“I feel needs that he has, and he feels needs that I have,” she says.

Sal Verdone, a certified couple’s therapist who’s been mending marriages for more than a decade, visited Monarch Landing in February to share his strategies for effective communication in relationships. He says the most important part of good communication isn’t talking— it’s listening.

“Listening to someone, really listening to someone, is one of the greatest gifts you can give them,” Verdone says.

The Travers agree that good communication and choosing their battles wisely have helped their marriage withstand the test of time.

“You don’t have to answer everything,” Janice Travers says. “Think about what you say so you don’t have much to say you’re sorry for.”

Living together for so many years, the couple has gotten to know one another very well. “I can tell what to avoid now,” her husband says with a smile.

Keeping romance alive as love matures
Janice Travers recalls that as their children grew up, she and her husband also grew as partners. She enjoys that her husband no longer has to work long hours and dedicate so much energy to his career.

“He is essentially the same person, but he is kinder and mellower. It’s easier to get along with him now. He’s very easy to live with,” she says.

He too has enjoyed watching his wife’s growth as an individual and is especially proud that she returned to school to get a bachelor’s degree in history at age 47, and a master’s in theology when she was 65. He says they spend more time just talking since they moved to Monarch Landing because she isn’t busy cooking and cleaning.

“My feeling is that Janice has matured so thoroughly. She is a different person than when she was my bride 64 years ago,” he says. “With the passage of time, you expect that to happen, but to have it happen so smoothly. . .” he says sentimentally.

But growing together is not a cue to become complacent in marriage. George and Janice Travers still take the time to nurture their romantic connection and their intimate bond—and living at Monarch Landing affords them the time to focus on one another.

“He gives me kisses all the time,” she says.

“Just this morning I told her how proud of her I am,” he adds.