Hastings Couple Inducted Into Nebraska Marriage Hall Of Fame

“Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” Mark 10:9 

Nebraska Family Alliance (NFA) recognized a couple married 75 years ago as one of Nebraska’s longest-married couples. Mr. and Mrs. Reed Munsell of Hastings were nominated to NFA’s Nebraska Marriage Hall of Fame during National Marriage Week in February by their granddaughter, Jennifer Munsell Nicas. 

“A state is only as strong as its families, and in order for a society to thrive, we need God-honoring marriages,” said Karen Bowling, Executive Director of Nebraska Family Alliance. “Healthy marriages produce secure families, provide a loving, stable environment to raise productive children, and influence the offspring and families that come from this lifelong union.”

The Munsells are the third couple to be inducted into NFA’s Nebraska Marriage Hall of Fame. They recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary at a special event in their church, surrounded by their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, lifelong friends, and faith community. 

Reed and Betty met at a youth camp near Lexington in August of 1945 when Reed was 19 and Betty was 15. During their courtship, they exchanged letters and attended Sunday night church together. When Betty graduated in May of 1947, Reed proposed. They were married on March 21, 1948, the first day of spring in Inavale, Nebraska, and honeymooned in Hastings, Lincoln, and Beatrice. 

The couple has been blessed with five children and one foster daughter, ten grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren. Active members of their church and community, Reed and Betty want every person who comes into their home to feel like family, and over the years, they have hosted several missionaries.

Nebraska Family Alliance established the Marriage Hall of Fame in 2021 to honor the institution of marriage and the men and women who have faithfully committed to each other. The Nebraska Marriage Hall of Fame encourages lifelong commitment, reiterates cultural support for the institution of marriage, and serves as a reminder that strong marriages benefit everyone.

Nominations are accepted during the month of February for couples who have been married 60 years or more. Ten other Nebraska couples received honorable mention in the Nebraska Marriage Hall of Fame this spring.