“We have run out of vases,” says Frans Swaalf (95 years old) beaming. Amid a sea of flowers, he sits with his wife Betty (93 years old) in their sheltered apartment in the Jannes De Vecht in Hoogeveen. The couple celebrated 70 years of marriage on Sunday.
The platinum couple is stunned by the number of bouquets they have received. “This morning we also received a huge bouquet from the management of the Jannes, fantastic! So many flowers, it will certainly be a beautiful photo. There were also many bouquets with vase. They do that nowadays.”
Surprise dinner
The milestone was celebrated on Sunday in a small family circle. “We went out to Narline. A surprise dinner. That was very pleasant and good!”
Frans and Betty have been living in Hoogeveen since May 2012. They had three children, of which the first son unfortunately died shortly after birth. Due to work, including as sales manager at Geertjes Assen, the family has moved often. They lived in Utrecht, Amsterdam, Alkmaar, Soest, Amersfoort and now – to their complete satisfaction – in Hoogeveen.
‘The reason for our move from Amersfoort to Hoogeveen is that both our daughter with partner and our son with partner initially had a second home in IJhorst and Gees respectively. They were there almost every weekend at the time, but they now live there permanently,” says the bride and groom.
Bridge
Frans and Betty were both avid bridge players. They joined the bridge club in every place they lived, making friends. The couple also enjoyed traveling. Not only in Europe, but also in Canada and America. In the last two countries, the couple took a smart approach by exchanging house and car.”
Due to their old age, they are now taking it easy, but they still enjoy each other every day, life and now also the many flowers.