The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
People Mr and Mrs More make a diamond duo
It was a day of torrential rain when George and JeanneMore tied the knot in Elgin in 1957, but they refused to let the weather spoil their big day.
Six decades and six children later, the couple were still smiling as they sliced into a huge cake commemorating their diamond wedding anniversary.
AndMrsMore, 79, joked that the secret totheir longmarriage is that her husband, a retired fisherman, spent much of his working life at sea.
The pair celebrated their big day at the Duffus Inn lastweek, surrounded by almost 40 friends and relatives.
In a nod to the couple’s sense of humour, the family presented them with medals describing Mrs More as the “messiest wife” and Mr More, 81, as the “most sarcastic husband”.
Mrs More said: “You can imagine what that is like, with mebeing so untidy and him being so sarcastic – it fits well.
“I like to have a laugh. What kind of life would it be if you were dull and serious all the time?”
They were taken by surprise when the Lord Lieutenant of Moray, Grenville Johnston, arrived at the restaurant with a bouquet and a card from the Queen.
Many of their 14 grandchildren attended the celebratory buffet along with old friends eager to pay tribute to the diamond duo.
Mrs More said: “We knew about the buffet but I had no idea about this presentation, that was just the icing on the cake.”
MrsMore’s fist glimpse of her future husband came as he stepped off a bus full of fishermen returning from work and on to Elgin High Street in the mid-1950s.
She nudged her mother and, pointing at Mr More, told her: “I’m going to get that boy to walk me home tonight.”
Her prediction proved correct after she struck up conversation withMrMore at a dance in the town’s Masonic Hall, where the pair got on famously. They married in Elgin’s South Church manse on March 15, 1957.
The couple then relocated to School Road in Hopeman, where they still live today.
They welcomed their first child into the world the following year, when daughter Jennifer was born.
She was followed by siblings Robert, David, Daniel, Gillian and the couple’s youngest, Gordon, arrived in 1970.
When the children grew up, Mrs More took on work as a home helper until the pair settled into retirement after Mr More stopped working in 2003.
Dennis Slater, a Heldon and Laich councillor and himself a Hopeman community stalwart, attended the celebration and made a speech congratulating the couple. Last night, he praised Mrs More as an “ambassador” for the seaside village.
Councillor Slater said: “She has worked tirelessly within Hopeman, and was part of the gala committee of the community association for years. She did a lot to raise funds for various groups, and has been a great ambassador.
“I was honoured that I was able to be part of Mr and Mrs More’s momentous anniversary. It was a very special day.”