POCATELLO — When they met at Oregon State University, Tom knew Mary was the one because he thought she was “cute as a button.”

Mary knew Tom was the one when she realized how much she enjoyed spending time with him.

In October, they celebrated 71 years of marriage. Their lives together as teachers took them all over the world. Mary, who retired earlier than Tom, has visited all seven continents through work and travel.

Their initial meeting was set up by a friend.

“My roommate knew Tom’s best friend from high school,” Mary said. “We met on campus and had coffee and Tom wanted to walk me back home.”

Tom said there were sparks for him right away.

“But it took her a little longer,” he said.

Tom and Mary Cox married Oct. 21, 1954. As life took them across the U.S. and the world, they added four children — two boys and two girls. Last year brought dramatic changes. Both of their daughters died of cancer, and in December, the couple decided their McCammon property was too much to maintain. They turned it over to their youngest son and moved into Brookdale Pocatello, a Gate City senior living community.

Even amid recent hardships, their seven-decade bond remains strong. Tom credits a good sense of humor — then quickly turns more serious.

“I am not sure there is a simple answer,” Tom said about the longevity of their marriage. “Even when we had difficulties, we always realized we have problems and so does everyone else and their problems are bigger than ours. So grin and bear it.”

Mary said their careers and hobbies kept them apart at times, and she attributes the longevity of their marriage to that occasional distance.

“We had so many opportunities over the years,” she said. “There were short periods of time, maybe three months at the most. Just enough for a little break.”

Tom grew up in Redmond, Ore., while Mary, born in Lafayette, Ind., grew up in Davis, Calif., where her family moved after her father took a teaching position at the University of California, Davis. Much of their married life was spent in San Diego, where Tom taught at San Diego State University and Mary taught in the school district.

Among their more memorable experiences was a year spent teaching in Hawaii in the 1960s. They were living in a community with a private beach when a notable group came to town.

“During that time, The Beatles came to Hawaii on tour,” Mary said. “They ended up staying with some neighbors.”

The Beatles, unable to stay in high-profile locations like hotels without drawing chaos, had taken up residence nearby.

Later, Tom received a Fulbright Grant to teach in Japan, and it initially appeared the couple might be separated for a year.

“I wanted Mary and the kids to come with me,” Tom said. “The school district in San Diego said they couldn’t give her leave for that long and would just have to terminate her.”

Mary pressed on, searching for a way to join Tom in Japan without losing her job. A solution finally emerged.

“They said she would have to be a student in Japan,” Tom said. “So we went to San Diego State and she enrolled as a graduate student in Asian studies.”

Mary took classes in Japanese folk art and anthropology, which became passions for the couple.

“We went to so many places in Japan,” Mary said. “Every county in Japan had a display of some of the works that were made in that county.”

They visited those locations, noted artists’ names and hometowns, then sought out those artists to learn more.

One passion that kept Tom busy for years — and gave Mary time to travel on her own — was training and competing Chesapeake Bay Retrievers in American Kennel Club Field Retriever Trials. It was a major reason the couple settled on their McCammon property when Tom retired in 1995.

Just a couple of months into life at Brookdale, the couple continues to show the energy that has no doubt fueled their marital success. Tom acknowledges they are still settling in.

“They are still getting to know us here,” he said. “So we haven’t driven anyone up the wall yet.”