Jeanne Payne and Guinn Fowler celebrated sixty-five years of marriage on Thursday, October 6.  The couple walked down the aisle at the old Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Postelle on October 6, 1946. The ceremony took place after a regular Sunday morning service in a  double wedding with Jeanne’s sister, Edris Payne and Kenneth Deal.

The Fowlers have spent their entire married life in Postelle, raising their three children, Ron, John, and Kathy there.   The children recently surprised the couple with a small party including an anniversary cake and their traditional singing around a huge bonfire.

Jeanne and Guinn have been blessed with seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.   Guinn worked at the Tennessee Copper C

This couple is probably best known for their interest in clogging, having organized a club and traveled all over the state clogging at special events.  Jeanne taught clogging for several years, and Guinn, even though advancing in age, still breaks into a youthful clog at the sound of “Rocky Top”.

Summer months found them rounding up teenagers from Postelle  or Ducktown, taking them swimming, camping, and keeping them out of trouble.  They loved to gather with other families and head for the campgrounds where they cooked over the open fire and then gathered around the fire at night to sing and tell stories.   They counted the Ray Gobble, Bazelle Nelson and Edsel Deal families as their closest camping companions although many other families  camped with them through the years.

People have asked Jeanne and Guinn about their longevity in marriage and they attribute it to the love they have always had for each other, and God’s will to let them live to reach this milestone.  Jeanne says, “We have had some bumps in the road such as Guinn having a serious motorcycle accident years ago and was in a coma for several weeks.  We have had sad times but they were far outweighed by the good times.”