Eltham couple celebrates 50 years of marriage

Eltham couple celebrates 50 years of marriage PETRA FINER Last updated 16:24, March 21 2016 Ian and Evelyn Sharp at home in Eltham. Petra Finer Ian and Evelyn Sharp at home in Eltham. After 50 years of marriage, Evelyn and Ian Sharp understand the meaning of "in sickness and in health" better than most. The Eltham couple have supported each other through numerous strokes since they married on March 12, 1966. It has been rough. Strokes affect memory and neither Ian or Evelyn have strong recollections of meeting, the proposal or their wedding day but it also has benefits. Evelyn jokes that arguments never last long, disputes are forgotten too quickly to hold a grudge. "We don't always remember everything, he remembers more about older times than I do," she laughs. "We get in an argument and I go outside for a while, come inside and everything's fine again." They knew each other for around three years before they married and think they met at Tokaora Hall. Ian was a painter and paperhanger and Evelyn worked at Yarrows until they had children. They have four children, three daughters Karen, Linda, Wendy and one son Brent, now deceased, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Despite the struggles associated with their times of illness, there has always been a lot of laughter in their household. Having experienced a stroke 10 years before her husband, at the age of 42, Evelyn said it was easier to understand and support Ian a decade later, aged 52, through his five strokes. She couldn't talk for several months, for him it was a year spent silent. She encouraged him to keep things as normal as possible and would ensure he had the paper to read every morning. They have always lived in South Taranaki and haven't travelled much. Ian is by nature a homebody and has felt no desire to visit other areas. Evelyn has never felt the need to travel far from his side. Content in each other's company, Evelyn said they "always go together". "We've stuck together all the way." They lived in Manaia before moving to Stratford but settled in Eltham a few years ago. The couple celebrated their anniversary with a big party in Eltham on Saturday, March 12. "We had everybody in the family there, which is something special." http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/south-taranaki-star/78111139/sharp-couple-celebrate-50-years-of-marriage