July 11, 2002
Betty and Don Boyd of Clifton will celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary on July 11, and Betty's not a bit surprised that their union's lasted so long. Right from the start, she knew Don was the one for her: "I told my mother, the first day I met him, that I was going to marry him."
Betty grew up in Arlington and met Don when she was 14 and he was 17. He was a friend of the boy next door, and she and Don hit it off, right away. "He was so much fun, and we became friends," she said. However, World War II was well underway, so Don went overseas with the Army for two years. But a year after he returned home, they were married.
They have two daughters, Donna Netschert of Clifton and Robin Brinkmann of Los Angeles, plus three grandchildren — Netschert's daughter Caroline, 20, and Brinkmann's children Maddy, 25, and Nila, 16.
Betty attributes her and Don's successful marriage to "a sense of humor and strong faith." They've lived in Clifton for 38 years and, all in all, she said, their marriage has been an adventure. "There are times you grow in different ways, but it's something you have to work through," she said. "We've gone through a lot, and we're still very much in love. And we've always been there for each other."
So how will they celebrate their 55th anniversary? "She wants a seafood dinner at Fisherman's Wharf in Annapolis," said Don. "So that's what we'll do."