Married Jan. 7 in 1953 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the couple has moved from Utah to New Mexico, then to Alabama and and then to Saratoga, where they have lived for the past 35 years.

While attending Brigham Young University (BYU), Maughan met Betty through his roommate, who happened to know Betty from high school. The two met, went to a school dance, went on one other date and that was that.

"We knew we were drawn to each other," Betty says.

After graduation, while Betty worked as a bookkeeper and Maughan on his master's degree at BYU, they were married in Salt Lake City. After a small ceremony, followed by a reception, the two opted for an extended stay in the city for their honeymoon.

"We had very little to start out with," Maughan says. "But you don't need a lot," Betty adds.

With Maughan routinely taking different positions around the country—working for a chemical company, then a flight simulation laboratory and lastly IBM—Betty says it was tough to maintain their roots.

"He dragged me kicking and screaming each time we had to move," she says with a smile. "We'd put down roots somewhere, and once we got used to it, we'd have to move. But I always ended up loving where we lived."

Betty and Maughan have a calm, comfortable manner about each other, which seems to be a testament to the strength of their marriage. Yet Betty is reluctant to provide insight into how to make a marriage last.

"I would never give advice," she says. "I don't want to analyze it. You might start seeing things you didn't see before. I just don't want to rock the boat."

However, Maughan does recommend having "common goals and respect for each other." He also emphasizes that it's important to be "very sure before you get married. It is a long time and if a marriage goes bad, it's just terrible."

"We were just very lucky," Betty says. "We've always gotten along. I never felt it wouldn't work out, it was always so comfortable."

"Divorce was never a consideration for us," Maughan says. "I never doubted our marriage—I always knew I wanted her."

Two of their five children have been divorced, but Betty and Maughan are very understanding. "I would never stay in a marriage if I wasn't happy," she says.

The couple will be celebrating their anniversary with their five children—Linda Mason Stout, Annette Mason Samuelsen, Laura Mason Mueller, Shannon Mason Diotaiuti and Shawn Mason—and their 26 grandchildren in Utah this summer.

Maughan and Betty expect it to be a "low-key" affair, with mostly family and a few close friends celebrating with them.