BAY CITY, MI -- When Ronald Gasta's father told him he wouldn't last three months selling Amway products, Gasta set out to prove him wrong. That was 53 years ago, and Gasta is still committed to the business today.

Gasta, 84, and his wife Sandra Gasta, in her 80s, became distributors of Amway products just five years after the company was founded in 1965. Their initial goal was to get out of delivering milk by trying the new business venture.

After several years, their work began to pay off and they've been at it ever since.

"The company is so good to us," said Ronald Gasta at his home in Bay City on Friday, Sept. 7.

Gasta showed his collection of Amway accolades, books written by company co-founder Richard DeVos and photos of DeVos scattered on a table and ottoman. Many of the photos were taken by Ronald Gasta, who said he became the unofficial photographer at Amway events.

Though DeVos grew his multi-level marketing company that sells health and beauty products into a multibillion business empire, the Gastas said he always welcomed them as family.

DeVos died Sept. 6 at age 92.

"He would always say, 'Don't call me Mr. Devos, call me Rich,'" Sandra Gasta reminisced with a chuckle.

"It's not just being a part of it. It's we're a part of the family, because they treasured our friendship and our dedication to the business," Ronald Gasta said.

DeVos would send handwritten congratulatory letters for their decades-long commitment to the business. Gasta said he and his wife would work six days a week, eventually involving their three children to organize and place orders for customers.

Gasta remembers how DeVos reached people by letting them know how much they meant to the company and by giving inspirational, tough-love speeches at the yearly conventions held in Grand Rapids. Ronald Gasta played a 5-minute cassette recording from the 1960s of DeVos speaking at a convention.

"The whole point that I want to make with you is that not only do I not know what you can do with Amway - you don't know what you can do with Amway. And the reason, some of you will never know what you might have done with this business or any other business that you might've wanted to get into is because you've spent all your life talking about if only it would happen one of these days. One of these days is gone, and you better get on with it now or shut up," DeVos said on the recording.

Gasta said when he first got involved with Amway, he was a milkman and worked for his father, making $40 a week.

"My goal was to have Sandy to never have to work and be home with the kids," Ronald Gasta said.

A lot of things have changed since the couple first joined Amway. The internet wasn't around and distributors would have to make the trek to Grand Rapids every week to pick up their orders.

"In the beginning, even when we made phone calls to the company, we had to pay for the phone calls," said Sandra Gasta.

One thing the Gastas say hasn't changed is the company's persistence. Over their 50-year-plus career, the company also has never failed to deposit their bonus check.

"Every month on the fifteenth," said Sandra Gasta.

The Gastas are still going strong with 200 distributors under them. All three of their kids also sell Amway.

The couple plans to attend DeVos' funeral set for Thursday, Sept. 13, at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church.