Lamar and Yvonne Lowery were crowned Valentine King and Queen of the Lillian D. Green Nutrition Center on Thursday and will reign until the Center’s St. Valentine’s Day program in 2010.

A cheer went up when the couple was named the 2009 King and Queen and that was an indication of the couple’s popularity among the participants at the Center, said Hassie Green, Center director.

“Lamar and Yvonne are devoted to the Center,” Green said. “They are the first ones here every morning and, anything we ask Lamar to do, he is more than willing to do. Sometimes, we don’t even ask. He just comes in and says, ‘If there’s anything you need for me to do today, feel free to ask.’”

Green said the couple was not expecting to be named Valentine King and Queen. “They both cried,” Green said. “It meant a lot to them and they are more than deserving. We are proud to have them as our king and queen.”

The Lowerys have been married for 30 years and have found that their love grows stronger each year.

“He was on the trash truck that came by my house, and that’s how we met,” Yvonne said. “It wasn’t love at first sight. We just grew to love each other. He proposed to me in the car and gave me the ring. He just said, ‘Will you marry me?’ and I said, ‘Of course.’ And we’ve had a good life together.”

The couple married on Aug. 25, 1978, in Enterprise and spent their honeymoon at Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Originally from Enterprise, they moved to Troy 10 years ago.

“Troy is our home now,and we love being here and we especially love coming to the nutrition center and being with all our friends,” Lamar said.