Dolly Parton Shares The Touching Way She Spent Her Anniversary

Losing her husband, Carl Dean, meant big changes for Dolly Parton in 2025, including finding a new way to celebrate their wedding anniversary. As InStyle shared, the country music star spent what would have been the couple’s 59th anniversary by carrying on a longstanding tradition: visiting the church where they were married.

“So I went down there the other day on our anniversary,” Parton told FOX News’ America reports, referring to the Ringgold, Georgia church. “And they put a big plaque up in the yard of that church where we got married. It talks about us getting married there.” Parton also shared that she took a photo on the church steps to commemorate the occasion. The couple married on May 30th, 1966.

The Singer Found Little Ways to Honor Her Husband on Their Anniversary

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Celebrating her anniversary alone was an undoubtedly sad occasion for Parton, but she found some sweet, simple ways to make her late husband a part of the special day. “I put his wedding ring around my little gold chain and wore it,” she shared.

In addition to carrying a little piece of Dean with her, Parton also wore some special jewelry for the church visit. “I wore my little original wedding rings,” she said. “And it was just so — it was just so sweet… It was good for me.”

Parton Has Used Faith to Help Her Heal

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Since Dean passed away earlier this year, the “9 to 5” singer has turned to her faith to help her heal. “I truly believe that I’m going to see him again someday,” Parton said, as Deseret News reported. “And I see him every day in my memories and in my heart, and in all the things that we used to do and all the things that we’ve built together.”

The singer also commented on how her life has changed since Dean’s death. “I just try to go on, because I know I have to,” she said. Although she admits that she felt peaceful at the end of Dean’s suffering from a long illness, that peace isn’t enough to outweigh the sadness she felt at losing him. “But that still doesn’t make up for the loss and the loneliness of it,” she shared.