Couple Breaks Record for Longest Living Marriage

True love really does stand the test of time. Two centenarians from Brazil have broken the Guinness World Record for the longest marriage of a living couple, as confirmed by LongeviQuest, a database dedicated to tracking the lives of the world’s oldest individuals.

Manoel Angelim Dino, 105, and Maria de Sousa Dino, 101, first crossed paths in 1936 while collecting sweets. Though their initial meeting was fleeting, they reunited in 1940, and as Manoel put it, he fell in love at first sight. Luckily for him, Maria felt the same way. Fast forward 84 years and 85 days, and the couple is still going strong.

Winning over Maria’s mother wasn’t an easy task at first, but Manoel made his intentions clear by building a home for his future wife and their family. The couple married as World War II loomed over Europe and began cultivating tobacco to support their growing family of 13 children. That’s right—13 kids!

Today, their family tree has blossomed into a small forest. The Dinos’ descendants now include 55 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren. The couple spends their days at home, enjoying the life they’ve built together. While age has slowed Manoel down, he still gets up every evening to sit with Maria in their living room, where they listen to a rosary prayer on the radio, followed by Mass on television. If that’s not wholesome, I don’t know what is.

When asked about the secret to their enduring marriage, Maria summed it up in one word: "Love." She added, "And that’s something even the most advanced computer could never calculate." Touché, Maria.

The previous record for the longest living marriage was held by an American couple, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, who were married for 86 years and 290 days until Herbert passed away in 2011. The all-time record, however, remains with David Jacob Hiller and Sarah Davy Hiller, who were married for an astonishing 88 years and 349 days before Sarah’s passing in 1898.

The Dinos’ extraordinary milestone is a testament to the power of love, resilience, and perhaps a dash of good old-fashioned patience. Here’s to many more evenings spent together in their cozy living room.