Ruth Gutierrez knew from the minute she saw Marciano "Rocky" Duron that he was someone special.

MATT NAGER/DMN

Dancing has been a delight for Ruth and Rocky Duron since the beginning of their relationship. The Irving couple celebrated their 50th anniversary in February by renewing their vows at Lee Park, where they were married.

Back in the '50s, she'd often watch him coach the neighborhood kids at Pike Park near their homes in Little Mexico Village, just north of downtown Dallas. Rocky lettered in football and baseball at North Dallas High School.

"I was very impressed with the way he handled and coached the kids at Pike Park," says Ruth, whose cousin Rosie lived near Rocky and offered to introduce them. "My father knew his dad real well because his dad was a barber, and my dad cut his hair there."

MATT NAGER/DMN

Rocky and Ruth Duron emphasized education and sports while raising four sons and a daughter.

Rocky says Rosie asked him to introduce her to his best friend, Abel, in November 1956. Within months, Rosie and Abel were married and often invited Rocky over for dinner with them and Ruth. Although Rocky says he thought Ruth was cute, there were no sparks at first. Rocky, who was six years older than Ruth, attended college. Ruth was in high school.

"Then, one time, we went to a dance. I didn't even know if she knew how to dance, but her brother Richard came and they started to dance. And she just kept looking at me, smiling," Rocky says. "Cupid must have shot his arrow and hit me right between the eyes. I was hooked."

And Ruth was impressed that Rocky could dance. The two grew closer.

"He also was going to college at North Texas in Denton, which was impressive," she says. "But his dedication to the kids, and how they loved him, was what really impressed me."

Rocky was especially pleased that Ruth didn't mind his other love: sports. His golf outings and football watching didn't bother her.

"She just made me happy all the time," he says. "Her love for life is tremendous, and she always had a great sense of humor. I am not a very good joke teller, but she always laughs at my jokes. Amazing, she is always in a very good mood when she wakes up, and when I called and asked her what she was doing, she always answered, 'Waiting for you.' It made my day."

Rocky remembers outings with friends to Pike Park, where they would roll out a blanket, eat pizza and watch a movie at the drive-in. Within six months, Rocky was ready to propose. He asked Ruth while they were sitting in his car outside of her folks' house.

"I turned and told her I was going to ask her a very serious question, 'Make sure to think about it before you answer.' "

When he asked, "Do you want to get married?" Ruth answered, "Yes," without hesitation.

But there was one stipulation, she told him. He'd have to talk to her grandmother first. This worried Rocky, but Ruth reassured him, "She likes you because you have a car, and she knows you come from a very good family."

With her grandmother, dad's and mom's blessing, Ruth and Rocky were married Feb. 1, 1958, at Arlington Hall in Lee Park.

Ruth continued working downtown until their first son, René, was born Feb. 17, 1959. A few days before, Rocky had been laid off as a draftsman at Fritz W. Glitch, but he found work at Burgess-Manning, where he stayed 11 years. He eventually went into sales for other companies.

Ruth stayed home to raise their kids, which would include three more sons: Ronald, Ruben and Marcus, and daughter Christina.

"It was so much fun raising all of my kids, four boys coming home hungry. If no food, lots of complaining," says Ruth, now 68. "And when my daughter came, it has been so much fun for all of us. I would not trade this for anything as I have truly been blessed."

Rocky and Ruth say having a family made the marriage work.

"Our biggest love is our family. From the time they were born, they were into sports and education," he says. "Every Saturday and Sunday, she packed lunches. We'd go to the park and play whatever, while she relaxed and read the paper."

They say that the most trying time in their marriage may have been when their bustling Irving home became an empty nest as the kids moved out. But the couple managed to reclaim their romance.

"We do recommend courting your wife again, flowers, calling her often, taking her out to breakfast, sometimes lunch, and many times dinner, and most important, enjoy your kids," says Rocky, who is CEO of Rocky Duron & Associates. The family's industrial products business was started by son Ruben about 20 years ago in the family garage.

On their 50th anniversary, Rocky and Ruth's children threw them a surprise gathering at Lee Park, where they renewed their wedding vows.

"Fifty years," says Rocky, 76. "That is a very long time. But, honestly, it has gone too fast. I wish it were a recording and I could turn it back or put it on pause because it has been a lot of fun."

Kathleen Green is a Plano freelance writer. If you have a True Romance story, e-mail DMNGreen@sbcglobal.net.