86 years and going: Longest living married couple in America celebrate another milestone

Ralph and Dorothy Kohler really must know the secret to staying together.

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The Kohlers celebrated their 86th wedding anniversary recently, keeping the title of “Longest Married Couple in America,” KESQ reported.

Their long loving life together was even honored by Congress last year.

The Kohlers had a potential roadblock early in their romance when they tried to get married.

They got hitched at the Burt County Courthouse in Tekamah, Nebraska, WOWT reported last year when they received their congressional honor.

Ralph Kohler was 17 in 1935. Dorothy Kohler was 16. One judge refused to marry them, saying they were too young. But didn’t stop them from professing their love for one another. They found another judge who would perform the ceremony.

They proved to everyone who told them that their marriage would not last wrong, WOWT reported, and are still doing it 86 years later.

The couple now lives in California after moving from Nebraska to be closer to one of their daughters.

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What do the Kohlers attribute their long marriage to?

Ralph Kohler said, it is “togetherness.”

They would compromise since their interests are at two ends of a spectrum, KESQ reported. He likes to shoot clays. She likes to ballroom dance.

They both won competitions across the country in each of their preferred events.

They’ve been together so long when asked last year if they would try to make a goal to get to their 100th anniversary, Ralph told WOWT, “That’s 15 years, isn’t it? I’d like to be, but I doubt it. I think we’re pretty fortunate to be this far along.”



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