50 Grand

Sylva Drevs says she can look into the eyes of the man she married half a century ago and fall in love all over again.

Despite the lines etched on her beloved’s face, and a body slowed by a stroke, Sylva still sees the straight-backed man in the U.S. Army uniform she met during World War II.

Her husband, Bud Drevs, is 79. Sylva Drevs is 76.

“It was love at first sight, sort of,” said Sylva, recalling how they met at a town meeting in Iowa. “I just couldn’t forget him.”

They lost touch during the war; Bud was stationed in the Pacific.

In 1946, Sylva returned to Iowa for a visit and called Bud. “He came to see me, and that did it,” she said.

From then on, they were inseparable, floating across dance floors, strolling the midway at the county fair. Bud gave Sylva a game prize ring that became as priceless as the Hope diamond.

Days before her planned return to California, Bud proposed. “I just can’t think of you going away and leaving me,” he told Sylva. “Will you marry me?”

On Jan. 25, 1947, Bud and Sylva were married at the former First United Methodist Church in Burbank. Like thousands of other couples, they will celebrate their love on Valentine’s Day.

Bud joined the local police. Sylva raised their two children. Together, they were active in the PTA, Scouting, clubs and church.

Now, age and illness have slowed their activities. Three years ago, Bud’s health began to deteriorate.

“For 48 years he opened doors for me,” Sylva said. “Now it’s my turn to do it for him.”

Some evenings, Sylva plays the organ for Bud. Other times, they sit side by side and talk.

“We have really had a good life together,” Sylva said. “We’ve had a lot of give and take. We’ve had to compromise. We’ve had differences in the things that we like.”

The key to a long marriage?

Easy, she said: “Show that you love each other and say it.”