PHOTOS: LOVE WILL NEVER DIE

After 28 years of a turbulent relationship, Jenny and John are still together but maintain separate residences. John, a WWII veteran, suffers from a bipolar disorder that has gone mostly untreated and this has contributed to his often violent outbursts towards Jenny. For this reason he has spent time in jail and at a mental institution.

Jenny, an ordained minister of the Rock of Ages Church, believes that she is serving God every day by being a charitable and loving person. Her faith has helped her withstand the abuse and abandonment she has endured throughout the years.

In the past few years, John has become less aggressive and his abuse has been mostly verbal. When John mistreats Jenny, she will go back to her place and wait for him to “cool off”. John can also be very loving towards Jenny, calling her sweetheart, giving her foot rubs and writing her love notes “After all these years, I finally got the husband I married”, says Jenny proudly.

Virginia “Jenny” Lancaster Cebuhar and John Cebuhar embrace in a hug when she comes to visit him at his apartment at Lakeview Towers in Macon, Mo. Jenny and John have been together for 28 years, but maintain separate residences.
   
A wedding card of Jenny and John’s wedding day on October 28, 1984, placed over a calendar on the wall of John’s apartment.
  
John has a pensive moment when Jenny comes to visit him at his apartment. John has been living in his apartment since the end of 2004.
     
  
Jenny and John have a lull in their conversation, as they are about to leave his apartment.
   
Jenny and John like to eat breakfast at the C & R Market in Macon, Mo., where they usually have biscuits and gravy.
   
John unloads groceries from Jenny’s car when they arrive to her house in La Palata, Mo., 20 miles from Macon. Since John doesn’t own a car, Jenny has to drive him back and forth when he comes to visit.
     
  
Jenny sweeps the steps as John mows the lawn at Jenny’s house. John enjoys doing chores and handy work and for this Jenny calls him “Mister Wonderful”.
   
Jenny reads a prayer and holds John’s hand, before they have a late-morning snack. Jenny’s faith has helped her endure the difficulties of a traumatic relationship.
   
Jenny and John walk towards his apartment, where she will spend the night.
     
  
Jenny thanks The Lord for her favorite tree planted in her backyard. A minister of the Rock of Ages church, she considers her life an expression of God’s love.
  
Jenny and John pose for a portrait at Lakeview Towers, in Macon, Mo. The building originally housed the Blees Military Academy and later was converted into a mental asylum. The Macon housing authority, which provides low-income housing to the community, currently operates it.