A ROMANTIC grandfather of five has got his first tattoo at the age of 77 – to mark his golden wedding anniversary.
Lewis Kennedy – a former Edinburgh University electronics expert – at first tried to keep his tattoo secret by pretending to have been in an accident.
But after an image of him getting the tattoo became a hit on Facebook, Lewis unveiled the design to a shocked but delighted Marion, 73.
Lewis, who has a Facebook page and plays Candy Crush Saga on his iPad, now plans to get the names of his daughters inked on his other arm.
The couple from Edinburgh are due to celebrate their anniversary on 19 June, after marrying in Hawick’s Trinity Church in 1964.
Lewis, who worked for 40 years as a senior technical officer in the physics department at Edinburgh University, said he had never considered getting a tattoo until he started pondering how to mark the big wedding anniversary.
“I thought, ‘What can I do that will always be there – and this always will now?” said Lewis.
“It’s a good way to remember 50 years and hopefully a lot more.
“You’ve got to do something like that, something unexpected, once in your life.”
“It was not as painful as I thought it would be.”
Lewis planned to tattoo with daughter Linda, 44, telling his wife he was fixing the rabbit hutch.
He admits he walked away from the studio at first but Linda helped encourage him to go in.
Lewis went up to the counter and asked staff: “Am I too old for a tattoo?”
He returned home hours later with a cover story that he’d got a splinter in his arm.
Marion, who remains determined never to be tattooed, said: “It’s just a shock still.
“I didn’t think Lewis would ever get one. It’s very nice though, it’s very romantic. ”
The couple met in their early teens when whistled at her across the street.
They will mark their anniversary with a big party for family and friends. The modest couple will enjoy a holiday together in Morecombe, Lancs, where they honeymooned.
Jo Kohl, who works in Studio XIII Gallery in Edinburgh, said: “It’s very sweet. We have never had someone come in for such a milestone.
“I think it’s lovely and shows that love is still in the air, it’s so romantic.”
