In a culture where people walk away over inconvenience, the love story of Dr. Velma Bagby and Pastor Bruce Bagby feels almost radical. Their journey, beautifully captured in My 70s Love Story: 52 Plus Years Later, is not a fairy tale built on perfection. It is a testimony built on endurance, sacrifice, faith, forgiveness, and the daily decision to keep choosing each other.
Their story began in the 1970s with something surprisingly simple: a prayer list written by a sixteen-year-old girl in Bible class. Velma prayed for her future husband, never imagining God would answer so quickly through a shy young man named Bruce. What followed was not a smooth romance, but a relationship marked by heartbreaks, misunderstandings, financial struggles, periods of silence, rebuilding, and spiritual growth.
Yet fifty-two years later, they are still standing.
That alone is powerful.
But what makes their marriage extraordinary is not just the longevity. It is how they survived.
Love Wasn’t Their Only Glue—Faith Was
One of the strongest themes throughout the book is their understanding that marriage without God becomes fragile under pressure. Dr. Bagby repeatedly references the importance of the “threefold cord,” acknowledging that their union only survived because God remained at the center.
They learned early that the enemy of marriage is often pride, poor communication, unforgiveness, and the refusal to yield. Instead of constantly trying to win arguments, they learned to pray through difficult moments. Rather than destroying each other with words, they allowed God to work on both hearts individually.
That lesson feels rare today.
Modern relationships often celebrate chemistry while neglecting character. We romanticize compatibility but avoid commitment. We want the wedding photos but not the work required after the honeymoon fades.
The Bagbys remind us that covenant love is less about butterflies and more about resilience.
Their Highs Were Beautiful
There is something deeply touching about the innocence of their early courtship. Bruce opening car doors. Long conversations on a hallway phone stretched into the bedroom for privacy. Simple dates. A first kiss that was more “peck” than performance.
Their wedding day was elegant, joyful, and full of family support. Velma’s mother handmade much of the wedding attire, turning the ceremony into a labor of love and sacrifice.
Even their humble beginnings became treasured memories.
They forgot to plan where they would live after getting married. They started with a tiny apartment, an old patched-up Buick, and furniture bought in room packages. Yet instead of shame, they laugh about those moments now because they understand something many couples miss:
Struggle is not always a sign that something is wrong. Sometimes it is the place where partnership is built.
Their Lows Were Real
The book does not hide the painful moments.
There were layoffs. Financial hardship. Emotional distance. Communication failures. Seasons where life tested everything they believed about marriage.
At one point, Bruce’s planned move to Los Angeles shattered Velma’s heart. Years later, misunderstandings and silence still haunted them. What could have been the end of their story became part of the foundation that matured them emotionally and spiritually.
That honesty is what makes this memoir refreshing.
Too many Christian couples present polished images while hiding the process. The Bagbys chose transparency instead. They admit there were moments when marriage was difficult. Moments when personalities clashed. Moments when emotions were raw.
But they also reveal that healing often comes when both people stop trying to control the outcome and trust God’s process instead.
The Greatest Lesson From Their Marriage
The biggest takeaway from their story may be this:
Lasting marriages are not sustained by feelings alone. They are sustained by daily choices.
Choosing grace.
Choosing forgiveness.
Choosing humility.
Choosing to stay soft when life tries to harden you.
Choosing partnership over ego.
Choosing prayer over revenge.
Choosing endurance over escape.
Dr. Velma Bagby writes that they learned to stop seeing each other as the enemy and recognize the spiritual attacks against unity instead. That mindset changed everything.
And perhaps that is the missing ingredient in many relationships today.
People are quick to replace what God may be trying to refine.
The Bagbys’ story reminds us that real love is not proven in perfect moments. It is proven when two imperfect people continue building through disappointment, setbacks, grief, aging, financial strain, and seasons that threaten to pull them apart.
After fifty-two years, their marriage stands as evidence that covenant still matters.
Not because they avoided storms.
But because they kept walking through them together.
Based on My 70s Love Story: 52 Plus Years Later by Dr. Velma Bagby.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In