The world's longest-married American couple, 102-year-old John and 98-year-old Ann Betar, are about to celebrate their 81st wedding anniversary, ABC News reports.
The two eloped on Nov. 25, 1932 in New York City, as at the time, 17-year-old Ann's father wanted her to marry a man 20 years her senior in their small Syrian neighborhood of Bridgeport, Conn. John worked as a fruit peddler after attending grammar school while Ann attended high school.
"I fell for her right away," John told ABC News. "I used to have a Ford Roaster and I used to pick her and her friends and drive them to high school. Gradually she liked me and we got together."
At the time, John was 21 and lived across the street from his sweetheart. Now after 81 years and 13 presidents, the couple have withstood wars, the Great Depression and even the Great Recession, and still find themselves in love with one another.
"At 17, you wonder if you're making the right choice," Ann said of breaking family tradition and going against her family's wishes. "I had grown up with him and we had good times together and we knew each other very well. And it's turned out to be 80 years...God seems to have been with us. And we've been very fortunate and wonderful."
The two built a life together as John continued peddling fruit until in 1938, he opened up his own grocery store, Betar's Market, while Ann stayed home and raised their five children. John called her a "wonderful caretaker."
"The hardest thing in our life was losing two of our children. That's the sad part. It's one of the worst thing a parent can face is losing a child, no matter how old they are or how young they are," Ann said.
"We are so blessed. We are fortunate," John said.
Ann echoed her husband's sentiments. "We are very fortunate. It can be repeated and repeated," she said. "It is unconditional love and understanding. We have had that. We consider it a blessing."
As for what their "secret" is to maintaining a loving relationship after all of this time, their daughter Renee Betar weighed in.
"They have this wonderful ability to accept life as it comes," Renee said. "They have a way of trying to look around at the things that they do have - the family and the blessings. They came from a generation where there is such respect for each other and caring."
