At the early age of 11, Benny was told that he had a degenerative eye disease, and at some point in the future, he would go blind. But, fortunately for him, the progress was slow, and he married Angie along the way. “I was visiting from Mexico and met Benny and we continued to write each other over the next year,” said Angie. “The following summer I came back, we got to know each other better, and he asked me to marry him.”
The couple has focused on their careers, extended families, and traveling the world. “Even though he was legally blind, we knew he would eventually go blind; when that happened in his early 40s, we were not surprised. So, now he sees through my eyes,” explains Angie. “We have been blessed that many people will help describe things to him on our trips. Benny can remember colors because, of course, he had vision when he was younger, so that is helpful for him, and he can feel textures of what we are seeing.”
“What is more difficult is walking around some of the ancient sites like Petra,” explains Benny. “Because the terrain is difficult, but I put my hand on her shoulder and just follow her up and down movements. I even rode a camel when I was in Jordan, and we’ve traveled to Hong Kong, Europe, Israel, but our favorite spot was Hawaii.”
The other passion shared by Benny and Angie is sports. While Benny has participated in team sports such as winning the World Series in Beep Ball (a sport similar to baseball), both Benny and Angie have finished several marathons, and Benny is going for one more in 2011. “I’d prefer to do a half marathon at this point, but my friend wants to train for a full, so we’ll see,” laughs Benny.
Benny and Angie have simple words of wisdom to offer for their successful marriage of 42 years. “We are agreeable with things. We talk things over…communication is key. One person can’t have it all their way…when you’re young, there’s so much you have to learn to compromise. We always overcame our problems because we always communicated with each other,” said Angie, “I would also say, let him tell you what he feels… be a listener… faith and trust are very important.” Benny adds, “And understanding, because once you understand what the problems are, then the trust comes.”
“Before I got married, my parents sat me down and laid out the pros and cons for me,” remembers Angie, “and they told me that when you get married, it’s for life. So, Benny and I made it to 15 years, then 25, and 40, now we hope we’ll make it to 50!” Benny laughs, “I guess we should hit 45 first, then aim for 50!”