Mr. Milholen says his first meeting with Betty was love at first sound. She simply knocked on his door looking for his sister, a friend from nursing school.
He loved the way she said his name.
Seventy-one plus years later he still does.
After a whirlwind courtship of three days, Hearl asked Betty to marry him. It was 1951, and his brief leave from the Navy was ending, so they waited until his return. Counting down the time as it slowly passed, Hearl was gone for three years, nine months, and twenty-seven days.
Finally, on November 13, 1954, Hearl and Betty were united in marriage by his father in Cullendale, Arkansas. Beginning life together in a small house in Camden, Arkansas, their days were filled with wonderful memories surrounded by love and a large family, three daughters and one son (who has sadly passed away).
As most young couples experience, life was busy – moving, working, and raising a family. Betty was an RN for forty years and Hearl spent his career in the demanding hours of the print industry.
Spending time together was vastly important! As members of Cedar Hill Saddle Club, they competed in multiple events and taught their children about horses. It is often said, “something about the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man,” and that quote seemed to resonate with the Milholen’s – these times spent together helped unite the family.
Today, all these years later life remains just as full! Living together at Midtowne Meadows Health & Rehab offers an abundance of activities and time spent with friends. Their daughters live nearby and they are overjoyed to spend frequent time with their beloved family including four grandchildren and five great grandchildren!
After all these years together, the Milholen’s say they are blessed to “Be together every night and wish each other a good night. Thankful that after all these years, we are still under one roof in the same room – it is a treasure.”
Now married 71 years this past November, their advice to young people is that marriage is about “give and take. Compromise is key.” Good advice from a loving marriage and years of lived experience.
