John and Phyllis Ryerse of Gainesville celebrated their 50th anniversary on Nov. 24, 2007. A surprise dinner held in Cumming was given by their children on Thanksgiving Day.John said "although they have been 50 bone-crushing years, I love my wife more today than 50 years ago."

The couple have four children, Steve Ryerse of Sandy Springs, Robin Barber of Lavonia, Jay Ryerse of Cumming and Tiffany Westbrook of Marietta, and 10 grandchildren.