85 Years After This Centenarian Couple Got Married, The Pair Celebrated A Momentous Milestone

How does it feel to enjoy a marital bliss for 85 years? It must be a special feeling where you can witness your grandchildren becoming parents themselves. Ann Shawah and John Betar have an answer to these questions. Like any love story of the world, they also faced opposition from the family. It was during the great depression, that Ann’s father asked Ann to marry someone who was wealthy and was two decades older than her. Nevertheless, by that time, she had already fallen for John whom she knew for a long time now. John came to Connecticut in the U.S. all the way from Syria to be with his father. He used to sell fruits for a living and with his hard-earned money; he eventually bought a 1932 Ford Roadster. Ann used to live in a Syrian Neighborhood and this is actually where they met. He used to pick up and drop her off to school daily. This car was their companion on several dates. Now when the marriage was fixed, Ann decided to run away with the love of her life. In 1932, they eloped and married in Harrison, New York, 34 miles away from their hometown Connecticut. Just after their marriage, they started a grocery business of their own and in 1963 pulled its shutter down to start his realtor business. Even at the age of 100, Ann does all the household chores and John, who is 104, is active enough to take care of his stuff. The Worldwide Marriage Encounter has given them the title of nation’s longest married pair not just because of the number of years that they have been together. Rather, they have earned the title because of the experiences and accomplishments they have earned. On their 85th marriage anniversary, a surprise was awaiting them. They were provided with the same model of the car that John once bought with his hard-earned money. The couple was too excited to see the four-wheeler. Everybody had one question in their mind when almost every other marriage is at the verge of breaking up how they managed to sail so strong. Their answer was simple. According to John, contentment is the key to their successful married life, whereas for Ann; it is the art of listening that has done the trick. They gave simple tips to young couples who were seeking advice from them. Compromise is another major contributor to a long-lasting marriage. Everybody is different, so the partners should give each other that space to grow. If you want to enjoy long marital bliss, then listen to your partner and understand their point of view.