Barbara and Bruce Zeiger have
been married for 46 years.

Courtesy of Barbara and Bruce Zeiger
Longtime Couples Share
Secrets of Sustaining Love
SOPHIE PANZER | JE STAFF
D on’t go to bed angry. Be good friends. Have a sense of
humor. Remember you’re on the same team.

We’ve all heard this classic relationship advice before
— or at least seen the movie “When Harry Met Sally” — but can it
really make a marriage last a lifetime?
Four couples who have been married for more than 40 years
were interviewed to fi nd an answer. Th ese love experts weighed
in on navigating the joys and challenges of marriage, avoiding or
coping with regrets, and cultivating love that lasts.

THE ZEIGERS
Barbara and Bruce Zeiger of Broomall recently celebrated their
46th anniversary. Th ey were high school sweethearts and sat next
to each other in homeroom. On her 14th birthday, he gave her a
check with instructions to cash it in for a date.

Th ey married in November 1973. Bruce Zeiger, who owned a
bridal shop, got held up at work and came late to the wedding.

20 MARCH 26, 2020
“Th ey wouldn’t start without me anyway,” he joked.

Th e early years of their marriage were not without their
challenges. “We didn’t always agree on discipline for the kids,” Barbara
Zeiger said. “When we had children, he worked and I stayed home
and I didn’t want him giving me his 2 cents all the time. But the
best part about our marriage is neither of us are drama queens. We
just get things done.”
So what’s the secret to staying together for 46 years?
“Lots of humor, lots of intimacy,” she said. “We’re best buds.

We gross out our kids constantly. My husband doesn’t want a big
70th birthday, he wants a 69th.”
She also emphasized the importance of couples fi nding an indi-
vidual approach that works for them.

“We are very traditional. His work took priority and I was
the go-to kid person,” she said. “But don’t look at other people’s
marriages and compare yourself. We would never do some of the
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