Submitted by St. Catherine’s Village
“When you know, you know.” That’s how David Keith described his whirlwind romance with his wife, Dorothy. The couple met when he was a 22-year-old college student and she was 19, living nearby with her sister. Now the St. Catherine’s Village residents are celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary.
“David asked me to dance, and that was all it took,” Mrs. Keith recalled. Though the two arrived at the dance separately, by the end of the evening they were inseparable. “We went out almost every night after that, and three months later we were married.”
After graduation, Mr. Keith received job offers from across the country. Yet he chose a position with the telephone company in Natchez because, as he explained, he had “married a Mississippi girl.”
As their family grew, the Keiths moved around the state, settling in Jackson not once but three times, then in Madison. They raised two daughters in Mississippi and have been blessed with five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
During their retirement, the couple reached a point where they were ready for a new home and a more carefree lifestyle … one that would offer peace of mind and a sense of community and would allow them to stay in the area they loved. They found exactly what they were looking for in Madison — St. Catherine’s Village. The all-inclusive Life Plan Community provides the right care at the right time through independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing, all in a protected and picturesque 160-acre wooded setting.
“When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” said Mr. Keith, referring not only to his marriage but also to their decision to move to St. Catherine’s more than a decade ago. “God put the right place in our lives.” To this day, the couple enjoy their independent living apartment and the activities available on the senior living campus.
The Keiths are the longest married couple to have resided at St. Catherine’s. And now their daughter and her husband also have a residence at the community, making it feel even more like home.
When reflecting on her 75 years of marriage, Mrs. Keith offered this simple yet profound advice: “Be a little flexible, that’s the secret.
For more information on senior living options at St. Catherine’s Village Life Plan Community, visit StCatherinesVillage.com or call 601-856-0123 to schedule a tour.