John and Anne Mathis celebrate 50th anniversary

John and Anne Mathis celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Oct. 7 with a renewal of vows ceremony at Bethel United Methodist Church in Columbia.

After the ceremony, Lisa and David Wood and Kay and Harold Gear hosted a reception in the couple’s honor in the Poole activities building at the church.

John and Anne met June 2, 1962, on a blind date in Myrtle Beach, and they were married Oct. 7, 1966, at Shandon United Methodist Church in Columbia.

They have two daughters and sons-in-law, Lisa and David Wood of Columbia and Tammy and Darrell Vincent of Bristol, Rhode Island. Six grandchildren – Hayden Gamarra of Athens, Georgia; Isabelle, Ivy and Noah Wood of Columbia; and Megan and Lee Vincent of Bristol, Rhode Island – bring joy, love and lots of fun to their lives.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, John is retired from Prudential Insurance Company. Anne is retired after a long career in nursing.