George and Norma Strait’s 50-Year Love Story: From High School Sweethearts to a Lifetime of Love
George and Norma Strait’s love story began in Pearsall, Texas, where they went to high school together. Even then, George was immediately attracted to Norma, but he wasn’t sure about getting serious with her at the time. They went on one date and then took a long break, but during that time, George realized he missed being with Norma, and they started dating again.
When they rekindled their romance, George was 19, and Norma was 17. Little did they know that they would be together for the rest of their lives. The couple eloped in Mexico on December 4, 1971, and have been happily married ever since.
Despite George’s success in the music industry, he and Norma shared a relatively private life. Norma was always by his side, cheering him on, hit after hit, album after album. Together, they had two children. Their first child, Jenifer Lynn Strait, was born in 1972, ten months after their marriage. Their second child, George Strait Jr., also known as “Bubba,” was born nine years later.
However, tragedy struck the Straits’ family when Jenifer was involved in a car accident on June 15, 1986, and was the lone casualty. She was only 13, and the loss left a hole too big to fill in their lives. It was so overwhelming that George even considered giving up music altogether. But thanks to Norma, he found an anchor, a rock, that allowed him to move forward.
Together, George and Norma dealt with their loss and stood by each other no matter what. Their relationship grew stronger with each passing year. While this may not be the ideal secret to a marriage, it is an unbreakable bond built on the pain they weathered together.
Today, fifty years after they first fell in love, George and Norma still love and like each other very much. When asked about their lasting marriage, George said in an interview when he won the ACM Artist of the Decade in 2008, “We still have our difficult times. Of course, I think every marriage does. We have a lot more good times than we do bad times, and the bad times don’t last near as long as they used to anymore, so I think it gets easier and easier.”
To mark their 50-year love story, George serenaded the crowd with a special dedication to his wife. He gushed about Norma in front of more than 20,000 people and reminisced about how he “met this girl, fell in love, and eloped 50 years ago.” As the camera panned to Norma in the crowd, you could almost see her blush (and maybe a hint of happy tears). George sang his romantic ballad “I Cross My Heart” as a testament to his unwavering love for Norma.
George and Norma Strait’s love story is proof that true love can last a lifetime. They have stood by each other through thick and thin, and their unwavering love for each other is an inspiration to us all
