STRATFORD – For Lloyd and Marlene Hilt, a dance at a Stratford ballroom in the summer of 1954 marked the beginning of a life together that has now spanned 70 years of marriage.
What started with a single dance soon turned into dating, and by 1956, the couple was married.
Their honeymoon became one of the many stories they would later laugh about together.
The newlyweds traveled from Manitowoc by ferry to Michigan before heading to New York to visit Marlene’s aunt and uncle.
When they arrived at the ferry, they realized reservations were required and they did not have one.
A worker told them that if there was room left on the boat, they could board.
Fortunately, there was.
“They were all French on that boat. The menu was in French,” Marlene recalled with a laugh.
The next morning, after arriving in Michigan, Marlene was driving when she was pulled over for speeding.
According to the couple, the officer asked where the fire was and whether she knew how fast she had been going.
“How fast the car would let me go,” Marlene replied.
She explained that she believed the “end speed zone” sign meant she could drive as fast as she wanted.
The couple said the officer let them off with only a warning.
They also made a stop at Niagara Falls during the trip, creating memories they still cherish decades later.
Over the years, Lloyd and Marlene built far more than a marriage together — they built a home, a family and a life rooted in hard work and commitment.
Lloyd grew up on the same property where the couple still lives today.
His parents purchased the land when he was seven years old and later gave him a portion of it in exchange for helping on the farm.
The couple began saving to build the house they would eventually call home for more than six decades.
In the beginning, they lived in a mobile home on the property while slowly constructing the house piece by piece as they could afford it.
They never took out a loan, choosing instead to build only when they had enough money to continue.
After selling the mobile home to help pay for construction, they moved into the upstairs of Lloyd’s parents’ house while continuing work on their own.
Friends helped teach them how to build along the way, and many evenings were spent working on the house after long days at work.
The couple moved into the home in October 1958.
Though unfinished at the time, it had the essentials, including running water, and represented the future they were building together.
During those early years, both Lloyd and Marlene worked at the shoe factory in Marshfield while Lloyd also helped on the farm.
Around 1960, after the birth of their first child, Devery, Lloyd began working at Figi's, where he spent 35 years in management.
Marlene stayed home to raise their children until they were older before later working at the Marshfield Joint Venture Lab in the 1970s.
Together, the couple raised three children — Devery, Darrel and Wendy — while balancing work, farming and family life.
Summers often meant the children working alongside their father at Figi’s, creating memories of their own.
Through the years, the Hilts stayed busy tending to their hobby farm with pigs, cows and other animals, while also making time to travel together.
Camping trips across the United States became family traditions, and later in life the couple traveled to Europe, Canada’s Maritime provinces, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the Bahamas aboard the Disney Big Red Boat.
During winter months, they often stayed in Mission, Texas, where they enjoyed the warm weather and friendships they formed over the years.
Today, Lloyd and Marlene’s family has grown to include seven grandchildren and several great-grandchildren — a legacy that spans generations.
Looking back on their marriage during a previous anniversary interview, Lloyd said the foundation of their relationship was simple: faith, trust and doing things together.
“We both thought, once you’re married, you’re married,” Lloyd said. “That’s the way our parents were, and we just followed suit.”
Marlene said the couple has experienced hardships together over the years, including accidents and unexpected challenges, but they remained by each other’s side through it all.
“Respect for each other and do things together,” Lloyd said when asked what kept their marriage strong over the decades.
After 70 years together, the couple’s story continues to reflect a lifetime built not only on love, but on partnership, perseverance and family.
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