Editor's note: Since this interview with the Ferrantes, Frank passed away in January.

In a time when lifelong love often feels like a fading tradition, Frank and Bev Ferrante stand as a living legacy of what enduring marriage looks like. This past October, the Kaysville couple celebrated 72 years of marriage – years woven together with loyalty, laughter, and an unshakable bond built on trust, mutual respect, and faith.

Their story began in 1951, when Frank was stationed in Utah from the Marines to guard the Clearfield Naval Supply Depot, the Navy’s largest inland depot, crucial during WWII and the Cold War for storing supplies for the Pacific fleet. They attended a dance at the base. Bev, a Kaysville native, had been invited by a friend’s wife and it was there that fate introduced the two. Bev remembers being instantly drawn to his handsome Italian smile. Frank, charmed by her grace, knew he had found someone special.

Their first date? Being set up at that dance. “It was free for Navy members,” Frank said. “We didn’t have much, but we had each other.” One and a half years later, they married on Oct. 16, 1953.

Frank and Bev married on Oct. 16, 1953. Courtesy photo

 The wedding itself was small but meaningful. Many men were out hunting that weekend, so the guest list skewed toward women and children. “It was simple, but it was us,” Bev recalls.

Afterward, they embarked on a bittersweet honeymoon: a two-day train ride to Boston to see Frank’s ailing father. Though his dad passed away the day after their arrival, the couple treasures that journey as a meaningful part of their early marriage story.

Faith, family, and foundations

So what’s kept their marriage so strong? “Trust and teamwork,” said Frank. Bev handled the family’s finances, raised four children, and held the home together during Frank’s 20 relocations over 24 years of military service, including long stints in Vietnam and Japan.

“She was efficient, organized, and always thinking ahead,” Frank said. “I trusted her with everything.”

Bev agrees. “We always put our family first,” she said. “We made decisions as a team – even if we didn’t always agree.”

Frank admits he had to learn to let go of always being right. “I was independent, raised to handle everything myself. But Bev taught me the value of sharing the load,” he said. “And she was right –most of the time.”

They never go to bed angry, a rule they’ve kept for over seven decades. “Talk it out, give a hug, and sleep with peace,” Frank advises.

Challenges and change

Life wasn’t always easy. Their first child was born just a month before Frank shipped out to Japan. Later, Bev raised the children while Frank served in Vietnam. They moved nearly two dozen times. “It was hard, but we kept each other going,” Bev said.

Now in their golden years, the roles have shifted. “We take care of each other,” Frank says tenderly. “I fix things around the house, she fixes our meals. We’re still a team.”

They’ve celebrated countless milestones – children, grandchildren, and now great-great-grandchildren. Their favorite season of life? Three years spent in Hawaii with their kids, walking the beach and enjoying sunsets together.

Their advice for young couples? “Love each other every day. Don’t let anger linger. Communicate and help each other. Be helpful – because love is in the little things.”

Asked to describe one another in three words, Frank says Bev is “lovable, organized, and patient.” Bev calls Frank “honest, helpful, and dependable.”

Seven decades later, before Frank's passing they still looked at each other with the same affection they shared on that dance floor in 1951 – a reminder that true love, with a little faith and a lot of teamwork, really can last a lifetime.