Abbeville couple married when they were 17; still married 65 years later

Today, it is hard to find two 17-year-olds getting married fresh out of high school. That was not the case in 1948.
Gertrude and Lovelace Hebert were both 17 years old when they married. Fast forward to 2014 and they are still married today - 65 years later.
“We do not fight with each other,” said Lovelace, who is 83.
Gertrude remembers the first time she saw Lovelace. It was at a dance hall in Forked Island. They were both 16 and attended the dance hall with their parents.
Gertrude was dating another boy the first time she saw Lovelace, who was the best friend of the guy she was originally dating. Her boyfriend at the time was in a band that played at the dance hall. He entrusted Lovelace to keep an eye on Gertrude while he played in the band.
That turned out to be a mistake because over time they fell in love and eventually married.
“It broke his heart,” said Gertrude about her old boyfriend finding out about their love for the first time.
After being married, the two moved away from Abbeville because Lovelace’s only job he could find was working on pipelines. The job took the Heberts all over the United States.
“We never argued because we did not have time,” said Gertrude. “We were too busy working, trying to make money so we could eat.”
Although the Heberts have a solid marriage, the two have been through a lot, especially over the last 25 years.
All three of their sons have died of cancer.
The first was Lovelace J. Hebert Jr, who died in 1991. He was 41.
Ten years later, they lost their oldest, Jimmie, in 2009. He was 57 years old.
Then in 2001, they lost their youngest, 36-year-old Mathew Mark Hebert.
“It has been hard,” said Gertrude. “It is the hardest around Christmas.”
They have grandchildren and great children, who live outside the parish. They only get to see them a few times a year.
Gertrude, who is also 83, keeps busy by knitting blankets and other things. She has the three pictures of her sons on a wall next to where she knits.
“I am still not over losing them, she said, looking at the pictures.
“We still have each other, which has helped over the years.”
That’s the definition of true love.