Joanna Gaines' Parents Have a Love Story That's Ridiculously Swoon-Worthy

Jessica Mattern
Updated

From Country Living

We all know Chip and Joanna Gaines have one of the strongest marriages in the entertainment biz, but it turns out that Joanna's parents have a pretty incredible love story themselves.

Jerry and Nan Stevens were married 45 years ago, and their daughter says their decades-long relationship is a source of inspiration for her. "My parents met in 1969 when my dad was stationed in Korea and their story is one you hear about in the movies," Joanna wrote on Instagram. "All the odds were against them but they fought through."

Happy Mother's Day Mom! This amazing woman has had quite the journey and her life story should be made into a book. She is creative, kind, selfless, fiery, and beautiful. I am honored to call her mother!

A post shared by Joanna Stevens Gaines (@joannagaines) on May 11, 2014 at 3:42pm PDT

Jerry and Nan met at a party in Seoul, Korea. "Interesting enough, the way my mother tells it, she spotted my dad sitting off by himself in a corner at that party and said to a friend of hers, 'That's the man I'm going to marry,'" Joanna wrote in her book, The Magnolia Story. "Her friends thought she was crazy, but she says she just knew."

When my father was stationed in Korea for the Vietnam War he met my mother there and they fell in love. This has always been one of my favorite pictures of my dad. He's in his VW bug on the way to pick up my mother in California just after he asked to marry her. Nearly 45 years later and they've never been stronger. ✌]]>🏼