exploring wherever they happened to be.
The furthest they’ve traveled together was Panama in 2019. The couple traveled through the Panama Canal to celebrate Jackie’s birthday. Daryl recalls organizing the trip took effort, including getting permission and arranging a boat, but the experience was worth it.
What do you hope your children and grandchildren learn from your marriage?
“Patience,” Daryl says simply. “If you’re patient, things work out.”
Jackie hopes their family knows there is always a place to come home to. “Marriage isn’t always easy, and that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Life isn’t like a Hallmark movie — even though those are fun to watch.”
What’s your key to staying connected after so many years?
Daryl describes marriage as a covenant that exists outside of time. “Before there was a Daryl and there was a Jackie. After you get married, it’s Daryl and Jackie.”
Jackie says they intentionally do things together. They have individual interests, but they stay connected through shared activities. If Daryl attended an event or game, Jackie usually went along — and that’s still true today.
Bonus — Do you remember your first Valentine’s Day?
Valentine’s Day isn’t a big celebration for them. Their anniversary in August is more meaningful, even if they don’t do anything elaborate.
They’ve marked anniversaries, including 50, in many ways — dinner with their children, attending a football scrimmage where their son was coaching, and once visiting the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
They’ve also created their own holiday: “Dirt Farmer’s Wife Day,” celebrated on December 15 to mark the day they moved to their first farm in 1976.
