Key To Last Relationships by World's Oldest Married Couple
Kazi Nasir | Nov 10, 2025, 16:00 IST
World's Longest Married Couple
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A Miami couple, Eleanor and Lyle Gittens, are the world's longest married pair. Their 83-year marriage spans over 216 combined years. They met in 1941 and married in 1942. They survived war and segregation. Their enduring love story began in the 1940s. They built a life together, raised a family, and traveled extensively.
A husband and wife from Miami, Florida recently won the title of the world's longest married couple or oldest ever married pair with a combined age of over 216 years by LongeviQuest. When the website asked Eleanor Gittens (Wife, age 107) what the secret was to her 83 years of marriage to her husband, Lyle Gittens (age 108), she replied, "We Love Each Other." Answering the same question, Lyle replied, "I Love My Wife."During the 83 year of their long marriage, the couple witnessed and survived war, racial segregation and decades of change. This article aims to capture a glimpse of their enduring love.
A Love That Began in the 1940s
Elanor Gittens and Lyle first met in 1941 at a college basketball game when Lyle used to play for Clark Atlanta University and Elanor attended as a spectator. Elanor don't remember which team won the match that day, all she remembers is that - that is the day she first met Lyle, who was later inducted into the men's basketball hall of fame at Clark Atlanta.
The two fell in love. Lyle joined into military as Second World War started. In a three-day pass, they married in June 1942. Lyle mentioned of a segregated train ride, a long trip before the dawn of the US civil rights era that he took to meet Eleanor's family for the first time on their wedding day. Later on Lyle served in Italy with the US Army's 92nd Infantry Division when Eleanor was already expecting child and moved to New York City where she met her husband's family and began working in payroll for an aircraft parts company.
Despite war and distance the couple censored love letters to one another which made their bond stronger.
When Lyle was leaving for the war, Elanor didn't expect to see him again but after the war Lyle did return and they built a new life in New York passing civil service exams and working in government. Eleanor later earned a doctorate in urban education at the age of 69 from Fordham University proving that age is not an issue to learn. They travelled widely across the country and later shifted to Miami to be near their daughter. "We enjoy our time together... we have done a lot of things together" said Lyle. Their story reflects a sense of gratitude after spending decades together.
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A Love That Began in the 1940s
Relationship Forever
( Image credit : Freepik )
The two fell in love. Lyle joined into military as Second World War started. In a three-day pass, they married in June 1942. Lyle mentioned of a segregated train ride, a long trip before the dawn of the US civil rights era that he took to meet Eleanor's family for the first time on their wedding day. Later on Lyle served in Italy with the US Army's 92nd Infantry Division when Eleanor was already expecting child and moved to New York City where she met her husband's family and began working in payroll for an aircraft parts company.
Despite war and distance the couple censored love letters to one another which made their bond stronger.
A Lifetime of Togetherness and Legacy
Couple Silhouette
( Image credit : Freepik )
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