‘There is no secret. You just hang in there’: Beaufort Marine couple hits big milestone

Back in May, when Charlie and Sara Grisham celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary, it was a time for as much reflection as anything else.

When you’ve been married longer than lots of people even live, you can afford to pick and choose the standout moments from numerous accomplishments.

For this Beaufort couple, it’s the time spent overseas in the early years of wedded bliss that comes back most easily.

It wasn’t exactly a carefree romance. The tumultuous 1940s didn’t afford that for anyone in America, and Charlie was drafted into World War II soon after his high school graduation in 1942. He chose to serve his country as a U.S. Marine stationed at Cherry Point, North Carolina, and used a break over Mother’s Day 1944 to come home to Mississippi and marry his high school sweetheart, Sara.

By 1947, when Charlie volunteered for post-war duty in Tsingtao, China (also known as Qingdao), there were two children at home for the newly-promoted staff sergeant to consider.

Part of his promotion, however, allowed his family to join him in the coastal Chinese city that lies across the Shandong Province. Thus, in early 1948, the family reunited after Sara and their two girls, Sylvia and Pat, spent 30 days crossing the Pacific on the USS Thomas Jefferson.

Adjusting to life as a Marine wife on an overseas base was not easy, no doubt, but Sara “experienced a lot of new things.”

One of those was living with her family in a Quonset hut whose roof Charlie repaired multiple times. Another was finding a shortage of theological resources on base.

“The Marine wives decided we needed Sunday school for our children, so I wrote to a Baptist Sunday school in Nashville and asked for materials, and they complied right away,” said Sara.

There were other Chinese artifacts that turned out to be among their most treasured possessions, including a tapestry depicting Tsingtao during the Ming Dynasty and handmade, heavy-fabric coat that a Chinese tailor who worked for the family made. The tapestry was sold by a man on a bike who promised to return the next day for his payment, though never did. The coat was literally tailor-made.

Today, the tapestry hangs on the wall in their living room inside of a frame custom made by Charlie. The coat – over 70 years old now — still seems to fit, as well.

What makes the items more unique is that they were both purchased just months before the Communist takeover of China. In fact, by December of 1948, the U.S. government was evacuating Americans from the country in anticipation of the fall of Nationalism and the escape to Taiwan of leader Chiang Kai-shek.

Leaving their tailor friend and his family behind, Sara and the children once again boarded a ship — this time the USS A.E. Anderson — for the return trip to San Francisco. After another month at sea eating mostly hot dogs and beans, Sara craved a fresh, West Coast salad.

After saving money with base housing in China, when Charlie and Sara and their two children were reunited at Cherry Point, they purchased a new Oldsmobile and new Sunday church clothes. The clothes (and car) followed them to assignments in California and Hawaii. Later stations included Tennessee and Virginia (where third child, son Larry, was born) and South Carolina — 21 moves in all — where in Beaufort Charlie finally said “this is the place to retire.”

His “retirement” included putting his handy-man skills to use at Kinghorn Building Supply, which must have seemed like sipping lemonade on the porch after being a metalsmith in the Marines.

So it was here, in Beaufort, in a house far from the Quonset huts of old, with a wall that holds an authentic Chinese tapestry and a closet with a coat woven overseas more than seven decades ago, where the Grishams took time to remember what is important in two long lives.

“Just do the right thing, no matter what,” said Sara. “God is good and faithful every day.”

As Charlie nodded in agreement, the question of what constituted the secret to a 75-year marriage was asked.

“There is no secret,” said Sara. “You just hang in there.”

In 75 years of marriage, you surely still have the mix of happiness and disappointments common to any marriage, but the Grishams certainly never lacked for adventure, and hanging in for the ride was just natural.

Time spent in service of the country during tenuous times obviously stands out, but the narrative of Charlie and Sara Grisham’s union continues.

This story was originally published July 11, 2019 at 8:46 PM with the headline "‘There is no secret. You just hang in there’: Beaufort Marine couple hits big milestone."