Longest-married couple looks forward to 85th wedding anniversary this fall

A Catholic couple from Ceará, Brazil, was declared the longest-married couple alive in February by Longeviquest. This fall, they will celebrate their 85th wedding anniversary.

The Catholic couple, both from farming families, first met in 1936 in the Almeida region in the Boa Viagem district, but sparks didn’t fly until another chance encounter in 1940, when Manoel Angelim Dino fell in love with Maria de Sousa.

Maria’s mother initially disapproved, so the couple didn’t wed until after he earned the trust of the family. After marrying on Nov. 20, 1940, the couple raised their family by farming and selling tobacco. 

Maria, 101, and Manoel, 105, had 13 children of their own. They have 55 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren, according to Longeviquest.

Though the couple now spends much of their day resting, the Catholic faith still grounds Maria and Manoel’s marriage. Every evening at 6 p.m., they listen to the Rosary on the radio and watch daily Mass on the television.

The couple told Longeviquest that the secret to a long life is refraining from vices. The secret to a happy marriage, Maria said, is love. 

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