Allen and Beatrice Ricks’ love story began more than 81 years ago when they met at an ice cream social.
“It was nice,” Allen said of their first date, occurring in the summer of 1935.
They married that same year on Christmas Day. The holiday provided the families a day off work, allowing the young couple to tie the knot.
The couple’s whirlwind courtship revolved around simple outings. On Sunday nights Allen walked more than a mile to see his intended.
“We went to dances and we went to church,” Beatrice recalled.
Although he retired as a boilermaker, he also worked in phosphate mines after the couple relocated to the Sunshine State in 1946 from Baldwin, Miss.
Initially, the Ricks’ worked in the strawberry fields and a fruit packing plant near Plant City. The secret to the longevity of their marriage could be due to geography.
“I worked away from home a lot,” Allen, 100, said.
But for Beatrice, their love sweetened one day at time.
“It means my whole life,” the 98-year-old said.
Daughter-in-law Sandra Ricks and Boyd, the couple’s oldest child, married Sept. 25, 1980. The elder couple also shares daughter Gail, nine grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and numerous great-great-grandchildren.
During the past three decades, Sandra has observed the couple’s relationship. The seniors moved to Nassau County in 1986.
“They are always respectful of taking care of each other,” she said.
Allen is a bit shy and Beatrice has vision and hearing problems, but that doesn’t stop the couple from showing affection. They usually communicate with their eyes and a touch of the hand.
“They just seem to know what the other is thinking,” Sandra said. “They have a great innate sense of communication without using their voices. They have a sensory understanding of each other.”
She has also enjoyed living close to her in-laws.
“They’ve been a big help to us,” Sandra said. “We’re so blessed they can stay in their home. They thrive whenever the two are together.”
Allen and Beatrice continue to respond to each other warmly. Boyd said his parents always laughed a lot. Despite never achieving great wealth, the couple has been together through thick and thin.
“They always made the most of what they had and always lived within their means,” Sandra said. “Grandpa never had a credit card or a mortgage. He always worked and saved up for things. He never got anything he couldn’t afford until he could buy it.”
The couple’s longevity and sound marriage has served as an example to extended family, according to Sandra.
“They never put themselves first,” she recalled.
Allen maintains a sense of humor about his marital success.
“Just keep quiet,” he said.
His wife took a softer approach, attributing their happiness to, “Love, I suppose.”
Already 36 years into his marriage with Sandra, Boyd looks to the future, saying, “I’ve got a legacy to follow – hadn’t I?”