DALLAS — While most couples are scrambling for last-minute dinner reservations this Valentine’s Day, John and Marie Chiles, are taking it easy. After 71 years of marriage, they’ve already had their big celebration for the year.
The couple celebrated their 71st anniversary on February 4th. For Marie, 99, and John, 97, the secret isn't found in a box of chocolates, but in a choice made seven decades ago in the rain-soaked streets of Paris.
"I married a good man," Marie says. "I don't question my choice 71 years later."
Listen to the full interview with Marie below.
Their story began in an unlikely place: a cold, soot-covered military base in post-war England. Both were Lieutenants in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War—John, a lawyer from Waxahachie, and Marie, an administrative officer from New York City. Their romance blossomed during a group trip to Paris, where John proposed after a night at the opera and a walk along the Seine.
"I didn't say yes at first," Marie recalls with a laugh. "I had to think about it. But I recognized the way he felt about me and I felt about him."
The two now live at the Edgemere Senior Living Community in Dallas.
They were married in February 1955, rushing the ceremony to beat the start of Lent. Since then, they have spent their lives working as a team. Since John's retirement over 40 years ago, the couple has dedicated themselves to philanthropy, particularly through their deep connection to Baylor University.
The Chileses were the driving force behind the Mayborn Museum Complex in Waco, a project John chaired for 14 years. In Dallas, they are champions for the Baylor Louise Herrington School of Nursing, where they have funded advanced "high-fidelity" patient simulators to help train the next generation of nurses.
Though they’ve traded their "anniversary honeymoons"—trips they took every year for decades—for a quiet lunch at their favorite restaurant, the spark hasn't faded.
"People look at us and say, 'They're still in love,'" Marie says. "And I think we certainly are. We still treasure every day that we have together."