Central Illinois couple celebrating 72 years of love this Valentine's Day

There were a lot of things taking place in world in 1951. Among those was an event in a little Central Illinois community that is still going strong today.

Bill and Norma Wilson have been married 72 years.

“It's been a real joy to do things with her and be with her,” Bill, 90, said of being with Norma, 91, who he affectionately calls “Miss Norma.”

How it all started

Norma Jean Kiper was born in rural McLean County, south of Weston. She attended a one-room schoolhouse until eighth grade, when her family moved to Chenoa. She finished up her schooling at Chenoa, graduating from CHS in 1950.

Bill was born in Kentucky, at a place called Fonthill, which he said was nothing more than a post office and store in Russell County, next to Russell Springs. His sister, Beatrice, and her husband brought Bill back to Chenoa after a visit in November 1949.

Bill, just 16 at the time, was only intending on visiting but soon got a job and lived with Beatrice and her husband, Athol Walters, in opting to stay in Chenoa.

Instead of continuing his schooling, Bill went to work for Steve Wilcox, owner of Steve's Cafe, a popular restaurant along Route 66 on Chenoa's west side. Bill worked at the Texaco station that was connected to the restaurant.

“I worked from 10 p.m. to 7 in the morning,” Bill said, adding that he made $35 a week and was happy for it. “There wasn't a whole lot that went on at that time of night."

While Norma isn't sure where the couple first met, they both think they likely saw each other at the cafe at some point in in 1949.

Bill believes he was first introduced to Norma at Frist Baptist Church of Chenoa, where Norma grew up and still attends.

Bill recalls how he got a friend of his, Bill Harrison, to act as an intermediary.

“I saw Norma at the piano (at church) and we kind of made eye contact with each other,” Bill said. “(Bill Harrison) knew Norma already from school, so I kind of used him to make me acquainted with Norma.

“From there we developed a real good situation with each other. That grew and grew and we never turned back.”

“We can hardly remember when we first started dating, it's been so long,” Norma said.

The two dated for about a year and a half before they got married on June 19, 1951, at Bill's parents' house in Kentucky.

“We were supposed to get married at our church, but he was just 17,” Norma said. “We didn't know you couldn't get a license in Illinois if you weren't 18, unless you had your parents' consent. His parents were in Kentucky. That was just a week before we were supposed to get married."

Norma's parents made the trip, and then the couple and both sets of parents left for Chenoa the following day. A reception was held at the Kiper home when they returned.

The couple moved to Bloomington where Norma got a job at State Farm and Bill held various jobs before joining the U.S. Army. After Bill returned to Bloomington, the couple started raising a family.

That family involved the birth of daughters Brenda (Dunahee) and Lisa (Livezey). Bill had gotten a job at General Electric, where he stayed for 34 years before retiring. Brenda was starting first grade when the Wilsons moved back to Chenoa.

Sharing hobbies

The Wilsons got into antiquing and eventually owned Trading Station Antiques, which was located on Chenoa's east side on Route 24. They owned the business for nearly 40 years.

“I think we just kind of developed a liking for antiques,” Norma said. “We had an RV, a trailer, and we got into going to festivals and things. People would be set up to sell stuff and we got interested.”

Other hobbies included being active in the church, playing golf and going to the kids' and grandkids' activities. Norma was a member of Sweet Adelines in Pontiac for more than 20 years and Bill sponsored his own bowling team and basketball team.

There were also family vacations along with wintering in Florida for a couple months a year for about 20 years.

“I don't know how we did everything we did,” Norma said.

The Wilson family is now 21-people strong.

“We have two special daughters,” Norma said. “They have done so much for us. I can't say enough about how good they've been to us.

Key to success

So, how does a couple remain so much in love after 72 years?

“It's hard to think of everything that makes a good marriage,” Norma said. “I think we had pretty much the same beliefs and it worked well. It still does. You have to respect each other's thoughts and wishes.”

“Not everything is going to go perfect, so you have to be forgiving,” Bill added.

There is certainly something special about a couple that has been together nearly three-quarters of a century.

As their daughter Lisa said, “You couldn't ask for any better, that's for sure.”

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Valentine's Day love story: Illinois couple married 72 years