Being blessed with a partner for seven decades is an extraordinary milestone.
To celebrate the occasion, George Ludwig and Ingrid Isolde Elsa Kiblböck, 92 and 89 years old respectively, renewed their wedding vows at Hospicare, where they live, surrounded by family, devoted carers and friends.
George and Ingrid were both born in Munich, Bavaria during World War II, where they first caught each other’s eye as apprentices in 1953. George, an electro-mechanical engineer, was taken with the “beautiful young woman with golden hair” and Ingrid remembered a tall, dark-haired George entering the elevator she was in.
The two crossed paths again at a social gathering and found they were part of the same youth club and lived in the same neighbourhood.
“What struck me most, was his kind-heartedness, honesty and good humour,” Ingrid says.
George says, aside from his her beauty, it was Ingrid’s gentleness and warm nature that won his heart.
The couple’s first date was a walk in the park. Despite the winter chill on the day, they ended up on a bench overlooking Munich.
George wasted no time; he declared his love right then and there as he held Ingrid’s ice-cold hand. The feeling was mutual and three years later, on 27 January, they were wed.
Both devout Christians, they came from different church denominations, Catholic and Lutheran, which presented a problem for having a church wedding, so the two opted for a civil wedding.
For their anniversary, the parish priest of the local St Nicholas Catholic church, Father Wim Lindeque, offered to solemnise their marriage.
Just two weeks after the wedding, George packed his bags for Johannesburg, where he had accepted an engineering post. Ingrid left Germany six months later, travelling to South Africa by sea.
There the couple had two daughters and three grandchildren. Their being in Stellenbosch was specifically to be closer to their family here.
The Kiblböcks say their marriage is founded on values that are not diluted by the content of social media or the internet, as tends to be the case nowadays.
For married couples hoping to make it to 70 years they encourage face-to-face communication without distraction, being fully present, listening deeply and giving each other undivided attention. This, to them, lays the foundation of a happy and enduring life together, “a lesson today’s youth can learn from”.
The lovebirds say their marriage is grounded in honesty, integrity, trust and an unwavering commitment, a love set to inspire future generations.
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