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
MAZEL TOV!
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



things our kids do in their marriages, but it works for them.”
Neither Zeiger expressed regrets about their relationship, but
Barbara Zeiger did note the limited career options available for
women who wanted to work and raise families.

“I went to Temple, and it never occurred to me that I could be
anything other than a nurse or a teacher because I knew I was on
the housewife and mother track,” she explained. “My only regret
was that I didn’t pursue my other interests more.”
THE BRAVERMANS
Roberta and Bruce Braverman of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, also
met in high school and recently celebrated their 46th anniversary.

“I was not looking for a husband when we met,” Roberta
Braverman said. “I just wanted a date to senior prom.”
When college admissions season rolled around, the couple had
a choice to make.

“Bruce had his heart set on the West Coast and got accepted at
the University of San Diego. For me, it was either Glassboro (now
Rowan University) or Temple,” she said. “Bruce gave up his dream
to commute to Temple with me.”
He has no regrets.

They dated through college and got married instead of
attending graduation in May 1973. Their first child was born in
1978, and two more followed in 1980 and 1983.

Bruce Braverman held various careers in finance and Roberta
Braverman was a teacher for 35 years. “My mother gave me two
options — teacher or nurse. That was the way of that day. You could
have a family and a career if you picked one of those options,” she
said. They jointly advise couples to have a sense of humor in order to
laugh through difficult moments.

“Ride the wave,” Roberta Braverman suggested. “There are
highs and lows. If you see beyond the urgency of the moment, you
realize everything is going to be ok.”
Her husband had a simpler suggestion.

“I live by two rules. Number one: My wife is always right.

Number two: If she’s wrong, go back to rule number one.”
THE GABLES
Shelley and Bruce Gable of Warwick met at a party in Atlantic
City. Their first date was at a neighborhood pizzeria in West
Philadelphia, and they married five years later.

“My parents, especially my father, were very excited,” Shelley
Gable said. She feels her parents and grandparents influenced her
approach to marriage. “I had an old-fashioned marriage. I got
married when I was younger, so I was always thinking about the
way my grandparents and parents acted toward each other.”
Before the couple retired, Shelley Gable was a teacher for 30
years and Bruce Gable was a businessman. They will celebrate
their 43rd anniversary in July.

Their advice? Have a good sense of humor, never go to bed
angry and don’t try to change each other.

“Our marriage is a team,” Shelley Gable said. “If I couldn’t be
there for something, he would. There was never any question over
whose job something was. We didn’t keep score, we never tallied
points, we just got things done.”
“She’s very unselfish, and is always looking to do things for
other people. She’s very kind and considerate,” Bruce Gable said.

“I’m the luckiest man on the face of the Earth.”
See Longtime, Page 22
From Generation to Generation
A Family Tradition For All Occasions
Formerly of Fleets
T AILORED C LOTHING
S PORTSWEAR
A CCESSORIES
F OOTWEAR
F ORMAL A TTIRE ...

Sizes 2-50+
Regulars Slims - Huskies
Portlys - X-Longs
Hy Paul
S ALES & R ENTALS
F OR M EN & B OYS !
Senior Family
HOURS: M. T. TH. F. SAT. 10-5 • WED. 10-8 • SUN. 12- 4
RED LION RD. & HUNTINGDON PIKE, HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA
215-914-2060 • WWW.THEMENANDBOYSSTORE.COM
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM MAZEL TOV!
Celebrating Our
23rd Anniversary
MARCH 26, 2020
21