John and Zella’s 70 year love story

Posted By: Veronica Ortega

vortega@klkntv.com

In 1947, John Goering attended a dance where he met the love of his life. That’s where he noticed a beautiful girl from across the room and asked her to dance. Her name was Zella and they have been together for almost 70 years.

"It was just love at first sight, I guess. I was really really taken by her," says John Goering.

After dating for a year, John joined the army, but before he was deployed to Tokyo, they were married for only 7 days before he had to leave. The newlyweds had to spend 18 months apart before they could be reunited in Japan.

"Everyday is special just to be alive and together at this age. So many have lost their mates and we feel very fortunate that the Lord has allowed us to still be together," says Zella Goering.

The couple enjoy antiquing, doing puzzles, and spending time with their big family. They have four daughters, 11 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and another one on the way. 

They have traveled the world together, with stints in Italy, Korea, and Vietnam, thanks to his more than 30 years in the military. They say being married wasn’t always easy. Because of his career he would be gone for years at a time, but their love has endured. So what’s their secret?

There’s times that you think, what happened, why did we do this, but you have to be able to talk about it and talk to each other. I think communication is very important," says Zella Goering.

"Say yes ma’am," says John Goering.

John says he’s an old fisherman that has seen a lot of big fish in his day, but Zella is the catch of his life.