Austin Williams met his future wife, Margaret, at an outdoor skating rink in College Park in 1940. They were both 17 years old.
At five minutes to 9 p.m., the staff flashed the lights, alerting the skaters of the approaching curfew. Austin, known as A.U. to his friends, asked Margaret if he could walk her home. She lived a block away and agreed.
When they reached her house, A.U. asked if he could see her again. She said yes.
By their 18th birthdays, they were married and on July 25, 2011, they will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary at McDonough Road Baptist Church with family, friends, and fellow parishioners.
A.U. stated there was no elaborate proposal when he asked Margaret for her hand. “We just kind of worked right into it,” he said with a smile.
A.U., from Cook County, Ga., was in College Park at the Chapman Springs Trade School learning about sheet metal while Margaret was working at Sears in downtown Atlanta.
“I worked half a day on our wedding day and told them I had to leave because I was getting married,” Margaret said. “They said, why didn’t you tell us, you could have had the whole day off.”
The wedding came directly after a bridal shower on a Friday night and the pastor arrived late coming back from a revival.
A.U. and the rest of the men waited outside the party, looking into the windows, before the pastor arrived and the ceremony, originally scheduled for 9 p.m., started at 11 p.m.
The next day, the newlyweds had breakfast at a cafe, took the trolley to the bus station and rode the bus to South Georgia to see his parents.
They weren’t on the first two buses they were due to be on, so his father left the bus station and the couple had to ride in a pickup truck with a neighbor and her daughter.
The honeymoon was over the next day as they rode back to Atlanta to get ready for work on Monday.
Like any couple, the pair has faced their share of challenges. Soon after being married, A.U. was in the Army just as they welcomed their first child, a daughter, Patricia.
“I was a toddler at the time and did a lot of traveling between the grandparents,” said Patty.
A.U. did not have to go overseas. One week after training in Louisiana, he got malaria and after combat operations ended in Europe, the malaria kept him from going to the South Pacific.
A.U. and Margaret had two more children, Donald and Barbara. Donald contracted acute leukemia as a toddler and passed away just shy of his third birthday. In later years, Margaret battled cancer three times and also recovered from a stroke.
In the face of challenges like this, the couple, as they have always done, put their faith in God and their church. The couple has attended McDonough Road Baptist Church in Fayetteville since it was the Second Baptist Church of College Park. Margaret has attended that church since she was a baby.
“I know they’ve leaned on the Lord a lot,” said Barbara. “The family that prays together, stays together.”
A.U. smiled at this and added, “I guess that’s the truth.”
Since their wedding, the couple lived in College Park and Riverdale before moving to Spalding County.
Although both are retired now, A.U. spent 32 years with the National Automobile Theft Bureau, while Margaret stayed with Sears for a number of years. They both feel that keeping busy has helped them stay vibrant.
A.U.’s hobby is woodworking and several pieces of furniture he has created including a dining room table and a grandfather clock reside in Patricia’s house, while Margaret has done over 150 quilts including a UGA t-shirt quilt for one of her grandchildren.
There has also been a lot of traveling, camping, including a nation-spanning trip in a mobile home after their retirement. While they have slowed down a little bit, they also both enjoy following the Braves and spending time with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As for advice, both feel that the adage, “never go to bed angry,” served them well, but keeping busy and active also plays a large role. Residing now in Spalding County, the couple still drives each Sunday to church and Margaret still begins each day by baking biscuits for her husband.
The celebration, Sunday, July 23 from 2-5 p.m. at McDonough Road Baptist Church, will feature a lot of family members coming in to honor the happy couple, but all who know them are welcome to come and reminisce. Guests are asked to write their favorite memory of A.U. and Margaret for a memory book in lieu of gifts.
The phrase “old married couple” often describes a bickering pair whose relationship is more irritated than anything else. A.U. and Margaret couldn’t be further from that description. They are often seen arm and arm and wearing smiles on their faces that are contagious to those passing by.
“The Lord has been pretty good to us and He still is,” A.U. said, flashing that smile that lights up his eyes. Margaret nodded and smiled too.
