Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Diamond day for delightful duo celebrated with family
A beloved Coatbridge couple celebrated 60 years of wedded bliss together with their very proud family.
To mark David and Jean Mcdougall’s diamond day, North Lanarkshire Provost Jean Jones presented the lovebirds with a card, flowers and a bottle of whisky, with Depute Lieutenant Derek Hannan handing over a special card from Her Majesty the Queen.
The devoted couple have two children, David and Lisa, and two grandchildren, Josh and Cameron.
David, 87, is a retired manager of a roller boards factory in Kilsyth. They are both keen hill walkers and successfully completed the West Highland Way in aid of Cancer Research UK.
As well as being bowling enthusiasts and members of the Victoria bowling club in Coatbridge, the couple are also country dancing experts and attend classes in Kildonan.
Jean, 80, worked in the Phillips factory in Airdrie, before she went on to raise her family. She is an excellent knitter and dressmaker and is also a terrific cook.
David told the Advertiser: “Jean knits a lot for the babies at Wishaw hospital. She also made my kilts for Scottish country dancing and she is an excellent cook.”
And he joked: “I told her sisters that I got the one who could cook, knit and country dance. I got the best of the bunch.”
The couple met at a dance in Coatbridge town hall and were married in Trinity Church in Coatdyke on
September 30, 1961.
To mark their milestone anniversary David told us: “I took all the family and gave them a treat. We had a lovely meal at the Tipsy Cow in Airdrie. We kept it a surprise from Jean. She was quite taken aback.”
And Jean told us that the secret to their six decades of happy marriage was “always being happy together”, “having the same interests”, and “loving one another”.
The diamond duo also marked another major milestone recently when Jean celebrated her 80th birthday with a bang.