I don't find it creepy; they were above the age of consent at the time. He obviously preferred younger women and in 1979, in Alabama, there was a different mindset about such. He only dated those whose parents -- mainly mothers -- gave permission, he said. He married his wife when he was 38 and she 24. When he was 32, she was 18, and I bet if he'd have found her then, he'd have wifed her up.
Look, it's an old-fashioned way of thinking, particularly with the 'mother's approval' part. Back then, I figure most would rather see their daughters married well -- to an established young man -- and having grandbabies, than pregnant out of wedlock at 19-23.