The two eloped when they were just 19 and started a family a year later.
In an era where marriages and divorces happen in the blink of an eye, it surely is a whiff of fresh air to see couples that have withstood the test of time. George Strait and his wife Norma are a prime example of this. The couple has been married for 50 years, and their love for each other is nowhere close to disappearing.
George and Norma celebrated their milestone anniversary on December 4, 2021, according to Country Music Nation.
“The King of Country” was reportedly performing in Vegas on the day of their anniversary, when Norma came to his show. During the show, George stopped to talk about his anniversary. He said, “So I was nineteen years old. And I knew this girl, Norma, she was really hot.”
He went on to speak about their wedding day, saying, “We went to Mexico and eloped…fifty years ago today.” He then went on to dedicate his next song to his wife, and he crooned “I Cross My Heart” which is one of his hit songs from the movie Pure Country. Following the absolutely romantic performance, George pointed to Norma in the crowd and said “Happy anniversary.”
According to Taste of Country, the two attended high school together, in Pearsall, Texas, southwest of San Antonio. During an interview with the country radio station the Bull 100.3, Strait called his wife "the first girl I ever loved." But even they have had their ups and downs.
"We knew each other forever, growing up in a small town. I never really even thought anything about her, but then one day I asked her out and we went on a date. We didn't see each other for a long time after that," Strait admitted. "Then one day, I thought, 'I'm missing the boat here,' and we started dating again."
They were both just 19 when they eloped in 1971. They started their family the following year in October when Norma gave birth to the couple’s first child, Jenifer. Their second kid, son George “Bubba” Jr., arrived nearly a decade later in May 1981, according to Closer Weekly.
But tragedy struck the happy family in 1986 when Jenifer died in a car crash that was driven by a teenage driver who lost control and crashed near their Texas home. Though the singer doesn't talk much about that time, in an interview with PEOPLE in 2012, he said he cherishes the time he got to spend with her, even if it was only for a little over a decade. “We were blessed to have been able to spend 13 years with our beautiful daughter Jenifer,” he says.
In the same interview, which was done just before their 41st wedding anniversary, Strait spoke about how lucky he and Norma were to have found each other.
"Norma and I are so blessed that we found each other 41 years ago and were able to do all of this together, experience this life together, to support each other through everything, good times and bad. We do almost everything together. She stayed home until Bubba got out of high school and went to college, but since then she’s come on the road with me too. We love each other and we still like each other. A lot!"
References:
https://tasteofcountry.com/george-strait-norma-strait-marriage-love-story/
https://people.com/archive/cover-story-george-strait/
https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/who-is-george-straits-wife-get-to-know-spouse-norma-strait/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Ethan Miller
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