A toast to 70 years -a journey in life

In a quiet Hartsville neighborhood live the Chapmans, who have accomplished something in life most of us only dream about – 70 years of married bliss – and they accomplished it while working together, having fun together and raising a daughter together.

Their life’s journey as a couple began on Oct. 29, 1938. Howard Chapman and Bessie Kelley were married in Darlington County at the home of a Baptist minister in Dovesville.

“I went up to his door and asked him if he was marrying people tonight,” Howard said. “I told him we had decided we were going to get married, and I had the license.”

Howard, who went on to obtain an engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania, said he was still in high school and working.
“Her mother and father had died,” Howard said of his lovely wife.

The couple had been dating a long time before Bessie’s mother died in July 1938, Howard said. Bessie’s father died when she was three years old. Bessie is also the great-great granddaughter of Jacob Kelley.

When her mother died, Bessie inherited a house and no one was living in. Howard was living down the street.

“I had moved into town and was boarding with Aunt Maude,” he said. “I said ‘why don’t we all move in.’”
That was Bessie and Howard and her sister, Martha.

However, a year later Martha got married. Howard and Bessie moved out, and Martha and her husband stayed.

The Chapmans had one daughter, Ann Brown, who now lives in Marietta, Ga., near Atlanta.

On Saturday, Oct. 25, their daughter hosted a reception honoring her parents’ 70th wedding anniversary at the Hartsville County Club.
What does Howard think has made their marriage work all these years?

“We just love each other. We are different enough that we don’t spoil it,” he said. “We didn’t spoil our marriage. We love each other dearly and work hard to be pleasant to each other. You have to work hard at making a marriage a success, to have a happy marriage.”

Bessie said they have lived by the golden rule of doing unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

Howard said that everyone has to yield to their spouse at some point to have a successful marriage.

“She tried to take away some of my bad habits,” Howard said with a chuckle. “It has been a great trip. Enjoyed almost every minute of it.”
During their married life, there were years that the couple worked side by side.

After serving in World War II, Howard returned home and went into business for himself.

Bessie said she worked at the Hartsville silk mill for 10 cents an hour for 10 hours a day during the early years of their marriage. She said it was the Joy Silk Mill over the railroad tracks. She worked there from September 1936 until World War II. For the war years, Bessie said she had a job at Sonoco but went back to the mill once the war was over.

“Then we worked together,” Howard said.

The couple worked together in real estate and the finance business. They continued to work together until 1975 when Howard had a heart attack and went on disability. Bessie’s brother worked with them, and they eventually sold him the business. Bessie said she worked on for a while with her brother before retiring.

That’s when they started having fun.

When Howard became disabled, the couple decided to spend time doing what they enjoyed most – traveling.
The couple purchased a small motor home to do their traveling.

Ann said her parents purchased another and another until they had a 40-ft. motor home.

Ann said her father was driving across country in the 40-ft. motor home until he was 83 years old.
“And towing a car,” Ann said.

Howard said, “We went from New York to California. We’ve been in every state in the United States, including Alaska. We’ve also been to Canada and Mexico.”

There were times that the couple would be gone for several months at a time.

Ann said her father built a building in the backyard to store the motor home so that people couldn’t tell when they were gone.
“We have done some traveling,” Howard said.

On the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary friends from all over the country came to the celebration. Many of these people were friends made during their travels. The couple said there were about 20 motor homes parked at the site of their 50th celebration.

When not traveling, Bessie said she liked to knit, crochet and make Christmas trees and snowmen out of crystal beads and lights. Howard dabbled in woodwork in his workshop.

“He would read the encyclopedia, too,” Ann said.

“I got started too late for the computer,” Howard said. “I didn’t think it was going to take over the world.”

The couple said they liked to fish together, too, but their biggest hobby was traveling.

Now a lot of time is spent with their three grandchildren, Ron and his wife Renee, Mark and Bess and their 3-year-old great-granddaughter, Sadie.
“She is a doll baby and smart as a whip,” said the proud great-grandfather. “I wish they lived closer.

A 70th wedding anniversary is a huge milestone and one that the Chapman greeted with eagerness.