Odell and Elvira Crouse pause for a photo at their home in Sparta. The Crouses have been married for 63 years and say that it has been a wonderful life.

Alleghany couple share secrets to 63 years of successful marriage

As Valentine’s Day approaches, couples in the county may be looking for the ideal way to express their love. Sparta residents Odell and Elvira Crouse have the secret to a long, happy relationship, as 63 years of marriage has brought the couple closer together.

“We both know how to settle our differences. If we don’t, we agree to disagree,” Mrs. Crouse said. “You’ve got to give and take, every decision cannot be yours. You need to understand the other person’s viewpoint. If they don’t agree with you, accept it and go on. Forgive and forget. Enjoy the good things of life and put anything that is not good behind you. Yesterday’s gone, today’s today and tomorrow may not come.”

Crouse simply said, “I think church has so much to do with your marriage,” adding that every family has its ups and downs.

“A family that prays together stays together,” Mrs. Crouse added with a smile.

The Early Years

Elvira was born in Lewiston, Idaho to William “Bill” Wagoner and Nora Caudell Wagoner. She and her parents lived in Shelby, Montana, where they stayed until Elvira was three.

“Dad was a finish carpenter and his brother had written him that Roaring Gap was beginning to be built and that there was a lot of work here. His brother was a finish carpenter as well and thought he’d like to come back, so they did.”

She also noted that her mother was Alleghany County’s first registered nurse.

At that point, the family made its way to North Carolina, where they stayed through Elvira’s adult life.

Odell was born in Sparta to Tyre Crouse and Lula Cox Crouse. Two years older than Elvira, Crouse initially met her at Sparta High School. He also saw her visiting with his cousin Gladys on a regular basis. “The cousin I became bosom friends with, they lived about 500 yards away and I got to know him,” Mrs. Crouse said. “We dated five years.”

While the young couple dated, 17-year-old Crouse was working in Washington and living in Maryland as his 15-year-old wife-to-be completed school.

“I then went on to High Point to school and we (continued to) exchanged letters every week,” Mrs. Crouse said with a smile. She added that if she were to see Crouse on a Sunday, it would be after church.

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