Long marriages run in the family
One in two marriages ends with the couple staying together.
John Utz of Butler, his brother and two sisters have been keeping that average high. They all have been married to their respective spouses for more than 50 years.
That's more than a half a century of Valentine's Days to share.
The family was raised on a farm in Wexford by parents who themselves were married more than 50 years.
The Utzes married people from the Mars and Wexford area.
The secret of a good marriage, John Utz said he was once told, is not to get angry at the same time.
The family gets together each year on a retreat. Three years ago, they gathered in Georgia. The retreat gives time for everyone to talk and prevents arguments, he said.
Utz also said a baby sitter and a long weekend each year make it easier to keep a marriage alive.
Charles and Fifi Utz of Butler have been married 58 years; John and Jean Utz have been married 56 years; Jack and Clara Hetrick of Virginia have been married 53 years; and Stan and Catherine Gray of Georgia celebrated their 50th anniversary in December.
