MONTICELLO — Tom and Ann Saunders have been married for 71 years. 

“Seventy-one and a half,” Tom corrected. 

The Monticello couple agrees that they were too busy through the years making a life together to ever have any real problems. 

“I didn’t know any better,” Ann laughed.

That life has brought years of farming, four children and active community involvement from each of them. But none of that is without weekends of fun, memories of travel and — now at ages 93 and 88 — they’re still dancing almost each weekend and putting thousands of miles on their motorcycle annually.

The stress and uncertainty that often comes with farming didn’t really transfer to their marriage. Tom said his secret to longevity might be that he never told Ann what to do. 

But also said he never really had to.

“She knew what had to be done and she did it,” Tom said. “From the hay mow to the milk house to the kitchen — wherever she had to be — she was there.”

The couple knew of each other early on — both lived on nearby farms outside of town — but Tom was out of high school by the time Ann attended. They graduated from Monroe High School in the 1940s, four years apart. 

When he passed by Ann’s farm to get to town, Tom would see her outside raking hay or mowing with a team of horses. He jokes that he chose her because he knew she could work. 

Dancing is eventually what brought the couple together. Along with roller skating, they enjoyed being active and social. Although neither really recalls the proposal, the couple knows they fell in love quickly, and married in 1947. 

“Everyone else was getting married so we did too,” Ann said. Her sister had just married a month prior, and Ann was able to borrow the dress for her own occasion. 

They married at St. Victor Church and held a reception at the home of Ann’s brother. Tom said they likely spent less than $100 on the entire shindig.

Tom worked as a hired man on local farms before working for two years at Oscar Meyer, but it didn’t last. 

“That made a man out of me,” he said. “After two winters at Oscar Meyer — the clock stood still.”

He preferred to be outdoors, among the livestock, fresh air and land, he said. Soon, he and Ann rented a farm in Brodhead before settling in Monticello in 1948. 

The commitment and hard work never bothered either of them. Tom and Ann welcomed their first of four children in 1950. The couple reached their goal and purchased their own farm in 1960. 

“She helped me the whole time,” Tom said. “She raised the kids in the barn. At 3 weeks old, the baby was in the buggy in the barn.”

Ann took the main responsibility for milking — at one time, up to around 70 cows, but was thankful for the help of her children. Tom was in the field, taking care of livestock and provided custom farm work. 

“I liked the farm,” Ann said. “I sure milked a lot of cows.”

The family purchased a second farm in 1962. 

A large garden was a staple for the family through the years, and Ann always kept admirable flower beds. Early on, their community involvement became a priority. 

Tom was part of the Community Club, serving as its president when Lake Montesian was built in the 1960s. Ann was active as well — taking over the homecoming food tent and helping with the line-up. She served as the secretary of the Ag Chest for several years and was a member of the Monticello School Board. She helped at the Green County Fair and was heavily involved with the Red Cross Bloodmobile as a volunteer caller. They both donated blood regularly. 

Ann said she enjoyed getting out to contribute to the community and her children’s activities whenever she could. 

“I just liked doing it I guess,” Ann said.

“We were part of the community — our kids went to school here — it’s just the way it was,” Tom said of why they continued their involvement.

The couple was never too far from having all sorts of fun. They would dance on weekends and loved to frequent The Casino, a longtime Monticello establishment. At closing time, a group would often congregate to the Saunders farm, where the fun continued with a large breakfast until milking time. 

In 1979 the couple decided to retire, auctioned off the farm and equipment and purchased a motor home. They spent the summer traveling and built a home. 

However, retirement wasn’t for them. 

“By fall I could crawl straight up that wall,” Tom said. 

In the spring of 1980, the Saunders couple became crop farmers on a newly purchased farm. Tom still did custom work up until about three years ago. He retired a second time at age 90. The couple was able to take more time to enjoy during those years. They visited almost every state and spent their 25th wedding anniversary in Hawaii.  They went to Arizona during the winter months for more than three decades until last year when they sold their home there. 

Tom, now 93, and Ann, 88, aren’t on the go quite as much as they used to be — this year they’re taking things “one day at a time.” 

However, the couple put 5,000 miles on their Honda Trike Goldwing last year. They can still be found dancing on weekends, usually in New Glarus or heading up to Mount Vernon to hunker down for some discount wings. 

Their memories of togetherness always end with a smile from each of them. One in particular is the weekend Tom spent in the dunk tank as president of the Community Club during homecoming. No one hesitated to set Ann, who played softball for years, up with ammunition. 

“I dunked him five times and they just kept feeding me the ball,” she laughed. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t too happy,” he said. “The water was cold. But everyone got such a kick out of it.”