A backyard celebration was held on Saturday, August 6, in Salisbury with family and friends in honor of the 60th wedding anniversary of Louise and Ted Andrus. The Andruses were married August 3, 1962 in Franklin by a justice of the peace.

Ted and Louise had no honeymoon. They had no home and owned no home furnishings. They had two assets; their second-hand green Chevy that seemed to break down every time it went past a garage, and each other. 

They lived with Ted’s parents for a couple of weeks until they found a furnished apartment in Wilmot Flat. Eventually, they bought their first home on North Wilmot Road in Wilmot. They moved seven times in 14 years, with their last move being when they purchased their land in Salisbury and built their own home and barn, where they live today.

Both Louise and Ted are retired from full-time jobs; however, both manage to remain active. They keep their small farm running by gardening; canning and freezing the fruits and vegetables they have grown; cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood for both their home and Ted’s maple sugaring; taking care of their chickens and three horses; and haying one of their neighbor’s fields and their own. Louise remains active in her community by attending town meetings and school board meetings, and she is also a State House Representative.

Their greatest joys in life are their three daughters, Nicki French, Naomi Lamas, and Bobbie Newberg, their three sons-in-law, and their four grandsons.

When the wedding vows are taken “for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health,” Louise believes she and Ted have been through it all, and says, “It is hard to put into words what 60 years of marriage is and what it means.” 

Some have asked, “How did the two of you do it?” Louise’s amusing reply is, “We both have never quit on the same day.” And when asked if they would do it all again, the answer is definitely “Yes!”