Come September, the Rev. Richard Pass and his wife, Georgette, will have been married for 74 years.

Yes, you read that right – 74 years.

Tomorrow, the couple will receive the Alabama Hall of Fame Award from the state department of senior services for their lifetime commitment to each other.

“I can’t really believe it – that we’re getting the award, not that we’ve been married that long,” Mrs. Pass said. “It’s such an honor.”

The couple met in the late 1930s and wed at the age of 17 in Mississippi “on the first day of their senior year in high school” in 1938. They traveled the U.S. together through both military services and ministering, before settling in Andalusia in the late 1960s to be near their daughter.

The couple attributed “a life lived with the Lord” for the longevity of their marriage.

“It’s been give and take, but the Lord has blessed us,” the Rev. Pass said. “Everyone said we were too young, but we showed them, didn’t we?”

The couple has two daughters. Mrs. Pass worked alongside her husband as he served for more than 18 years as the director of three Baptist associations in Mississippi.

When asked how she and her husband created such a long marriage, her answer was simple.

“I think it’s because we love each other,” she said with a laugh. “My advice to all newlyweds is this – what helped us was the Lord was in it all the way. You have to love each other, be forgiving and be helpful. We always spend a lot of time together, that helped us a lot.

“You should also make family decisions together,” she said. “Always say, ‘I love you,’ and be able to forgive and to say, ‘I’m sorry.’

“And be understanding,” she said. “Not only be a sweetheart, but also a friend. And have family devotions together.”

The couple will be honored at Sunday’s awards ceremony at the First Baptist Church, located at 305 Perry Street in Montgomery, at 2 p.m. with a reception following.