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FAITH AT THE CENTER \u201cHaving Jesus in our lives is the number one thing for us,\u201d Tracy said. \u201cJesus has always been a part of our lives and has gotten us through a lot of hard things that we\u2019ve had to deal with and go through \u2014 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That faith has been their compass through life\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had children pretty young,\u201d said Tracy. \u201cThey\u2019re all grown now, and we lost our daughter, our youngest child, in 2015, on Jan. 1, New Year\u2019s Day, to a rare type of lymphoma cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FRIENDSHIP AND TEAMWORK \u201cWe\u2019ve always enjoyed spending time together,\u201d she said. \u201cBut 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\u2019s an outdoorsman. I\u2019ve 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\u2019t mind letting me do that either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That sense of teamwork has defined their marriage. Whether raising children, supporting each other\u2019s careers, or navigating grief, they\u2019ve always approached life as partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n EVERYDAY JOYS \u201cWe cook together,\u201d Tracy said. \u201cWe cook supper just about every night. We also like to travel and try to go somewhere at least once a year.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between their jobs \u2014 Terry as a materials specialist and Tracy as a non\u2011attorney disability representative \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe spend a lot of time at church,\u201d Tracy added. \u201cWe 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\u2019re always busy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n WHAT THEY LOVE MOST \u201cHe\u2019s always been a huge help,\u201d she said. \u201cHe\u2019s always been supportive. He\u2019s always been there if I needed help with something. He\u2019s always stepped up and helped, especially around holidays when it\u2019s a time when everything has to be good and perfect \u2014 the house cleaned up and lots of meals to cook. He\u2019s always been very supportive. Even when the children were little, he\u2019s 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\u2019d come in. Especially when we had little ones, and one was still on a bottle, he was just always a lot of help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Terry echoed her sentiment by saying Tracy is also the best at helping him with whatever he needs. \u201cIt\u2019s just like she said \u2014 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Together, they said, they make a good team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ADVICE FOR OTHERS \u201cMake sure you want to be with that person,\u201d Terry said. \u201cAlways keep Jesus in your life and never go to bed mad at one another. I always apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tracy added that patience and grace are essential for each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would say also \u2014 just to add to that \u2014 having patience and extending grace at times because we\u2019re not perfect. And don\u2019t be in a rush. It goes by so fast.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. \u201cAs she walked in, I said, \u2018I\u2019m going to marry that girl,\u2019\u201d he said. At the time, Terry was a junior at Lincoln […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":25174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/strong>From the beginning, their marriage has been anchored in faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/02\/Story-1-photo1-8-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>After nearly four decades, Tracy and Terry describe themselves as best friends who allow each other to be their own person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/02\/Story-1-photo1-5-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/strong>When asked what she loves most about her husband, Tracy said it\u2019s hands down Terry\u2019s helpful nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>After 39 years of marriage, Tracy and Terry have wisdom to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n