A Natural Dam couple can tell you that the key to a long and happy marriage is simple: God’s Grace. The couple, Thell and Margie Ellison, were recently honored for their 83-year commitment.
The Worldwide Marriage Encounter Organization contacted the couple in May, and they were recently honored as the longest married couple in the state of Arkansas.
An informal ceremony on a bluff overlooking Lee Creek in northern Crawford County, Arkansas, married Thell Ellison and Margie Rose on June 24, 1941.
The couple attended a church prayer meeting before being taken to the justice of the peace by a friend to marry. No guests, cake, or dress.
Her aunt made the bride’s light blue dress. There were no bridal showers, wedding portraits, money, or family help—just two young people in love and determined to make a good life. Indeed, they did.
Born and raised in a remote farming community, the newlyweds settled in a picturesque valley with scattered farms along Lee Creek. There was no gas, electricity, or indoor plumbing.
Word-of-mouth and walking were the only modes of transportation. Times were tough. It saw the Dust Bowl Drought, Stock Market crash, Great Depression, and WWII.
Finding work was nearly impossible, and if you did, it was only 50 cents per week. No food banks or government aid. Everyone had to work and support their families.
Margie excelled in school and graduated from eighth grade, the highest.
to them. Thell attended school intermittently until he was thirteen. The school moved.
and too far to walk daily. In the woods, he cut stave bolts and
railroad ties. He loved school and did well when able. School was in session.
Winter and late summer sessions last three months. Many times, he had to
stay home and work in the fields, or the creek was too swollen to cross.
Thell became a Christian in his early 20s and wanted to read the Bible. He read with God’s help, said Thell. He is well-educated and has led most of his adult life.
All lived on farmland on the north bank of the creek and Margie on the mountain.
on Lee Creek’s south side. On Margie’s creekside, Pleasant Grove
The church was the school and community center. The couple attended a rural school. Their large families—each had nine brothers and sisters—bonded. Crossing the creek for church, Brush Arbor, and pie suppers was common.
These were youth social events, so Margie attended. Their courtship consisted of “talking” at these events. Music still bonds us.
After marriage, they sang in church for years. Thell played mandolin and sang lead, while Margie played guitar and harmonized in her beautiful alto voice.
After years of friendship, they fell in love and married. A marriage where God is revered and trusted to meet life’s needs. They
married on a remote farm without electricity, gas, running water, or indoor plumbing. plumbing. They lived off-grid. They grew many vegetables. Watermelons, green beans, and strawberries for market. Many animals roamed.
farm, each had a purpose: mules for crop work and other farm tasks. including pulling the wagon with corn sacks to the grist mill or eggs or produce for trade. To the general store Chickens, Jersey milk cows, and the lovely Red
Herefords. They always had good luck growing sugar cane and making sorghum molasses. popcorn patch. Both took town jobs, Thell at Swift &
Company until it burned, then Baldor Electric until retirement. OK employed Margie. Foods for 15 years. Her hands were swollen and red when she got home at night.
She was deeply hurt. Before automation, they handled ice-cold chicken all shift. She then worked at Daryl Thomas Co., Unitog, and the Federal Building. retired. They had five children: Ernest, Norma, Kathryn, Wanda, and John. In
Later in life, they cared for Margie’s elderly parents until their death. passing. After retirement, they kept going. Additionally to family and church duties, Margie ran her dog kennel, sewed a lot, managed the house, and
I canned and processed garden produce. Thell maintained a large vegetable garden. Raised cattle and worked the farm, which was difficult during hay season. He was an expert carpenter, handyman, and plumber who was often called on to make repairs.
repairs. While retired, he built two new houses and two bridges over the small creek between their home and the road (a big overflow washed out the first one). He also completed many home renovations.
The couple belongs to the Independence Freewill Baptist Church in Natural Dam, where they were raised and still reside on the banks of Lee Creek. Both are dedicated Christian servants who strive to follow the Lord’s will daily and have contributed to the
church whenever needed. Margie was clerk, songleader, teacher, and custodian. She is also known for her cooking, especially the delicious pies she makes for those she loves.
With Margie’s help, Thell loved and cared for the small country church as if it were his own when it was struggling.
Previously, he cut and hauled wood for heat, painted walls, repaired the crumbling building, and bargained for pews and other necessities. Self-taught Bible scholar Thell
teaches Adult Sunday School for over 70 years. The
Good health allows couple to attend church services.
Today, Thell and Margie have over 100 relatives, including five children, 15 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren, 31 great-great-grandchildren, and 24 spouses.
Both Thell and Margie live in the home he built 60 years ago. Thell eats a big breakfast and is in his shop by mid-morning making cedar porch swings, dining tables, flags, counter tops, and recently several solid cedar doors for family members remodeling or building a home. He makes a Bible podium and works then reads.
He spends time praying, meditating, reading, and studying the Bible. Thell and Margie are prayer warriors who receive many requests for special prayer.
Thell still checks on things around the house in his “buggy” (golf cart). He is known throughout the county for his beautiful and abundant vegetable garden, which he now oversees and guides family members in.
Margie makes eggs, gravy, and biscuits for breakfast. She plans and prepares meals for Thell to avoid processed foods and eat well. He does it daily.
consumes flour gravy, Margie laughed when she said she has made enough gravy to fill
A pond!
She bakes yeast bread and stores homemade chocolate candy in the fridge.
Thell. She always keeps others in mind with a call, card, or lemonade.
fried apple pies or cream. She preserves excess produce from the
garden. Her sewing skills include prom dresses, suits, children’s clothes, and
costumes. She now repairs family items. Still, she cleans lightly.
laundry, always pressing and readying Thell’s clothes. Her daily trips are numerous.
visit the shop to give Thell water and see if he needs help.
Thell and Margie reveal their 83-year marriage secret at 107 and 99. “I don’t know hardly what to say except just by the Grace of God are we here today, as well as we are and have lived together all these years,” Thell said.
I asked God for a good Christian wife, and he did. Marriage requires patience and perseverance. We recall our vows.
The Bible says it is better not to swear than to break one. I give God
praise and thank him daily for keeping us alive and healthy.
and about. I think eating the food we grow—a variety of chemical-free food—is healthy. Our mom (Margie) cooks; we do not eat out. Our bodies are
We have never stopped working and investing in them.
all our lives. I think we were born to “work out not rust out!”
Margie said, “we had no other thoughts except being together, having a family, and raising our children. Our wedding vows said “until death do you part” so we would follow that. We overcame challenges and kept going.
We lived a quiet life, never did anything grand, and rarely went out. We prioritized family, home, and church. The routine of our daily routine helped.
I credit my loving parents for raising me well. Watching my mother suffer from polio and paralysis when I was eleven was heartbreaking. Her dad and family cared for her until she died at 90. That
was difficult, but I learned from it to get through it.
years. Today, I thank God for my large, loving family every day.
God gave us good health for our age. We never went to the doctor with
We have not taken any medication for every ache and pain. Recent years I’ve
started taking low-dose blood pressure medication and Thell takes thyroid. We eat little.
processed foods, we eat garden food. Thell always had a large garden.
We have many vegetables and local fruit. Of course I canned
Each summer, we fill the freezer and eat until the next garden season. We have
My constant work and activity have helped us. Things have gone well.
life.”
Amazing describes this couple, their marriage, and life. Their devotion to each other is a testimony to God. The Ellisons left a legacy for future generations.