Forever my Valentine: Mesa couple celebrates 70 years of marriage

MESA, Ariz. - This Valentine's Day, a Valley couple is celebrating a very special anniversary.

What they're saying:

John and Edie Thiess first met in junior high.

"I think it just became we had known each other for so long and just as to whether it became more formal, that'd be senior year of high school," said John.

They started officially dating senior year, got engaged before graduation, and one year later, they were married.

Flash forward a few years, they're now celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary alongside beloved family and friends.

They've been through a lot together over the past seven decades.

"I was raising three kids, and he was busy providing for the family," said Edie.

The couple shared some of their tips for a long and happy marriage, like bonding over common interests and learning new things together.

"The usual love and trust and what have you is the foundation for a good relationship, but for us, it was also the fact that we enjoyed things together, the same kind of things, so as time went on, we became closer," said John. "We played a lot of tennis."

"We were pretty good, mixed doubles, and I was captain of our tennis team," said Edie.

John and Edie Theiss

Through it all, their love for each other has never wavered, but that doesn't mean they didn't have their share of arguments.

"I think it's having fun with each other and knowing each other," said John. "I don't think we could say we never had a little battle because everybody does, but it was short. We'd have a difficult moment for maybe three hours, maybe a couple days, but we got through it, and we always knew we would get through it, so that made it very easy."

John and Edie spent many years traveling the world together. Now enjoying a quiet retirement in Mesa with their kids, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The couple is still very much in love.

"I've loved you from day one," said Edie.

"We are best friends," said John. "We have three wonderful kids that have helped us as we get older."

And one thing is for sure, their love story is one for the ages.