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Happy Anniversary George and Norma Strait: How Passion and Tragedy Has Kept the Two Together

We all want a relationship that can stand the test of time. A George and Norma Strait kind of relationship, celebrating the highs of life and comforting each other during the lows. Best friends who never part.

George Strait is called the King of Country, but he’d be nothing without his Queen, and for 49 years the two have reigned together through love and loss.

The Love Story of the King of Country and His Queen

The love story of Norma Voss Strait and George Strait begins as many do, with the two being high school sweethearts.

“Norma was the first girl I ever loved. We knew each other forever, growing up in a small town,” said Strait. “I never really even thought anything about her, but then one day I asked her out, and we went on a date. We didn’t see each other for a long time after that. Then one day, I thought, ‘I’m missing the boat here,’ and we started dating again.”

George’s realization of missing out on the love of his life led the pair to wed in Mexico. A typical cowboy move. The two said their “I do’s” on December 4, 1971.

To please their parents, the pair shared vows in a church ceremony in their hometown of Pearsall, Texas.

That same year, George joined the United States Army, and his love, Norma, followed him to his post in Hawaii.

Perhaps Norma helped him gain his voice, or George found it on his own, but his singing career began in the army while performing with a military-based country music group.

Without him knowing, this experience would lead Strait to become a country music legend. However, it would still take him a decade to produce his first real single.

Hawaii became home where the two welcomed their first child Jenifer on Oct. 6, 1972. They then had their son George “Bubba” Strait, Jr. in 1981.

George Strait and Norma Conquer Loss Through Love

The two suffered heartbreak following the death of their daughter, Jenifer, in an automobile accident near the family’s home in Texas. She was just 13. George and Norma Strait were each others’ pillars of strength during a tragedy that can often tear couples apart.

This was not the case with George and Norma, as they came together to conquer loss through love.

Although George doesn’t speak often on the loss of his daughter, he has said, “We were blessed to have been able to spend 13 years with our beautiful daughter Jenifer.”

The Jenifer Lynn Strait Foundation was later founded, donating money to children’s charities in the San Antonio, Texas area.

Bubba eventually married, making George and Norma grandparents. They were blessed with a grandson, George Harvey Strait III in February 2012, and a granddaughter, Jilliann Louise Strait, in September 2016, making the couple grandparents of two.

Forever Looking Forward

Norma occasionally joined George on the road, but the two now mostly reside at their ranch in Texas, enjoying their time together and loving the gift of spending time with their grandchildren.

“Norma and I are so blessed that we found each other … and were able to do all of this together, experience this life together, to support each other through everything, good times and bad,” Strait tells People. “We do almost everything together … We love each other and we still like each other. A lot!”