Photos by Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times

Gracie and Elmer Conner hold hands in their Radford home. The Conners celebrated their 70th anniversary Dec. 17.

The Conners display their anniversary and Christmas cards in their home.

RADFORD -- As they sit on the couch in their Radford home reminiscing about the past -- his 21 years as a baseball player in the Tri-County League in West Virginia; her years working at the Goodykoontz Drug Store; trips they took; their two children -- Elmer and Gracie Conner's love for each other still shows with a laugh over an old joke, a teasing remark or a pat on the hand.

On Dec. 17, the Conners celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary and on Thursday they will celebrate their 70th Christmas as a married couple.

The couple met at a party when Elmer went to pick up his sister, Frances, with whom Gracie went to school. They dated for two years and married in 1938.

"I love this man as much as I did when I married him," Gracie, 86, said.

"It doesn't seem that long now," Elmer, 93, said. "The good Lord has been good to us."

The Conners don't give each other anniversary gifts because the day is so close to Christmas, Elmer said. Instead, they just exchange presents on Christmas.

Gracie likes to say she was lucky to have married such a good man when she was so young. Elmer does nearly all of the shopping, including the Christmas shopping.

"I love pretty things, but I don't like shopping," Gracie said, laughing. "He always laughs at me about that."

She said she used to go Christmas shopping with her daughter, Jeanie Miano, but stopped when Miano died four years ago.

The couple moved to Radford from West Virginia six years ago to be near their family, including their son, Dale, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

"Since then, they've gotten to be closer to the kids and to we grandchildren, too," said grandson Anthony Miano. "I think I'm better friends with my grandfather, more than just a grandson and grandfather."

The Conners have been a model for the family, he said.

The Conners have two television sets in their living room. While Miano and other family members were helping his grandparents unpack after their move from West Virginia, Miano said his grandfather explained why.

Elmer is a big sports fan -- "I like the Hokies unless they're playing West Virginia," he said -- and Gracie isn't. So Elmer turns his hearing aids down and mutes the sound on sports games on one TV, while Gracie watches the other with the sound on.

"My grandfather told me 'I can see what I want, she can see what she wants, and we can still be together,' " Miano said. That shows their dedication to each other, even after many years of marriage, he said.

Even before the Conners moved to Radford, they visited each year at Christmas, Miano said. The family gathers at Miano's house for breakfast and exchanges gifts.

The Conners said they used to give each other more presents at Christmas, but as time went on, they gave each other fewer gifts and gave more to others.

"It's hard to get something that you haven't already given now," Elmer said.

The extended family also puts money aside to "adopt" a local needy family each year, Miano said.

"We try to give them things they need and things they want," he said.

But Gracie can name her favorite gift -- a cross necklace Elmer gave her years ago. And Elmer's favorite gift?

"That she's loved me right good all these years," he said, smiling.