Couple married for 86 years set relationship goals
America’s longest-wed couple shared their secrets to a happy married life before passing away.
When 17-year-old Ann and 21-year-old John met in 1932, it was love at first sight. They were neighbours in Connecticut and would often run into each other. However, they faced several obstacles in their love story.
It was the period of the Great Depression and Ann’s father had already arranged her marriage with someone who was 20 years her senior. But John and Ann were in love and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, so they eloped together on November 25, 1932 and drove to New York.
When their families found out, they were furious. Ann’s aunt consoled her father, reassuring him that the marriage won’t last long, but John and Ann proved them wrong. They spent more than eight decades together, and in February 2013, were declared one of America’s longest married couples, reported The Epoch Times.
The couple were asked several questions about the secret to their long-lasting marriage. “Just contentment; being contented with what you have, what you’re doing,” John shared. Ann too chimed in, “If you think a little bit about what you’re doing and if it’s wrong and he tries to straighten it out, we straighten it out. And if not, you just try to go along with it.”
During the course of their 80 years of togetherness, they witnessed several ups and downs. The witnessed the passing of their daughter and only son to cancer, they saw the world change around them for 80 years and went through all of life’s challenges together.
“It’s only about cooking, that’s the only arguments we had,” said John, but Ann didn’t agree to this. Ann offered some valuable insights into making a marriage work, “They expect miracles of each other like ‘you have to agree with me, this is what I want to do,’ but it doesn’t work that way. I mean we’re all different… your children are all different. Find out what interests them the most and work on that.” John just gave one simple advice, “The key is to always agree with your wife.”
The couple had been together for nearly 86 years when John passed away at the age of 107, on September 18, 2018. Sadly, exactly seven months after her husband’s death, Ann passed away on April 16, 2019. The couple are survived by three children, 12 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.