Newbolds say communication is key to a long marriage

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Jay and Edith Newbold on one of their adventures. They celebrated their 77th year of marriage on Oct. 18.

By Thomas Clapper

CCM Reporter

October is a big month for Edith and Jay Newbold, who share a remarkable 77 years of marriage as well as 96 and soon to be 97 years of life. 

Edith was born on Sept. 23, 1928 and Jay was born Oct. 25, 1927. They were married on Oct. 18, 1947 in Maysville, Kentucky. They have five children including four boys, Jim, Lee, Tom and Ray, and one girl, Rose. They have 14 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. 

“I was on our porch in Perrysville yelling at my sister and Jay was across the road at the grange hall,” said Edith. “Jay heard me, and I went across the road because my sister wasn’t listening to me.”

She met Jay and the couple hit it off. 

“He had a car and I needed a ride, and I knew he was the principal’s son so I figured he couldn’t be too bad of a guy,” Edith laughed. “The family has always been easygoing and we all got along.”

Jay graduated from the Class of 1945 of Carrollton High School. He studied at The Ohio State University and studied Spanish, becoming an exchange student at Mexico City College. He is a World War II veteran in the U.S. Army AirCorps stationed in Alaska. 

After the war, Jay worked at Eljer and EW Bliss, both in Salem, retiring after 30 years of service at EW Bliss. He is a member of the Carroll County Veteran Organization such as the VFW Post 3301. He previously served as commander for one year and two years on the Carroll County council of the American Legion Auxiliary District 10, Carroll Post Unit 428. 

The former Edith Muze graduated in 1946 from Perrysville High School. She attended Wooster Business School and studied key punch typing skills. She worked for five years at IBM in Columbus and later worked at TRW which was sold to PCC Airfoils in Minerva where she retired after 28 years of service. 

“I bought the marriage license and the ring and only had $6 left,” said Edith. “It all cost around $13 then.”

Throughout the years the couple has lived in Columbus, Dungannon, Augusta and back to Jay’s hometown of Mechanicstown. Today three of their five children live in Mechanicstown. 

Jay has a passion for flying planes and Edith has a passion for music. She has directed choir and plays the organ, piano, accordion, trumpet and coronet. 

“You can hum only part of a tune, and she can play the whole song easily on the piano,” said their son Lee Newbold. “Dad was a pilot and got me into flying. I got my pilot license as a teen.”

“I wasn’t really into flying, but I flew with Jay at times,” said Edith. “It just wasn’t something I always wanted to do.”

Together they liked to travel and do outside gardening and canning. Jay was a former distance runner and liked to jog to the different small towns nearby. 

He was a baseball coach and scout leader as well. Edith also liked to cook, and her children definitely loved it. 

“I would smell her cooking from the school bus, and we would run off the bus to the house where sweets would be laid out on the table,” said Rose Newbold. “Sometimes my friends would join me and come and get a cookie or treat.”

Edith says the key to a good long marriage is communication. 

“I just tell him what’s what,” she said with a laugh. 

“They were definitely there for us as parents,” said Lee Newbold. “Dad had a bit of a more firm side and mom was a little softer on us. They were always there for us and were great parents.”

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