Can you imagine being recognized by the Guinness World Records as the longest-living and oldest married couple on the planet? Well, that is what has happened to Lyle Gittens, 108, and Eleanor Gittens, 107, whose marriage has already lasted over eight decades. They met at Clark Atlanta University in the 1940s and got married on June 4, 1942. They faced the distance imposed by World War II, the limited communication during it, and economic and work crises resulting from the post-war period.
However, that did not prevent them from both getting jobs in public administration, for Eleanor to earn a doctorate in Urban Education from Fordham University, and for both to participate in the Clark Atlanta University Alumni Association, as well as being part of the International Congress of Caribbean Archaeology, which allowed them to travel the world. They explain that there is no secret to what seems like a love story taken from a movie, and that their marriage has been based on the love they still have for each other.
A fairytale romance
They first locked eyes in the early 1940s while at Clark Atlanta University, and since then, Lyle Gittens and Eleanor Gittens have never been apart. Today they are 108 and 107 years old, respectively, and have been recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest living married couple in the world and also as the longest-lived couple in history. After starting their relationship, they planned their wedding for June 4, 1942, as Lyle would be called up for service in World War II. He managed to get the army to grant him an extraordinary three-day leave to travel from Fort Benning in Georgia to Bradenton, Florida, Eleanor’s hometown.
After getting married, Lyle was sent to Italy with the 92nd Infantry Division, while Eleanor, pregnant, moved to New York to live near her husband’s family. Communication between them became difficult once he was stationed at the front, as all his letters went through military mail, which censored the information in the correspondence. With the end of the war, the couple reunited and had to face another challenge: the postwar economic and employment crisis. Nevertheless, both passed the civil service exam and found jobs in the public administration. Over time, they started a family with their three children, Lyle Rogers, Angela, and Ignae.
What is their secret?
Both claim that there is no secret that explains the longevity of their marriage, but they do acknowledge having a ritual. Since their jobs kept them out of the house all day, preventing them from spending time together, the couple had a ritual of preparing two martinis at the end of the day and drinking them while talking about how their day had gone. In addition to their ritual, they were also united by shared passions, especially for education and knowledge.
At 69 years old, Eleanor earned her doctorate in Urban Education from Fordham University, and both actively participated in the Clark Atlanta University Alumni Association. They also joined the International Congress of Caribbean Archaeology, which allowed them to visit different countries, discovering along the way their favorite place: Guadeloupe Island. More than 80 years after their wedding, the couple still looks at each other with the same eyes.Eleanor’s response to how they have managed to keep a love going for so long was ‘we love each other,’ and Lyle’s was ‘I love my wife”.
