They’ve been married for 72 years. Here’s how they met — and their advice for other couples.
Red and Joy Rodenmeyer have been married for 72 years. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Julius “Red” Rodenmeyer used to spend several weeks every year on his wife’s family’s farm in Iowa, and even though he was an executive using paid time off to visit, his father-in-law put him to work.
He picked and planted corn. He helped prepare hay by mowing the field, arranging the cut grass into rows and taking it back to the barn.
Red would tell his wife Joy, “Gosh, I only get two weeks of vacation. And I spend them all working a dirty farm job.”
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John Klyce
John Klyce is an enterprise reporter with The Daily Memphian who writes a wide range of in-depth features, as well as profiles about local leaders, scientists, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone else doing exciting and important work in this city. He previously spent four years with the Memphis Business Journal, where he covered public companies, startups, and innovation, and a fifth year with The Commercial Appeal, where he covered education, and chronicled how gun violence and poverty were affecting Memphis youth and their families. He has also been a fellow with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. John has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Boston University.
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