The year 1953 was a big one. Dwight Eisenhower was sworn in as the 34th president, Dr. Jonas Salk created the polio vaccine, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine and Eggo Waffles made their debut in grocery stores.
And there were two marriages of note: U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy’s to Jacqueline Bouvier and Joe Stubits to his bride, Jean.
Now living in Monarch Landing in Naperville, Joe and Jean just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. The pair were introduced by friends at a dance in New Jersey. Jean, now 90, was a legal secretary and Joe, 93, a lieutenant in the Airborne Rangers.
He left the Rangers on Oct. 7, 1953, and the couple married three days later.
“I liked to dance and he liked to dance,” said Jean. “He asked me out the following weekend and we went to the movies. He only came home at weekends.”
The couple’s life together was off to great start even before they wed when they were chosen from the audience to appear on “The Big Pay Off,” an NBC game show.
“They said 45 million people will be watching, how does that strike you? And I said it doesn’t bother me,” Joe said.
While her husband answered general knowledge questions, Jean says she “sat on a chair like a queen.”
“I had to win for my fiancée,” said Joe. “I answered general knowledge questions and won a new wardrobe. My wife would have won a wedding dress, but she already had one so they gave her evening clothes instead. We also won a trip to Florida. They kept sending prizes at the same time as people were sending us wedding gifts. It was very exciting.”
In 1970, Joe’s work brought the couple to Chicago. He rose to become vice president of the Beneficial Corp., which owned finance companies. When he was 61, he took early retirement because “you never know how long you’ll be around for.”
Thirty years later, he’s still enjoying life with vigor.
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The couple have two children, one of whom is deceased, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. They lived in Glen Ellyn for more than 40 years before moving to Naperville. They attribute their longevity to staying fit.
Said Jean: “You have to keep your health. If you’re healthy, it’s a lot easier to confront your problems.”
Joe also credits his long life down to a woman he thinks of as his guardian angel.
For many years the couple wintered in Florida. One day Joe was completing a 4.5-mile walk along the beach when he was stopped by a woman out for a stroll.
“She asked me how I was, and I said, ‘110 percent,'” he said. “She said her husband had said exactly the same thing a month before he died. She said I should see a cardiologist to make sure.
“I went along to her doctor, they did tests and found I had a leaking valve and a blockage. I was in the ICU for days. Now I’m fine and just have a checkup once a year. Somebody up there likes me. It’s amazing. I told her she saved my life.”
Jean says Joe has always paid attention to his health. Even now he’ll lift weights while watching ball games on TV. They also enjoy walking, using the gym and the pool, and playing Wii bowling. Joe was a keen golfer until the other three members of his 27-year foursome passed away.
The Stubits plan to celebrate their platinum anniversary by taking their family on a cruise, just as they did for their 50th and 60th anniversaries. They’ve always enjoyed travel and have been to every continent other than Antarctica.
Even living in a retirement community, Jean admits they hear of very few couples reaching a milestone such as theirs.
When they married, Joe said, they never considered they would live to celebrate 70 years. But he offers this advice:
“Remember, there are two sides to every coin,” he said. “Talk it out. Too many people rush to see divorce lawyers. Remember, communication doesn’t just mean talk, but listening. You have to keep busy, don’t vegetate. You have to be active.”
Jean admits it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.
“I would say life is not easy at times. You’ve got to listen and support each other. You have to make adjustments,” she said.
Joe predicts that with people marrying later in life these days, 70th anniversaries will become even rarer.
“We have a great life and a good family. That’s what it’s all about,” he said.
Hilary Decent is a freelance journalist who moved to Naperville from England in 2007.