SUMNER — Doyle and Carolyn Tharp of Sumner celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary on April 7.
They were married April 7, 1954, in The Sumner Sentinel newspaper office in Sumner by Judge Ralph Lindsey.
Some 18 months after their nuptials, Doyle was deployed to Germany for service in the U.S. Army. Upon his return, he worked at Sumner gin.
In the years to come, the couple welcomed three children — Sherry, Jackie and Pam — into the world.
They moved to Glendora, where Doyle worked at the Glendora Gin, then the Minter City Gin and, finally, the Planters Gin in Memphis, where he retired in 2021 at the age of 85.
Carolyn worked for Mid-State Sportswear, which later became Angelica, in Sumner for 20 years, then she entered retirement.
The couple moved to Sumner in 1999.
Since 1954, they have seen their family tree grow by three children, nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
Doyle and Carolyn are devoted members of Sumner Church of God. Family and friends say their union of nearly seven decades is a loving and Godly inspiration to all.
