An Ottawa-area couple who have been married for 78 years, are proving that a little patience, understanding and thoughtfulness go a long way when it comes to lasting love.

Margaret and Nelson Evoy met when she was just 13 years old, and he was two years older, while they were skating at Fisher Park in Ottawa. After five years of dating, the couple wed at St. Luke’s Anglican Church on Oct. 22, 1938.

“We have lived together that long, but it doesn’t seem that long,” Nelson said of their lengthy union.

Nelson recalled some of his favourite dates with Margaret early on in their marriage.

“When we were first married and we were young enough, we did a lot of outdoor activities. Cross country skiing,” he said. “[And] going to dances.”

The couple celebrated Valentine’s Day over the weekend at a retirement home in Kanata, Ont., where they were joined by dozens of family members spanning five generations, including four great-great-grandchildren.

During the celebration, they were honoured with a certificate for being Canada’s longest married couple by the pro-traditional marriage organization Worldwide Marriage Encounter.

“They have been such good people and good parents and it’s just right to celebrate it for them,” the couple’s eldest daughter Peggy Keddy said as her voice cracked.

When asked about the secret to their relationship success, Margaret said she believes married people “have to show each other, pretty well daily … how much (they) care.”

Nelson showed his appreciation for Margaret’s culinary skills throughout their marriage and to this day.

“I thanked her for every meal we ever had,” he said.

Nelson added that it also helped that they rarely argued. His patience might have had something to do with that.

“He was always very patient,” Margaret recalled. “Patient with the family. Very, very nice to all of us. A really good father. A good husband.”

For Nelson, Margaret’s continual support stands out as one of her qualities he loves most. That, and her frugal spending habits, which he thanked God for with a laugh.

Margaret perhaps put it best by simply stating that she feels “very blessed to have a good husband.”

With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Matt Skube