The sun rises on the baseball field welcoming yet another competitive bunch. Stakes are high, as the two teams get ready to play. Sports have a way of dividing people but in 1989, as Neil Whitefield looked across the baseball diamond and saw Shirley, who would end up being his wife of 30 years, it was able to bring two people together. One team may have struck out that day, but it was a home run for the pair.
Neil and Shirley Whitefield will have been married for 30 years on Valentine’s Day. Neil, 62, and Shirley, 58, say they enjoy doing everything together. Their first date was at a baseball social, an event held after the baseball tournament they participated in.
“She’s a very strong, smart and an attractive woman,” Neil said. “We kind of hit it off because we had mutual friends and we used to do the same activities. Then you grow with each other as time moves on and you learn your capabilities and expectations.”
Neil is now retired after working at the local paper mill for 37 years. Shirley also worked at the paper mill for 32 years but now works at Riverside Healthcare.
Shirley said the thing she loves most about Neil is his sense of humour.
“He always keeps me smiling,” Shirley said. “Since he retired, he has become an amazing cook for me. I like to tease him and call him my ‘house husband.’”
The Whitefields are a blended family. Neil has two daughters from a previous marriage and Shirley has one daughter from a previous marriage and they have one daughter together.
Shirley said marriage is a beautiful relationship that shows commitment.
“I think it shows that you’re planning on having a long and happy life together,” Shirley said. “If you don’t commit yourself you’re not really committing to anything. I think that’s important and it makes you both feel like you’re in it for the long haul.”
Both of Neil’s daughters are married and his advice to them was to always be flexible, supportive and to forgive the small things.
“Be respectful and mindful of each other,” Neil said. “Think before you talk. Communicate and be supportive of the other’s hopes and dreams. Love is an open heart and sometimes you accept what happens as part of life. It is not always great. You have to fully understand the challenge that you are faced with and have the time and opportunity to analyze it and do what is best for both of you.”
To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Shirley said they have a nice dinner planned at home and look forward to when they can go on trips and spend some time away and just enjoy each other’s company.
“I think we’ve got a great 30 years,” Shirley said. “Definitely had a lot of ups and downs. We’re still having fun. There’s a silver lining to everything and we experienced that.”
