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Sarasota couple celebrates 70 years of marriage: 'There aren’t any secrets'

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Published  September 12, 2024 6:26pm EDT
Sarasota
FOX 13 News

Bay Area couple celebrates 70th wedding anniversary

A monumental anniversary for Bob and Lucille Alloca. Thursday marks their 70th year together, and that deserves a party.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The details of how Bob and Lucille Alloca first met when they were 15 are a little blurry.

"I remember our first date," Bob said.

"I don’t remember," Lucille said.

"I think it’s our first date. We went to the movies and I hardly said a thing," Bob said.

How they felt, and feel, though, is hard to forget.

"I was always attracted to her," Bob said.

Bob was on the football team at his high school in Brooklyn, and Lucille and her friends would go to the games, they said.

"It was fun when we were just kids, of course," Lucille said. "We used to go out and he used to borrow his dad’s car and we used to go down on the weekends to Rockaway Beach Park," she said.

Thursday, the 92-year-olds celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Their senior living community in Sarasota, Brookdale Colonial Park, threw them a party complete with a cake, balloons and entertainment. It was a packed house as the couple reminisced and gave the secret to a long-lasting marriage.

"There aren’t any secrets," Lucille said. "You just put up with each other, seriously," she said.

"I’ll tell you the secret," Bob joked.

"No, don’t tell them that kind of secret," Lucille said.

"Every morning I had to practice saying ‘yes dear,’" Bob said.

They traveled around the world, attending conferences for Bob’s job with Grumman as an engineer. He worked on Apollo 11 and 13 missions. They have five kids, and lots of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"Have patience and listen to each other. He doesn't anymore," Lucille said. "You have to put up with a lot. There's a lot of ups and downs and there's a lot of times you're going to get hurt and then lots of times are going to be very, very happy."

"Kids, I say, don't worry about money. Worry about being together with yourself and love each other and everything will work out. The good Lord will provide," Bob said.

Love, though, they said, is the true key to not just a long marriage, but a long life.

"A couple of years ago, I was feeling really bad and the good Lord said to me, ‘you know, I'm going to take you to tomorrow.’ And I said, ‘No, you can't do that. I have to stay and take care of Lucille.’ And He said, ‘OK,’ so that's what I'm doing now. That's my job, to take care of her and that’s why I’m still living," Bob said.

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