Bud and Lois Holm have been married a long time.
To put it in perspective, when they married, a gallon of gas cost 12 cents.
That was almost 70 years ago.
The Holms, who grew up across the street from each other in Keyport, were childhood friends who played kick the can and hide and seek.
Nowadays, they wake up each morning and decide what to do together. It’s been that way their entire marriage.They enjoy each other’s company and Lois believes that is the secret to a strong marriage.
“Today, couples don’t do as many things together as they used to. There are too many other things to do,” she said.
Bud and Lois are not only husband and wife, but also best friends.
“I’m the luckiest man in the world,” Bud chimed in. “I married a lady who likes sports as well as I do. When we turn on the TV, if sports aren’t on, we turn it off. We aren’t going to sit and watch some stupid movie.”
THE EARLY YEARS
Bud and Lois graduated from North Kitsap High School in 1939. While in school, they attended a few high school football games together. Primarily, Lois points out, because Bud was the only one nearby who could drive. They went to a couple of school dances together. But they didn’t really begin dating until after they graduated.
Their favorite date-night was going to the Pearl Maurer dance hall in Bremerton. Saturday night was their night of choice. On Saturdays, the band played waltzes, and together they would dance to the popular Big Band music of the 1940s.
Bud began to think Lois was “the one” for him. How did he know?
“Well, that’s easy. I liked to dance with her. She is very athletic and is still so to this day,” Bud said.
Lois, sitting nearby, nods her head in agreement.
At the time of their engagement, Bud was working for the grocery store in Keyport. He had a delivery to make in south Keyport and Lois went along for the ride. It was on that drive that Bud asked for her hand in marriage.
They were married on June 14, 1941 at a little church in Keyport. It was mainly a family affair. The dinner reception was held at the Rainbow Inn which, according to Lois, is now a spaghetti house.
At the time of their wedding, Bud was working for the Navy and had to work overtime due to the war. Their wedding ceremony wasn’t until 8 p.m. “By 9 o’clock we were having dinner at the Rainbow Inn. Then we caught the ferry to Seattle for our honeymoon. We had Sunday together and then Bud had to go back to work by Monday,” Lois said.
The night was such a rush that they didn’t have time to take wedding photos. Or to pack carefully. Bud still remembers when he woke up the morning after the wedding.
“Lois said to me ‘Oh! I need a comb’ so I had to get up and go down the street to buy her one.”
THE COUPLE WHO PLAYS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER
The Holm’s Poulsbo home is full of handiwork that Bud and Lois have created. Stained glass art, crafted by Bud, fills the windows. Lois’ precise needlepoint work adorns the walls. Her work is set in wooden frames that Bud made.
A hallway full of family photos proudly shows off their two children and grandchildren and the fun times the family has had. Together, Bud and Lois have traveled the world and have golfed their way across the country.
In 1970, Bud came home from work one day and said, “Honey, I want to golf.” Lois, who knew that golf was a hobby with a huge time commitment, told him, “Not without me!” Together they took golf lessons at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Bremerton.
Once they took a trip with no agenda but to golf. They drove from Poulsbo to Maine, down to Florida,
across to California and then back home. They were gone for eight weeks and one day.
Their travel schedule was easy: drive down the highway and search for a nice golf course. When they came across one, they would find the nearest motel, book a room and then get out on the course.
Bud recalls that Lois always hit the ball to the middle of the fairway while he hit it in the bushes.
SOUND ADVICE
Bud credits the secret to their strong marriage in the advice his father once gave him.
When Bud was 16, his father took him aside and told him: “Someday you will be married. And you and your wife will get into a big argument. When you start to argue, get off your rump and get out of the house. Go out into the garage and play with the car, or work in the yard. Get away. Go back in the house two hours later. You’ll forget what you were yelling about and she’ll forget what she was yelling about.”
The advice has worked beautifully, Bud said.
Looking at the two of them, it’s hard to believe Lois celebrated her 90th birthday last week. A strong marriage must have anti-aging properties because they both look much younger than they are.
As the couple sits together on the love-seat, it’s easy to imagine them as young newlyweds. There is a magnetic connection between the two.
Lois loves Bud’s sense of humor and how he’s constantly laughing.
Bud loves that he always gets in the last word.
With a smile, Bud says, “Yes, dear.”
