When we say I do, we hope it’s for a lifetime, but how long a lifetime is?
The longest-living married couple in the United States celebrated their 86th wedding anniversary recently. Well, that truly is a long time to spend with one person, but when the love is real, that’s more of a blessing, don’t you agree?
Ralph and Dorothy Kohler, who live in Indio, California, tied the knot when they were 18 and 17 respectively. That was back in 1935. When they went to the court, they were denied a marriage license because the court official believed they were both way too young to get married. However, that didn’t stop them from going elsewhere for a permission.
Today, Ralph is 103 and Dorothy is 102 years old.
So what’s the secret behind their long and happy marriage? They both agree that letting their spouse follow their passion is one of the things that kept them going strong for so long.
“Love for one thing, and we enjoy the same thing. And if we didn’t, we accepted it,” Ralph told WOWT. “Dorothy loves ballroom dancing, and I loved shooting clay targets. I joined her with ballroom dancing, and she joined me with trap shooting.”
The current record for the world’s longest marriage is held by Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of the United States. They were married for 86 years and 290 days when Herbert died on February 27, 2011.
As for Ralph and Dorothy, we wish them more happy years together.
For more on their story check out the video below.