Thursday, October 10, 2024
By Meghan Morgan
Pulaski News
PULASKI – Typically, when prompted to picture Valentine’s Day, most people tend to think of red and pink decorations and heart-shaped chocolates.
At its core, the holiday centers around love.
And no better representation of this love exists than with Jim and Janice Peters.
These lifetime Pulaski residents are a few months shy of 64 years of marriage, and the pair said they could easily celebrate another 64 years of being each other’s Valentine.
Meant to be from the beginning
At just 18 years old, the Peters tied the knot on Aug. 16, 1958.
Now 82, the duo said they still feel the same, tender affection that presided over their wedding day.
After getting married, the couple welcomed five children - Jody, Jack, Jeff, Joe and James Jr., all of whom would lend a hand on the family farm, which the family maintained for 25 years.
“They were all good kids and all very helpful at the time they were growing up,” Janice said.
From there, the couple founded Peters Concrete, which the couple said was modeled on the hard work and determination they learned working on the farm.
Now, all five adult Peters children work in the construction and ready-mix cement company.
“It’s really nice to have them all around,” Janice said. “Working on a family business has strengthened our relationship together, and with our children.”
The couple said without the foundation Peters Concrete has provided for the last 40 years, they don’t think they’d have as strong of a relationship as they do now.
“We’ve always worked together for our company and our farm,” Jim said.
The Peters are also the proud grandparents of 17 and great-grandparents of 18.
They said for them, one of the greatest joys of their marriage centers around their growing family.
“We enjoy having them all come over for celebrations and holidays,” Janice said. “It’s great that we get together a lot.”
Through more than six decades of marriage, the pair said they have experienced both the highs and lows of life together.
Though the memories together over the years are plentiful, Jim said one that always sticks out in his mind as memorable is the couple’s initial meeting.
“I was working and this cute little girl came up and did some business,” he said. “When I was done working, I went chasing around where I thought she’d be. And that’s the way it happened.”
The couple met at 15, but didn’t start dating until 18.
After less than a year of dating, Jim proposed to his future wife in the presence of the entire extended family.
Jim said family has always been crucial for Janice, so he made sure almost every member was present for the special occasion.
“At a Christmas Eve get together, he gave me a huge box to open up,” Janice said. “I kept opening the box in smaller and smaller boxes until I found an engagement ring. I had absolutely no idea.”
In response, Jim quipped, “You have to have a little surprise once in a while.”
Though the pair married young, they said they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“We were two young kids, but I wanted to pick out a good one to spend my life with, and I definitely did,” Jim said.
In regards to Valentine’s Day traditions, the couple said they have never experienced a dull moment.
“Every single one is fun with her,” Jim said.
As more Valentine’s Days have passed, the spouses said they have discovered their favorite aspects about each other.
“She’s always there, and I never have to worry,” Jim said.
Janice said, for her, the most treasured quality about her husband is his relentlessness and persistence.
As far as advice for young couples, Janice said “spend as much time as you can together. It’s so important.”
Jim, finishing the sentiment for his wife, said, “Just keep walking forward.”
The couple looks forward to spending this Valentine’s Day together as they reminisce on the true meaning of timeless love.
