Athens couple going strong after 60 years

Published 6:30 am Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Faye Suggs vividly remembers the first time she met her husband of soon-to-be-60 years, Sid. They went to elementary school together in Cullman County. They were a year apart, so their paths rarely crossed until one day Sid and his buddies shoved Faye aside to get to the playground.

“I thought he was so rude,” Faye said. Sid barely remembers doing it. A few years later, their paths crossed again at West Point High School. By that time, Sid had gained some manners and Faye had excelled so much in school that she advanced a grade. Although Faye’s father had strict dating rules for his daughter, they were able to go on double dates here and there with her older brother and his girlfriend. In 1954, the two graduated. Sid went into the Marines, and Faye took a job as a clerk at a State Farm agency in Birmingham.

A family emergency brought Sid home early from his two-year stint on the USS Artemis, and they connected again. This time, for good.

On Nov. 8, 1957, Sid and Faye stood in their preacher’s living room and said their vows. Sixty years later, the Athens couple is still going strong. They plan to celebrate their 60th anniversary with friends and family on Nov. 5 at the Deer Trail Townhomes Clubhouse at 17797 Antlers Pass in Athens. Jeff Suggs, the couple’s only son, and his wife Darla planned the 2-4 p.m. event, where they expect about 100 guests.

“Their marriage is a testimony of their strong Christian faith and devotion to their vows,” Jeff said. “They were always very serious about making their marriage work.”

Sid served the Athens community as a State Farm agent for 40 years, a job he got thanks to his wife. By the time the two had married, Faye had been promoted to district secretary and Sid was traveling extensively for his job with the finance division of Whirlpool. Their son Jeff arrived in 1958, and Sid decided the traveling life was no longer for him.

“His company kept wanting me to relocate to another state, and finally I told them, ‘I am not going to move from hither to yon. Our little boy is going to have roots,'” Sid said.

Faye’s boss suggested he learn the insurance business, and the rest is history. Sid became an agent in 1963 and took over the Athens State Farm office, where he served this community until he retired in 2003. His agency was known for their honest practices and for the first-rate fast-pitch softball team they sponsored in the 1960s and 1970s. Sid was the team’s second baseman and shortstop.

When Sid wasn’t running his agency or herding cattle on his 170-acre cattle ranch in the Lakefront community, he led the Royal Ambassadors, a Christian club for boys at his church.

“There are quite a few men in the community he worked with when they were boys,” Faye said. “He touched a lot of lives. A lot of guys will tell you that today.”

Faye touched many in the Limestone County community as well. For over 30 years, she taught private piano lessons in her home and trained many local musicians, including First Baptist Church’s pianist Greg Glace and professional piano player Adam King. She served as the music director at Oakdale Baptist Church for nine years and led music throughout the 30 years the couple attended Salem Baptist Church. In 1980, she earned a degree in music from Athens State University.

Last year, Sid suffered a stroke that affected the right side of his body. Although he is bound to a wheelchair, his mind is still sharp.

“Things have gotten much harder since the stroke,” Faye said. “But we continue to hold on to each other. I was blessed to get a very good man who loves the Lord and has always served him.”

The couple is looking forward to celebrating their diamond anniversary with friends and four generations of family members.