Communication key for marriage that lasts
Yolanda and Jesse Montez Sr. have been married for 40 years.
“He saw me in high school, but he didn’t go up to talk to me. A friend introduced us at a dance. The rest is history.”
“We’ve had some hard times through the years, just like anybody else. We just discuss the issues and move on. That’s the key factor right there. We have good communication, me and her. That’s why we’ve lasted so long. We understand each other.”
How did that develop?
“He had to learn it.”
“Yeah, I was very stubborn. I didn’t want to be home. I was pretty young back then, and I was used to going out, getting drunk, being with my friends. I wanted to keep on partying. But then I was like, no, I have a family now. I’ve got to settle down.
“We got married when she was 17 and I was 18. I had dropped out of school. We had a big family and my dad was sick. So back then, you had to go to work. We worked the fields. We were farm workers. But I went back and finished school. I got a job at a chemical plant in Deer Park, and I stayed there for 30 years. They wanted me to get a GED, so I did that. Then I went and got my EMT. I went to firefighter school and learned the safety part of construction. That’s what I’m doing now, safety for a contractor.”
“He’s come a long way from being a farm worker. I’m very proud of him.”
— Yolanda and Jesse Montez Sr.
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