It was cold, and money was short 75 years ago when Earson and Lois Huffman exchanged wedding vows on Dec. 20.

They went to the minister's house, were married and hurried to her parents' home for a wedding dinner.

The minister's name and the meal have long slipped their minds, but they remember the church, Hollins Road Church of the Brethren, where they met, wedded and reared their family.

Recently as the Huffmans prepared to celebrate their anniversary, the couple sat in their bedroom at Carrington Place in Botetourt County and relived some of their memories.

Their room is sparsely decorated with two beds and two wheelchairs. A couple of empty Coke cans sit on Earson Huffman's nightstand. Popcorn and ice cream are Lois Huffman's favorite treats.

She doesn't see as well as she used to, and Earson Huffman doesn't hear as well, but they complement each other's memories.

"We have always gotten along good," Earson Huffman said. "We never complained; we agreed."

"I did make most decisions," Lois Huffman recalled with a little egging from her son, Larry Huffman.

Neither could come up with a single rule for staying married as long as they have.

But they acknowledged that a marriage takes a lot of forgiveness and tolerance.

The Huffmans don't claim to be rich but said they have had a blessed and wonderful life.

"They've been terrific parents, and anything we do for them now, we are well paid," said son, Larry.

Between Larry, their older son David, and their daughter, Carolyn, the Huffmans have eight grandchildren, two stepgrandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and four stepgreat-grandchildren.

The Huffmans gave up their home of more than 60 years after Lois broke her hip, and they have been in retirement and assisted-living facilities about eight years.

Although he uses a wheelchair, Earson Huffman has some mobility and feels he must care for his wife.

He reads The Roanoke Times and other information to her daily and helps her select her clothing.

They often sit in the quiet of their room without a television, and most of the time without talking.

Sometimes, Earson Huffman said, it's almost as if they can read each other's minds.

But, he said, "whatever comes up, we don't do much talking."

Reading the Bible is a favorite pastime and the glue that's kept them together, Earson Huffman said. They also like to sing.

"The word divorce never came across my lips, but murder did," Lois Huffman joked as she sat in her wheelchair beside her husband.

Earson Huffman preferred staying at home and piddling in the yard, while she liked to quilt and travel, Lois Huffman said.

Some of their best memories were visiting their two children and their families.

Lois Huffman also recalls the cold on her wedding day, when they were married in the preacher's living room.

There was no honeymoon. Earson Huffman was making a dime an hour at the old Johnson-Carper Furniture company.

"I didn't have much education myself -- I went to the sixth grade -- but I was a hard worker all my life," said Earson Huffman, who retired from a propane gas company.

Lois Huffman worked as a teacher's aide.

She had no idea she would be married to the same man so long.

Lois Huffman said she now feels her children are her parents. "They tell us what to do now, and they don't always do what we say."

And although they say they are thankful, both question their longevity.

"Why God has left us here this long, we don't know. He is not finished with us is our guess," they wrote in a letter to family and friends for their anniversary celebration.

At 95 and 93 respectively, Earson and Lois Huffman wrote, "We are tired, about completely worn out and ready to go when God lets us have our last breath."