On Valentine's Day, Wayne and Hazel Wright will mark 70 years of marriage.

So, the obvious question first. What has kept them together through thick and thin?

"His big bank account," Hazel says, laughing.

"That's not true," Wayne quickly responds.

"No. I like him,” Hazel says. “He’s been a good husband.”

The Wrights, both 91, are sitting in their comfortable Post Falls home they had built 31 years ago.

It includes the usual. Family pictures, TV, recliners, a desk covered with papers and a couch. A window offers a view of the spacious backyard.

After seven decades of marriage that brought them four children, grandchildren, several moves and different jobs, the Wrights remain bonded by love and faith.

"That’s the big thing," Wayne says.

They were married Feb. 14, 1953, in the Church of Christ in Columbus, Ohio. Both were 21 years old.

Today, they attend the Church of Christ in Coeur d'Alene.

Wayne recalls how they met.

"I picked her up at the bus station in Columbus," he says. "That sounds ridiculous, but that's what happened."

At the time, Wayne was in the Air Force and had been transferred to the base in Columbus.

A colleague told Wayne he was going to meet his fiancée at the bus depot and she was bringing a friend. He wanted someone to tag along to meet her.

Wayne said OK.

Turned out to be a brilliant decision.

“That was Hazel,” he says.

The two hit it off and it wasn't long before Wayne proposed.

Hazel accepted, but after all these years, Wayne can't let go of one thing.

"She never did say yes," he says, shaking his head. "Seventy years, she never did say yes."

So, what did she say?

Hazel chuckles as she restates her answer: "I reckon."

"I haven’t used that since,” she says.

After serving six years in the Air Force, Wayne worked management jobs in the automobile industry and other fields. The couple moved several times, with stints in California, Portland, Ore., and Missoula, Mont.

"We did a lot of farm work,” Hazel says, adding they started gardens and orchards. "You name it, we did it."

After their Post Falls home was built, Wayne retired. They traveled often when they were younger, but these days, they stick closer to home.

They don't have any anniversary party plans. Perhaps cake and ice cream with family, maybe a dinner out.

"That's about it," Hazel says.

Both feel blessed they are healthy and able to live on their own. Church members stop by to see if they need anything. Wayne still drives and does the shopping. He takes pride in knowing they are financially secure.

They enjoy gardening in their yard and taking walks, covering up to a mile a day when the weather is good.

"We don’t have anything to be unhappy about," Wayne says.

They say there is no secret to their successful marriage, pointing out they work together. It's just that simple.

"There's always problems, no matter what," Hazel says. "Something comes up and you have to settle."

"We just forget about it," Wayne adds.

He says they don't drink, and they don't party.

"We don't squabble much," he says. "We never had any big problems."

Every anniversary, Hazel jokes about the marital message she delivers to her husband.

"I’ll give you 10 more years to clean up your act or you’re history," she says. "So he’s got 10 more years now."

There remains that one thing Wayne would like resolved.

"I’m still trying to get her to say yes,” he says.