After decades of success, George Strait was among several artists to be honored at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors earlier in December where he was joined by his wife of 54 years, Norma. The ceremony took place on December 7, 2025, and was hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump; George was inducted alongside other artists including actor Sylvester Stallone, and musicians KISS, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Crawford.
George and Norma met in their small Texas town while in school, and they eloped after graduation before George enlisted in the United States Army. Together they welcomed two children and are proud grandparents to two grandchildren. Here is all we know about their private life, and the tragedy they've endured….
When did George Strait meet his wife?
George and Norma "knew each other forever, growing up in a small town," he told country radio station The Bull 100.3 in 2011 on their 40th wedding. but he had never considered her romantically until one day, when he decided to ask her out. They went on a date before not seeing each other again "for a long time," until "one day, I thought, 'I'm missing the boat here,' and we started dating again."
Where did George and Norma marry?
When George was 19, and Norma was 17, they eloped and tied the knot on December 4, 1971, before also having a church wedding in their hometown of Pearsall. George enlisted in the U.S. Army and shipped off to Hawaii as part of the 25th Infantry Division months later.
During his time in the army, George auditioned and began performing with an Army-sponsored country music band, Rambling Country. He left the army in 1975 after being honorably discharged.
A year after George and Norma tied the knot, they welcomed their daughter Jenifer, and in 1981, Norma gave birth to their son George Strait Jr, known as Bubba.
George and Norma's loss
In 1986, at the age of 13, Jenifer was killed in a car accident when the driver lost control of the Ford Mustang they were riding in.
George has chosen to speak about Jenifer rarely. In 1987, when he won the CMA Award for Male Entertainer of the Year, he ended his short speech by dedicating the award to Jenifer: "I would like to dedicate this to the memory of my daughter, Jenifer."
In an interview with People magazine in December 2012, he only spoke briefly about their time with her, sharing: "We were blessed to have been able to spend 13 years with our beautiful daughter Jenifer," while in a later interview with Country Weekly, he said: "I got real private after I lost my daughter... I really shut things down."
In honor of Jenifer, the family launched the Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation, formed to provide "funds to various charities that serve the emotional, educational, and medical needs of children."
Norma's career
Norma was a stay-at-home mom until their son started college at Texas A&M University in 1987. She then joined George on the road as he toured the globe.
What did George say about Norma?
In 2012, he told People magazine that he and Norma were "so blessed that we found each other 41 years ago and were able to do all of this together, experience this life together, to support each other through everything, good times and bad".
"We do almost everything together. She stayed home until Bubba got out of high school and went to college, but since then, she’s come on the road with me too. We love each other and we still like each other. A lot!" he added.
In 2021, on their 50th wedding anniversary, he serenaded Norma with the ballad "I Cross My Heart," during a performance on his Strait to Vegas residency. Norma was seen smiling from her place in the crowd.
What are the Kennedy Center Honors
Fans will get to watch the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony on December 23 on CBS. Miranda Lambert, and Brooks and Dunn, both performed in tribute to 73-year-old George at the newly renamed Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
President Trump has made sweeping changes to the Center, once a living memorial to former President John. F Kennedy, such as ousting the chairman and the Center's president, and installing allies on the board, which announced in mid-December that they had voted to rename the institution.
On December 19 workmen were seen adding metal lettering to the building’s exterior so it read: "The Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts."
How to watch the Kennedy Center Honors
You can watch the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS and stream it live/on-demand on Paramount+, on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at 8 PM ET/PT.