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Jacksonville couple celebrates love on 77th wedding anniversary

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An elderly Jacksonville couple celebrated 77 years of love on Friday.

John and Joan Herberger’s love story began in 1947 when Joan noticed John at a softball game.

The couple’s youngest son, Mark Herberger, shared their story with News4JAX.

Mark Herberger (WJXT)

He said his mother’s best friend, Betty Lou, and her boyfriend, Ray, another player on the softball team, were dating. His mother asked, “Who’s that cute pitcher out there?”

So, Ray and Betty Lou arranged a blind date, and the couple has been inseparable for 77 years and counting.

“It’s like the energizer bunnies. They keep on going,” Mark said. “Seventy-seven years, a lot of people don’t even live to be 77 years old much less be married for 77 years.”

John and Joan Herberger celebrate 77 years of love (WJXT)

His parents moved to Florida from western New York when they retired in 1984. John worked at GM, and Joan was a high school secretary.

Mark said his parents taught him the keys to a successful and lasting marriage include “lots of patience, lots of communication, and enjoying those special moments.”

John will be 100 years old in October, and Joan is 98. They live in a senior living community in Jacksonville and enjoy playing cards together and taking a stroll hand-in-hand.

On their 75th anniversary in 2022, John and Joan won an award from the Catholic Church, recognizing them as the oldest living couple in the state of Florida.

Let’s wish them a happy anniversary and many more!

John and Joan Herberger celebrate 77 years of love (WJXT)

About the Authors
Kendra Mazeke headshot

Proud alumnus of Bethune-Cookman University.

Alicia Booth Sprecher headshot

Storytelling is at the heart of what Alicia loves most about television news and she is thrilled to be a part of the News4Jax team.

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