Couple’s 72-year marriage honored

James and Ann Hartman, parishioners of Holy Family Church, renewed their vows at the annual Wedding Anniversary Mass Oct. 22, 2017, at the Cathedral of the Assumption. They were recently recognized by Worldwide Marriage Encounter. (Record File Photo by Jessica Able)

James and Ann Hartman were recently honored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter for the longevity of their marriage.

The couple were selected as the Kentucky representatives in the 2019 Worldwide Marriage Encounter Longest Married Couple Project.

The Hartmans, members of Holy Family Church, celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary June 7.

The Worldwide Marriage Encounter Longest Married Couple Project seeks to recognize long-married couples in every state. Winners are selected from a pool of candidates nominated for the recognition.

In a letter announcing the recognition, organizers thanked the Hartmans for their “love and commitment to each other and for the sign you are for all of us — a visible sign of the power of love that a man and woman share in God’s precious gift of marriage.”

Organizers added that the couple were a “beacon of hope.”

“You have forged a path that others will want to follow. You help us all believe that true love is not only possible, but achievable,” the letter said.

The couple were featured in a 2017 story in The Record and told the reporter they agreed early in their marriage to avoid arguing.

“It’s lasted, so I guess it’s worked,” said Ann Hartman during an interview at her home at the time. “There has to be a lot of love or it wouldn’t work out. You have to learn how to give and take.”

The two married on June 7, 1947, at the old St. Anthony Church on West Market Street.

James Hartman, who served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946 in the South Pacific, worked at the Naval Ordnance Station for 35 years. Ann Hartman focused on raising the couple’s three children — Linda, James and Janice. The Hartmans now have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Jessica Able
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Jessica Able
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