Photo Provided Bill, 96, and Dolores Ann Heslep, 94, celebrate 75 years of marriage.

HANNIBAL — It’s been 75 years since Bill and Dolores Ann Heslep tied the knot, and they are still thankful for every minute they have together.

The Hesleps met in elementary school when Delores, who goes by her middle name Ann, was in the first grade and Bill was in the second grade. Today, Bill is 96 and Ann is 94, and they are still each other’s Valentines.

“We were in grade school and he gave me a Valentine that said ‘To one I like,’ and I thought it said ‘To one I love,’ and I was so embarrassed,” Ann said. “Then at Christmas time he gave me a Christmas present, and that’s how it all started.”

She added that the couple officially started dating in 1946 when she was 16 years old due to her parents’ rule that she couldn’t date until she was 16.

They dated until they eventually married on Bill’s 21st birthday, which was Jan. 7, 1950.

In 1957, they built the house that they still live in today. Bill commissioned a company to build the shell of the house, and then he completed the rest of the construction by himself.

Leading up to the marriage, Bill was a mechanic in the U.S. Air Force while Ann was in nursing school. Following his time in the Air Force, Bill worked in an aluminum mill until he retired in 1984.

Ann accredits the large family they have built — with 58 descendants so far — as a driving force behind their marriage blossoming for such a long time.

“They’re the glue that holds you together,” she said.

Bill and Ann have seven children, 17 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren.

Ann said she believes keeping a close family is important, and he is thankful that her family is one in which the children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren want to remain a tight-knit family unit.

“They’re just the type of people that want to be close and care for their parents, and nowadays there’s a lot of children who don’t think that they the parents should be the ones that are being taken care of and that they ought to be the ones being taken care of,” Ann said. “That’s the new generation. A lot of them don’t have guidance from the older generation.”

She added that growing up, all of their children learned their hard work ethic from Bill. She said he was always working, and if he wasn’t working he would be building or fixing up the family’s boat and camper.

The Hesleps loved camping. They would take camping trips as often as possible and travel a lot during the summertime.

“Whenever he would have a long weekend at the plant, we would all go to Myrtle Beach,” Ann said.

She added that the family traveled to Orlando, Florida, to Disney World during the first year it was open in 1971.

“Bill finished building the camper, so we all piled in it,” Ann said.

She added that although they traveled a lot, her favorite place to camp was Seneca Lake due to it being an open area where she could see the kids playing and having fun while also looking out at the lake.

Bill said he believes the secret to such a long and happy marriage is sharing such a strong love that you don’t want to live without the other person.

“You just have to love somebody that you can’t live without,” Bill said.