As they sit in an empty cafeteria at Southwood Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Doris Holland holds tight to her husband Paul’s hand while he tells the story of how they met nearly eight decades ago. She cracks a smile as he talks proudly about getting that first date as the two walked around the Sampson County Courthouse, tying the knot just two months later.
That was in 1940. On Tuesday, the couple will mark their 77th wedding anniversary. Both now residents of Southwood, Paul is 99 years old and Doris is 95. Paul was just 22 when he fell for 18-year-old Doris that day so long ago.
“I reckon she was the right thing for me and I was the right thing for her,” Paul said. “If she didn’t like what I was doing, she’d tell me and I’d do the same thing for her, in a sensible way, and we’ve been very happy.”
He remembers when he met Doris “to the day, the hour and the minute.” He recalled when his gaze caught hers as she was walking with one of her girlfriends. He approached the friend. “Who is that?” he asked, slack-jawed. Paul sidled up next to Doris and the two shared the first of a lifetime of moments.
“That was the first time I saw her. I walked with her for about half a block before I talked her into a date,” said Paul, who recalled with a wry smile trying to get “frisky” with her. He was ultimately able to get a second date and the two were inseparable.
Just a couple months later, the couple were having a picnic with some friends at White Lake when the conversation turned to marriage. Some friends were jokingly prodding the couple to get hitched. That same day, a trip to Dillon, S.C., sealed the deal.
“It really is amazing,” said Paul and Doris’ youngest daughter Debbie, adding, “They didn’t tell her parents.”
The couple had four children. Patsy Holland Norris, the oldest child, died two years ago at 73. Along with Debbie, there were two boys, Paul Holland Jr. and James Holland.
“It’s an honor to have them at Southwood,” said Joy Pope, admissions director for the facility, which is under the Liberty Healthcare umbrella that also includes Mary Gran and Liberty Hospice. “They’re a real delightful couple.”
Liberty officials were expected to treat the Hollands and others to cake and ice cream to celebrate their special occasion.
“You get to be 99 and you don’t mind staying in your room,” said Paul, sitting in a wheelchair alongside Doris.
The couple have been together for little over a year at Southwood. Doris has been there for about 10 years. Before Paul joined her in Room 306 last April, he visited her every day. He drove up until he was close to 98 years old and most of his time was dedicated to visiting his wife, who had endured health problems that forced them to live apart.
At 97, close to 98 years old, Paul stopped driving — albeit not willingly. The vehicle was essentially repossessed by the sons, who feared for his and others’ safety.
“That didn’t suit their dad,” Paul said.
“Before we had to take his license, he would go up there and stay with her each day, all day,” Debbie recalled. “He just got so feeble.”
After getting married, Paul and Doris lived in Asheboro for a time before returning in 1968 to Clinton, where they lived on Chestnutt Street.
“I’m glad they have each other,” said Debbie, who still lives in the same neighborhood. “I think it’s amazing that they’ve made it this far, and they’ve stuck together through it all.”
Doris was a church secretary and Paul was a car salesman before becoming a sales manager. He started out selling tractors in 1950 then went on to sell automobiles.
“I got my first taste of selling a car,” he remarked. “It thrilled me so much that I became a very avid seller of automobiles. I was very successful in car selling.”
He bought a house, bought a car and raised four children and sent them to college. He worked until he was 80 years old. On his 80th birthday, he shot an 80 playing golf, a game he would play for 10 more years after that. He got a hole-in-one in a church golf tournament when he was 90 years old. By that time, he could only play six holes.
The two worshipped at Clinton Pentecostal Holiness Church, what is now called Clinton Community Church. Before it expanded and moved to its location on Sunset Avenue, the church was located on Johnson Street, where the couple attended services for many years.
Paul called faith “one of the most important parts of life.” Debbie said her parents have always been faithful to God, saying her mother Doris was “a pillar of her church.”
Paul served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, assigned to the USS Borie. It sank following a battle in 1943, killing 48 men and wounding 66 others. Paul escaped unharmed. During those wartime years, he would record messages to his wife on small 45 records, beginning each with “Hello darling” in his familiar Southern drawl.
In the past year or so, Debbie has collected many of the old photos, diaries and information about the war as a keepsake to pass on her family’s history. She traced the genealogy of her father back to the mid-1700s and her mother back to 15th Century England.
“It started when we had a family reunion last year on my mother’s side,” said Debbie. “I got fascinated with it.”
Even though his hearing is not what it once was, Paul is still sharp and can recount much of the history himself. As he begins another story about his car selling years, Doris cracks another smile. When asked the secret to longevity in life and marriage, Doris’ smile broadens a bit and she breaks her silence.
“He put up with me,” she remarks.
Paul leans forward, asking Debbie what his wife said. He grins when his daughter relays the message.
“She put up with me,” Paul said, correcting his bride.
“She’s been the glue that has held them and the family together,” Debbie added.
Around this time, Doris squeezes Paul’s hand even tighter, prompting him to comment on the vice grip with a small giggle. It’s time to go back to the room. Before leaving, Paul takes the opportunity to answers the question about the secret to life.
“I’d never dreamed I’d live this long,” he said.
He looks at his wife, thinks for a moment and then imparts wisdom earned from nearly a century of life experience.
“Number one, marry the right person — the one who loves and respects you, and give her that respect and love in return,” he asserted. “That creates a life that is rewarding. That is our case here. I gave her my heart and she did the same. I supposed that has contributed to the longevity part.”
