AT PLEASANT Grove Baptist Church in Alabama, a teenage boy named Terry first laid eyes on a girl named Tracy. Her father was the pastor there, and Terry remembers the moment vividly.
“As she walked in, I said, ‘I’m going to marry that girl,’” he said.
At the time, Terry was a junior at Lincoln County High School, and Tracy was a sophomore at Buckhorn High. They didn’t start dating right away. Instead, they built a friendship that would become the foundation of their relationship.
That friendship blossomed into something deeper. Terry knew early on that Tracy was someone special, while Tracy admits it took her a little longer to see marriage in their future.
“I don’t know that I knew that soon,” she said. “We spent a lot of time together, and I think we pretty much knew where we were headed and that things were going to get serious soon.”
Two years later, on Sept. 20, 1986, Tracy and Terry tied the knot not long after Tracy graduated from high school. What began as a teenage friendship became a marriage built on teamwork, grace, understanding, and most importantly, love.
FAITH AT THE CENTER
From the beginning, their marriage has been anchored in faith.
“Having Jesus in our lives is the number one thing for us,” Tracy said. “Jesus has always been a part of our lives and has gotten us through a lot of hard things that we’ve had to deal with and go through — things that we never dreamed that we would have to. And I think that our belief in God has been at the forefront of what kept us together.”
That faith has been their compass through life’s joys and sorrows. It guided them as young parents, still fresh out of high school and figuring out the world. Just two years after marrying, they welcomed their first child in 1988.
“We had children pretty young,” said Tracy. “They’re all grown now, and we lost our daughter, our youngest child, in 2015, on Jan. 1, New Year’s Day, to a rare type of lymphoma cancer.”
The loss of their daughter, Taryn, was devastating, but their faith and their bond carried them through. They leaned on each other, on their church community, and on the belief that God would sustain them even in the darkest valley.
FRIENDSHIP AND TEAMWORK
After nearly four decades, Tracy and Terry describe themselves as best friends who allow each other to be their own person.
“We’ve always enjoyed spending time together,” she said. “But I also have never been a wife who was not willing to let him do the things that he likes, such as hunting and fishing. He’s an outdoorsman. I’ve never had a problem with him going to do his thing. And then, if I had some things that I liked to do, he didn’t mind letting me do that either.”
That sense of teamwork has defined their marriage. Whether raising children, supporting each other’s careers, or navigating grief, they’ve always approached life as partners.
EVERYDAY JOYS
While faith and resilience have carried them through hardships, Tracy and Terry also find joy in the everyday moments. They love dinner dates, but they also enjoy staying in and cooking together.
“We cook together,” Tracy said. “We cook supper just about every night. We also like to travel and try to go somewhere at least once a year.”
Between their jobs — Terry as a materials specialist and Tracy as a non‑attorney disability representative — and their busy family life, they stay active. They also happen to have nine grandchildren between their three children, Trent, Tyler, and their late daughter, Taryn. So their household stays full of life.
“We spend a lot of time at church,” Tracy added. “We have a lot of activities that we do at church and a lot of roles that we help with. And we have nine grandchildren, so we’re always busy.”
WHAT THEY LOVE MOST
When asked what she loves most about her husband, Tracy said it’s hands down Terry’s helpful nature.
“He’s always been a huge help,” she said. “He’s always been supportive. He’s always been there if I needed help with something. He’s always stepped up and helped, especially around holidays when it’s a time when everything has to be good and perfect — the house cleaned up and lots of meals to cook. He’s always been very supportive. Even when the children were little, he’s always been a big help to me. He always got home earlier than I did in the afternoons. He would have started supper. He would get the kids and make sure that they were getting their homework, and then I’d come in. Especially when we had little ones, and one was still on a bottle, he was just always a lot of help.”
Terry echoed her sentiment by saying Tracy is also the best at helping him with whatever he needs. “It’s just like she said — we were helpful to each other. I had to be to work early, so she made sure the kids were dressed, had breakfast, and ready for school, and then got them where they needed to go.”
Together, they said, they make a good team.
ADVICE FOR OTHERS
After 39 years of marriage, Tracy and Terry have wisdom to share.
“Make sure you want to be with that person,” Terry said. “Always keep Jesus in your life and never go to bed mad at one another. I always apologize.”
Tracy added that patience and grace are essential for each other.
“I would say also — just to add to that — having patience and extending grace at times because we’re not perfect. And don’t be in a rush. It goes by so fast.” GN
