60th anniversary serves as Valentine's Day reminder that marriage can work

He swept her off her feet and whisked her home to his pig farm in Iowa.

That is when my grandmother discovered she does not like pig farming.

On the surface, they're an odd couple.

My grandmother loves art, poetry and anything blue. My uncle once said to her, “You have artwork hanging in your garage. Think about that.” Half the artwork in my house has come from her.

My grandpa loves sports. He knows names, numbers, stats — the mind of a businessman familiar with numbers and competition. He's driven millions of miles across the country as an adman, and he'll serve as his own GPS, thank you very much.

But their marriage is in elite company.

Only about 6 percent of people who are married now have been married 50 years or longer, according to the U.S. Census. About 35 percent of marriages hit the 25-year mark.