Nov. 9—JAMESTOWN — A Jamestown couple says the secret to a long marriage is giving your partner some freedom and knowing that love never stops growing.
Gerald and Ardell Saar celebrated their 73rd anniversary with family members on November 1.
“You have to give your partner the freedom to express themselves and do what he or she wants to do,” says Ardell, 96.
Gerald, 99, has kept a photo of Ardell in his wallet for 75 years. He said that love does not stop and continues to grow over time.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to celebrate life with the one you chose and love so much,” he said.
The Saars have one daughter, LuAnn Tschaekofske; four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Despite growing up about 11 miles apart, the two had never met until their first day at what was then Valley City State College, which is now Valley City State University. Gerald grew up near Rogers, North Dakota, and Ardell grew up in Wimbledon, North Dakota.
“It was a different era,” Ardell said. “Now 11 miles is nothing.”
Gerald and Ardell were together for five years before marrying on November 1, 1951 at St. John’s United Methodist Church in Wimbledon.
Gerald said the wedding took place during a winter storm with two inches of snow on the ground.
On their wedding day, Gerald said he drove to Fargo to pick up some gas coupons for the couple’s honeymoon to Albuquerque, New Mexico. When he got home, he would stop at his uncle’s house to see if his new car had been delivered.
“So I hit the brakes while I went to see if my new car was there,” he said.
Gerald said the slick roads caused him to roll over.
Despite the accident, Gerald was still able to come to the wedding. Later, the two drove to Bismarck in the blinding snowstorm.
“He always tells everyone there was a storm that day and it’s been a storm ever since,” Ardell said.
Instead of going to law school, Gerald took over his father’s farm near Rogers, where they harvested grain and raised cattle. He said he was a farmer until he retired at age 65.
Ardell eventually returned to college and graduated with their daughter LuAnn. Ardell later went on to teach kindergarten in the North Central Public School District.
The Saars moved into their home – which Gerald had a hand in building – in Jamestown on April 1, 2005.
The Saars had lived on the farm near Rogers until Gerald was about 79 years old.
“I got tired of pushing snow on a farm, and I thought it was time to get out of there,” he said.
Gerald said he wanted to move to Valley City, North Dakota, but there was no housing there. So Gerald went to Jamestown to look for a house and was shown blueprints of a new condominium being built in Fargo.
After expressing interest in the blueprints, he took a chance and collaborated on the construction of the Centerpoint Condominiums.
Each of the three Centerpoint Condominium buildings contains eight residences, all on one level, with no stairs and no basement.
“I can’t even believe what happened and how this happened, and how we could build something so beautiful 20 years ago,” Gerald said. “It’s still the best place in Jamestown. You can’t find anything like that.’
