Hubert Malicote kissed June Napier interestingly almost a long time back as they sat on a family room love seat. He believed he had failed when he was a teenager.
“I quickly got up and thought, what have I done?” Hubert, now 99, said.
It turns out that Hubert didn’t even try: Even though they have been married for nearly 80 years, the couple maintains that they are inseparable. The couple claims that they have never had a fight in their decades of marriage. Not one time.
The pair in 1943. The fact that they describe their marriage in this manner is instructive, despite the fact that quarreling is subjective.
The key to their enduring affection, they said, is two things they consented to from the get-go: They generally share a kiss before sleep time, and at whatever point a conflict emerges, they take a break from one another prior to talking it through.
Hubert, who will become a centenarian alongside his wife later this month, stated, “It works like a charm.” June turned 100 on July 13, and Hubert’s birthday is July 23.
They met in a church in September 1941, when they were 19 years old, and now live together in Hamilton, Ohio. June was earning ten cents an hour at an ice cream parlor while Hubert was earning 35 cents an hour at a manufacturing company.
Hubert recalled that the back pew was open that day when he and a friend went to the church. As we slid into that pew, we were greeted by a crowded view of girls. One of them turned around, took a gander at me, and grinned.”
He stated, “That started the whole thing.”
Hubert and June were among a group of churchgoers who walked together to a park after the service. After having a conversation with June, Hubert stated that he knew in a matter of seconds.
He couldn’t stop thinking about June’s smile, according to Hubert.
He continued, “I often wondered how our life would have turned out if she hadn’t smiled.”
In the 1940s, the Malicotes. ( Photo of the family) The attraction was mutual: June, who suffered a stroke in January 2020 that limited her speech, exclaimed, “He was so handsome.” In a phone interview with The Washington Post, she spoke infrequently. He was all I could handle.
Hubert stated, “The following Sunday, I went back to church to meet her again,” adding that they continued to meet on Sunday mornings until he was brave enough to invite her to the county fair.
That day, they had their first kiss, but Hubert’s desire to join the Navy soon made their blossoming romance more complicated. In 1942, he signed up to fight in World War II.
Hubert was a member of the United States military from 1942 to 1945. Photo of the family) Nevertheless, the thought of leaving June behind, particularly without the assurance of a future together, was heartbreaking. She accepted his marriage proposal.
The couple got married on June 8, 1943, in the same church where they first met. Over the three years, Hubert spent in the military — he was positioned in Rhode Island, Pearl Harbor, San Diego, and Maritime Station Extraordinary Lakes — they dependably kept in touch with one another by letters.
June, who was employed at a machinery company making war goods while her husband was away, commented, “That was terrible.” She was constantly concerned about his well-being and whereabouts.
The other roommate is 27 and the other is 85. These arrangements are getting more common.
In the summer of 1945, she finally received a telegram informing her that Hubert was returning home.
Hubert said, still recalling the excitement of seeing his wife waiting for him, “As I arrived, there was no one on the platform but a beautiful girl.”
The Malicotes soon had children. In a house that Hubert built in 1953 on a ranch that was five acres, they raised three children. There, the couple still resides.
June and Hubert with their kids: Jo and Sam, from top, left, and Theresa, from the center Photo of the family) Following the war, Hubert returned to the manufacturing company that produced safes and vaults, where he worked until his retirement in 1990.
Hubert stated that despite the fact that June devoted her time to taking care of the family, “when the children were in college, finances were getting pretty tight, and she went to work at a general store for about nine years.”
According to the couple, it wasn’t always easy.
Hubert stated, “When you solve those problems, you become a team.” You would rather not split that group up; You wish to continue it.
In 1993, the couple marks their 50th wedding anniversary. Family photo) Hubert said that despite the couple’s occasional disagreements, they made a conscious effort to “never criticize each other.”
He explained that giving each other space, even for a couple of hours, prevented misunderstandings from developing into full-blown arguments. At the point when she grinned, those issues would disappear.”
Because of construction, his McDonald’s was closed for months. He continued to pay the staff.
He was raised in Indiana, and she was raised in Kentucky, on farms. Hubert was one of 13 kin, and June was one of eight. They both said they longed for little and led simple lives.
“We knew how to deal with problems, how to take care of money, how to spend, and how to save,” Hubert stated.
He continued as a woodworker and beekeeper, and she continued as a skilled seamstress, throughout their retirement years. They claimed that keeping busy has preserved their youth.
The Malicotes claimed that keeping them busy has preserved their youth. Photo of the family) Their 70-year-old daughter Jo Malicote claims that her parents’ bond is stronger than ever.
She stated, “I never so much as even heard a harsh word spoken between the two of them,” noting that her parents rarely planned date nights or exchanged extravagant gifts. It almost seemed like each day was a date. They just looked out for one another.”
On Facebook, she gave away her wedding dress. Soon, others followed suit.
This is especially true now that they are older and have experienced losses in addition to health issues.
June’s birthday is celebrated by the Malicotes. Photo of the family) “They never go to bed without a kiss,” Jo stated. That has always been the case.”
On July 15, the Malicotes celebrated their 100th birthdays together at Eaton Road Church of God, where they met, got married, and have remained members ever since.
The matriarch and patriarch of the family were honored by dozens of close friends and their seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Hubert said, “We’ve had a wonderful life.” It keeps getting better with June Bug.
