A perfect pair: Michigan couple to celebrate 70th wedding anniversary

(FOX 2) - In just a few short weeks, Mary Ellen and Julio "Shorty" Moscone will celebrate 70 years of marriage.

"I don't know where the time has gone - it's unbelievable. It's unbelievable," said Mary Ellen.

Now 88 and 91 years old, they first met at the A&W drive-in at 11 Mile and Hoover. Shorty had a convertible and a way with the girls.

"I liked his personality and his sense of humor - that's what got me," Mary Ellen said.

And what caught Shorty's eye? "She was cute."

It wasn't long before they were walking down the aisle and walking out of the church into the great unknown.

"When we walked out of church - we had nothing," 'Shorty' said. "In fact we had borrowed $12 from her sister for the wedding cake." But somehow, they made it, buying a small house in Macomb County.

"Then we got married and that's the first little house we built," she said.

"That's the first I built," he said.

They were building what would become a wonderful life. Shorty Moscone worked for the Department of Public Works in Utica for 29 years -- so long they even named a street after him.

"We had the best snow removal in the county," he said.

But it wasn't easy. They didn't have much money, but they did have each other.

"That was a long time ago and a lot of hardships but we made it," Mary Ellen said. "No inside plumbing - we had outside plumbing."

"We did it the hard way but we did it all," Shorty said.

Indeed, they did, building three houses, an airplane and two boats. To this day, Mary Ellen is quite the angler out on the water.

"I'm pretty good at perch fishing," she said.

But their pride and joy and proudest accomplishment is their five children, who have provided so much love and so many more children.

"There's 10 grandchildren I guess. I can't remember - there's so many," Mary Ellen said.

"It's hard to remember," Shorty said.

"There's so many, sometimes I can't remember my own name," she quipped.

"We were all together at Christmas and she looked around at everyone she looked at my dad and said - it's hard to believe two people in love created all of this," said Mary Eddy, a daughter. "I just thought that was really special because that's really what it was all about."

In total, there are 35 children, grandchildren and great grand-children. Daughter Mary Eddy and her husband Jim say Shorty and Mary Ellen are an inspiration.

"Seventy years, it's incredible. It's quite a milestone," Mary said.

It really is a love story, and one that's lasted 70 years. Of course you're probably wondering, what's their secret?

"I don't know what the secret is," Mary Ellen said.

"Five words - forget, forgive, and don't talk back," Shorty quipped.

"Trust and love and support - that's got to be it," she said.

They're quick to admit they've gone to bed angry, and even stopped speaking to each other on a couple of occasions.

"It's not a smooth road being married all the time and you go through some rough spots," Shorty said. "But you have to work them out. It's a whole lot of fun making up."

"Oh dear - you shouldn't say that," Mary Ellen said.

Still so quick with a quip, so fast to laugh or even scold each other. It's pretty clear that after all these years, they're still the perfect pair.

"It's been a good ride, hasn't it?" she said.

"We set a precedent - work hard and you'll do alright," he said. "You can't ask for much more than having a good family - a good wife, a good husband and a good life."

The big day will be Aug. 24 when they will celebrate the day with a big party.