Secret to a long, happy marriage?

For Bill, 99, and Ruth Higgins, 97, of Avon Lake, a marriage can last its own lifetime.

On Aug. 9, the couple celebrated 78 years of marriage.

The pair met before World War II, when Bill was a senior and Ruth was a junior at Avon Lake High School at the end of 1937.

Ruth said their first date was typical of the time.

“Our first date, it was a double date to go to the show in Lorain, of course,” she said. “Then we came back to Snyder’s (restaurant). We had hamburgers and milkshakes.

“That very well took care of a dollar.”

The couple dated through Bill’s senior year, when he asked Ruth to prom.

The couple married in 1941 after Bill got a job at the Cleveland Electric Illuminating plant in Avon Lake.

“Dad (Bill Higgins) got a steady job, that was the main thing for getting married,” Ruth said. “Times were very tight back then, and college was not in the future.”

Six weeks later, Bill was drafted, serving four years with the 952nd Tank Battalion at bases in places like Washington, D.C., and Africa.

Ruth said she also joined the Army during her husband’s time in the service.

After the war, the two purchased their home in Avon Lake in 1951, 10 years after they got married.

Four children, eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren later, the couple still reside in the town where they met.

“The children are the most rewarding (part of our marriage),” Ruth said. “We’ve got wonderful children.”

While Bill was raised in Avon Lake, Ruth Higgins said her family moved from Cleveland to Avon Lake in 1936 for a shot at lower rent.

Cleveland rents were about $45 a month in the 1930s, she said. Places in Avon Lake could be found for as low as $18 a month.

Bill said at that time, farming made up most of the economic development in Avon Lake.

“Avon Lake was really small when I grew up,” he said. “We had peaches, grape vineyards and apple orchards, that’s about it. And, of course, farming.”

All things considered, there is a secret to a long, happy marriage, but it isn’t too complicated. Ruth said.

All you really need is “love, forgiveness and a sense of humor,” she said.

JORDANA JOY — THE MORNING JOURNAL Ruth, 97, left, and Bill Higgins, 99, show a photo of themselves in the 1940s. The Avon Lake couple celebrated their 78th wedding anniversary in August.