Christian Couple Celebrates 70 Years of Faithful Marriage

Faith Facts

• Clyde and Gwen Antwine celebrated 70 years of marriage rooted in Christian service and missionary work across Europe and the United States.
• The couple met at a youth camp in Texas and built their relationship on shared faith, mission trips, and a commitment to mentoring young Christians.
• They helped establish a healthy church in Zurich, Switzerland, and continued to serve faithfully at Memorial Road Church of Christ in Oklahoma.

The Antwines first met as teenagers at a two-week encampment at Abilene Christian University. Clyde was 15 years old and sold his FFA prize-winning steer for $40 to attend. That is where he first saw Gwen, then 14, and asked to take her picture.

He carried that photograph in his wallet for five years before they reunited at Abilene Christian during his sophomore year. They married six months later.

“The last day of camp, I worked up the courage to ask her if I could take her picture, and she posed. And I put that picture in my wallet. I didn’t even know her name. I just knew she was pretty.”

After Clyde graduated, the couple boarded a boat for Europe in 1959. They served seven years in Zurich, helping to strengthen a young congregation of the Church of Christ. Their work laid a foundation that still bears fruit today.

Later the Antwines served in the German cities of Augsburg and Munich. After nearly two decades overseas, they returned to the United States. Clyde became missionary in residence at Oklahoma Christian University while Gwen served as office manager for The Christian Chronicle.

“Gwen would get you laughing and see the positive side when things got tough, and Clyde, in his quiet voice, would somehow say the exact words you needed to hear to keep you spiritually grounded.”

Their legacy continues through the many students they mentored for mission work. The Antwines never sought recognition. Their only goal was to prepare others for Kingdom service.

Today, Clyde still carries that original photograph of Gwen from their teenage years. Their story stands as a clear testimony of enduring love, steadfast faith, and lifelong commitment to the Lord’s work.

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