On Saturday afternoon, the couple gathered with more than 60 family members at the Enfield Hall to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary with an afternoon tea.
The Stangers were married at St Paul's Church in Oamaru on March 19, 1948.
They first met in person in 1946 at the Enfield Hall at a function to welcome home soldiers, such as Mr Stanger, who had fought in World War 2, having corresponded by letter throughout the war.
Mr Stanger had taken it upon himself to write to Mrs Stanger to inform her family of the death of her brother, who died of wounds in Italy, the first of many letters the couple would share.
"Her brother was in the same platoon as me. When he got wounded I carried him out," Mr Stanger, originally of Glenavy, said.
After that first meeting at the hall, Mrs Stanger said she thought her future husband was "quite nice" and the couple would go on to see each other as often as they possibly could.
She said it was some time before they got married.
"We were engaged for a long time because there was a shortage of houses after the war. I think we were engaged for about 18 months."
Mr Stanger said the secret to their long, successful marriage was the ability to "keep going", while Mrs Stanger, originally of Georgetown, believed it was all about making each other happy.
"It's a lot of patience and a lot of give and take."
Mrs Stanger said she was delighted to be able to share their anniversary with so many close family members.
"We are very, very lucky," she said.
The couple have six children, 10 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.
