Seventy years and counting: The love story of Jack & Margaret West

Wedding anniversaries are a wholesome milestone in any relationship, but when was the last time you knew of a marriage lasting 70 years?

With Valentine’s Day coming up next week and their recent anniversary Tuesday, Margaret and Jack West of Perry spoke with The Journal Thursday to share stories about a whole lot of adventure and even a little bit of advice for other couples.

Margaret, a native of Chickamauga, Georgia, said Jack and her brother were co-workers, and she remembered a clear memory of Jack interacting with her father at Chickamauga Park while she sat in the backseat of her father’s car.

“He came up and was talking to my daddy, and Daddy said: ‘Well, that boy stood right there talking to me, but he was looking in the backseat,’ talking about me, you know?” Margaret said.

Jack was originally born in Atlanta but moved to the Perry area with his mother. He went on to join the Navy in 1950, finished basic training in San Diego, California, and he ended up being stationed in Adak, Alaska. He also sent letters to Margaret, and even ended up calling her once while he was there.

“And he decided he wanted to write me,” Margaret said. “So he wrote me, and we corresponded for a year.”

Jack began his military enlistment working in supply detail, and he proceeded with more training in preparation to be shipped off to Korea on the USS Gregory destroyer.

Although he was injured in a friendly-fire incident during training and advised to not set sail with the ship or participate in combat operations, he chose to go anyway but while serving in a different role: a barber.

The Wests’ oldest daughter, Janice Amerson, said the barber role would end up sticking for her father.

“They needed a barber, and they wanted him to be a barber while he healed and recuperated,” Amerson said. “The rest is history; he barbered all of his life.”

Amerson said her parents never exactly had an official proposal or even a date for that matter.

“I don’t know; I’ve always asked, ‘How did he propose?’ because over the year they wrote, they just kind of evolved into knowing that they needed to be together.

“But the closest thing to a marriage proposal is he was in Alaska, and he wrote and said, ‘My feet are cold, and I need you to keep them warm.’ That’s the closest thing to an outright proposal. He came home early because he wanted to hurry and marry her. When he came home on February 6 [1951] was the first time he was able to hug her or kiss her. And then two days later, they were married.”

Jack came to Houston County on Feb. 6, 1951, to see his family, and then he made his way up to Chickamauga to see Margaret and marry her. Margaret said they were married on February 8 at 6 p.m. He was 21, and she was 17.

Margaret went on to share some advice on what has worked for them to maintain longevity in the marriage after decades have passed.

“To trust each other, communication, faith and compromise — I would think that’s about four good ones I could think of,” Margaret said.

The Wests have two daughters, Janice Amerson and Debbie West, and Amerson said her parents have just about always been on the same page.

“Whenever they went anywhere, we went, and they always did everything together,” Amerson said. “The only times I know — and those are few — is when Daddy would go on a fishing trip with some of the men, or mother, when she was president of the civic organizations; that would require some things separate.”

The Wests have had all kinds of pets over the years — everything from squirrel monkeys to parakeets. Amerson shared one particular memory regarding a family trip to Silver Springs, Florida.

“My sister had stitches in her foot, and I had stitches in my foot,” Amerson said. “And we couldn’t get out in the ocean and do all the normal things, so Mother and Daddy bought us a spider monkey to keep us entertained.”

Margaret added that she and Jack have been on over 100 cruises, including a most memorable trip to St. Martin. They also took a wild ride on a banana boat while in their 60s.

Jack and Margaret stayed active with the Shriners, and Amerson said their servant hearts are always shining through in whatever they do.

Margaret said one of her favorite things to look back on is the moments her kids were born.

Jack was a barber for 67 years, and he ran the City Barber Shop on Carroll Street until 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic and family health complications made them close up shop. Amerson said the barber pole was a city icon and

reference point, while the shop itself featured the “coldest Coca-Colas in town.”

“That has been a great love of both my parents of being able to have that business downtown because they love meeting people and serving,” Amerson said.

While Jack spent most of his life as a barber, Margaret spent 29 years in the banking industry before retiring.

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