The McDonalds: lovingly together for 50 years

Mr. and Mrs McDonald (Harold and Inez) celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary earlier this year. - Ian Allen

DEACON Harold McDonald and his wife Inez McDonald have been at the crease together for half-a-century and are still building a solid partnership.

The two prepared to take the plunge as early as in primary school when they sent each other love letters written in code.

"We used to use numbers from one to 26 when we writing each other so that nobody don't know what we were writing," Harold explained.

They both grew up on March Street in Redwood district, a hilly region in northern St. Catherine not far from where they are now living.

Harold, 74, boasts that he and Inez, 72, have been together for over 50 years. The couple now lives in a lovely home on a hill overlooking their orange orchard and believes that they are blessed to have lived to see four generations of their offspring.

The couple has three children, nine grandchildren, 12 great grand children, and two great great grandchildren.

"We started living together when we were young. We were 22 and 20 respectively and had our first child together," Harold and Inez said.

They married two years later after Harold was baptised at the Grace Tabernacle Church in Cedar Valley, St. Catherine.

Inez was baptised three years later in the Redwood Baptist Church. She says that although they worship in two different denominations that has never been a problem in their relationship.

Harold's family did not agree that he should marry so young, but that did not stop them.

They got married on July 11, 1951 at their home. It was nothing big, just eight members of Inez's family and the pastor who performed the ceremony. No photos were taken of the wedding. The couple said that they were paying three shillings per month for rent and funds were short.

Harold's family was not at the wedding because they still did not approve of his getting married so early.

"My mother love him. She had no problem when we were getting married. His parents were against the wedding but after we got married love just turn over and she love me," Inez said.

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