“I am more with her than I could ever be without her”: After nearly 68 years of marriage, James and Mary Spruill say love is a decision – and a joy

By the time James Spruill says the sentence for the third or fourth time, it lands like something he’s been carrying for decades. “I am more with her than I could ever be without her.” It isn’t a rehearsed line. It’s simply how he understands his life – with Mary beside him.

“I am more with her than I could ever be without her”: After nearly 68 years of marriage, James and Mary Spruill say love is a decision – and a joy
James and Mary Spruill met their freshman year at Trevecca Nazarene University and got married five months later. At age 87, they will celebrate their 68 years of marriage in September. / Courtesy of Megan McCullough