Life is often difficult, and marriages are a part of that life, but instead of believing the grass is greener on the other side or simply giving up, these couples believe that their union is worth fighting for. What is that golden key they’ve managed to get their hands on? Just as the locks on each of our homes require different keys, these couples often use different ways to unlock the doors to success in marriage. Or, perhaps getting married in the fall or winter is simply lucky. The stories of these happy couples will tell you why.

A Union with a Firm Foundation
Three words that keep the Logans together through troubles and trials that do arise from marriage are “No way out,” underscored by their commitment to “live life with a shared purpose and intention.” This is one of the lessons Roderick and Melody Logan say they have learned in their twenty-eight years of marriage. The couple was married August 4, 1979. Crediting intimacy as the major key to a successful marriage, they connect how they feel that it is achieved: by conflict resolution through effective communication, which comes from stability, which in turn is achieved by being rooted in Jesus Christ. The couple considers their parents to be excellent role models for life and for marriage and seems to have passed this on, considering that all three of their children (Derrick, Jerrod, and daughter Tori) are all happily married as well. Roderick is the associate pastor of Personal Ministry at Christ’s Church of the Valley and is presently working on a doctorate in biblical counseling. Melody is the church’s director of early-childhood ministries. They have one granddaughter and another grandchild on the way.

An Exercise in Mutual Support
Josh Rogers had just moved to South Carolina to play quarterback for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. Laura was a varsity cheerleader. Love at first sight? Yes, in fact. But their story cannot be summed up in a stereotype. The two young people, now proud parents of a 19-month-old son, Rhett, and expecting a second child, became engaged roughly three years after their first date and married on December 7, 2003. Having fallen in love with Arizona and with Josh’s family living nearby, they moved to Anthem where they keep busy with their successful gym but always make time for date nights, family time, and vacations. Citing their parents’ success in marriage, their common interests, and their mutual attraction as ingredients in their marital success, they say that the key is to find someone who makes you a better person and brings out the best in you. “Spontaneity, selfless love, and challenging each other to reach our full potential are all ingredients to our success,” Laura says. “We admire each other and we are proud of each other.” It is work, but Laura says their love only deepens with time as they commit themselves to listening to each other’s needs and infusing fun and family time into their busy lives.

Guiding Light Along the Path
Bob and Iris Maxwell wed on August 9, 1952. The former U.S. Navy man and the bank teller were both raised on Nebraskan farms but married in San Diego, where Bob became a police officer before spending sixteen years in banking and yet another sixteen in hospital administration. They have a daughter, Lisa, a son, Gregg, and six grandchildren as result of their fifty-five years of marital bliss, but there is much more that has gone into their successful union. “I believe our marriage has been the long, happy journey that we have enjoyed because our values are similar and we worked together to raise our children with high values and integrity,” Iris says. The couple enjoys volunteering at their church together, and says that their faith has been a large component in their marriage. “Marriage is a three-way experience,” Bob says, “a man, his wife, and our Lord and Savior. We thank Him every day for leading and directing us.”

A Work in Progress
Don and Sue met and fell in love during their first week of college, and married after their sophomore year on August 9, 1968. Thirtynine years later, Pastor Don Wilson of Christ’s Church of the Valley and his wife Sue, a writer, boast three grown children and eleven grandchildren. Enjoying activities such as traveling, playing cards with friends, going to the movies, and spending time with family have helped cultivate a healthy marriage, but the Wilsons credit much more for their marital success. The couple, who never considered divorce as an option, attribute the strong family values they learned growing up—the importance of keeping vows, working through differences, and honoring commitments—as a driving force behind their marriage. They went into marriage with the common goal of sharing their faith with others as opportunities arose. “We understand that marriage is something we must recommit to every day and that we must be willing to work at every day,” Sue says. “A relationship cannot survive if it is ignored.”

Dance Your Way into My Heart
On September 2, 1937, just four months after George DeMars introduced his brother to a nice girl who was a terrific ballroom dancer at the Lake Street Ballroom, Willard DeMars and Beulah Wigen exchanged vows at St. John’s Catholic Church in Dayton, Minnesota. Willard served with the Seabees during World War II, and Beulah managed to graduate valedictorian of her class despite having taken on motherly responsibilities for her siblings at age 9. Her dream of attending college fell through because of financial circumstances; but her other dream, that of being a mother to her own children, came true with the births of the couple’s two daughters, Pat and Joanne. Just last fall, the couple celebrated their seventieth wedding anniversary by renewing their vows at The Woodmark in Sun City. And, true to their initial meeting, they still love to dance—especially square dance, but seem to prefer the slow ones where they can hold each other close.