SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Do you believe that true love can last forever? A local couple is celebrating their 71st anniversary.
Ruth Mounier remembers it like it was yesterday.
"The first time I saw him I thought he was cute and he flirted. And I never flirt," she said.
The date was February 6, 1941. The place a Los Angeles roller rink, a date he'll never forget.
"She was very attractive," David Mounier said.
"I was 14 and was just beginning to find out there were boys in the world," Ruth said.
David and Ruth Mounier have been going around ever since.
"He got his notice to go in the service. All the guys did. So I said 'I'm getting him before you get him,'" she said.
So with a $5 ring and a tank of gas, Dave, age 19 and Ruth, age 15, eloped to Yuma. Now three children, nine grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren later, they are more in love than ever.
"Love him in the morning and you love him in the evening and you love him at supper time. You give him lots of loving and you love him all the time, they'll never stray," Ruth said. "He don't have enough left over for anybody else."
"She's a live wire," David said.
Through the years, they stayed together, building a house on an acre of land in Fallbrook in 1946 and building a foundation of love and respect and passion for each other.
"He's a loving man. He loves to be loved and I love to love," Ruth said. "We never go to bed without kissing each other goodnight."
Today in Escondido, they remain side by side in good health and good cheer.
"He's never been to the hospital and he's going to be 92 his next birthday," Ruth said. "Just remember, it's a commitment and keep your love alive."
The memories of how they felt when they first met remain vivid and continue to fan the flames of their everlasting love.