February 10, 2015 (Mt. Airy, NC) ─ Valentine’s Day is a holiday for lovers – whether they be young couples just beginning to date, newlyweds enjoying the freshness of marriage, or like the Bakers, a couple from Mt. Airy whose marriage has withstood the test of time!

Billy Baker met his wife Ruth in the Philippines where he was stationed as an Air Force Pilot and she was stationed as an Air Force nurse. He told her he would marry her after the first time he met her and was true to his word.

The couple was married in Reno, Nevada in 1971. They’ve lived in Saudi Arabia, Thailand, New Orleans and Charleston before moving to Mt. Airy to be near Ruth’s family.A graduate of cooking school, Billy Baker also ran restaurants and bars. Married for 43 years, Billy Baker is a resident at Twelve Oaks, a DePaul Senior Living Community in Mt. Airy where Ruth visits him almost daily.

Ruth cares deeply for Billy, and although he has dementia, his eyes light up instantly when he sees her, said Activities Director Samantha Stanley.

“When she comes to visit, Ruth talks to Billy and he smiles at her and holds her hand,” said Samantha Stanley. “It really makes you think about your own future in a way, and shows you how compassionate you have to be with one another in not only marriage, but in daily life as well.”

Ruth’s advice for a long and healthy marriage is to always love and respect one another.

“Always enjoy life and have joy in your life and never get bored with each other,” she said. “You not only have to love each other, you also have to like each other too.”

For more information about Twelve Oaks, please contact Administrator Penny Haynes at (336) 786-1130 or visit us on Facebook.