Texas Couple Joins List of Longest Marriages After 80 Years Together

A Texas couple is commemorating a major milestone in their marriage. On April 17th, Laura and Billie Mays celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary.

❤️ Teen Sweethearts: The Beginning of a Lifetime Love Story

In 1945, a couple of teenagers growing up in Greenville, Texas met each other at a church youth gathering when Billie decided right then and there that she was the one. According to Laura, in an interview with KVUE, the couple dated for five years until one day they were walking down the street and Billie romantically proposed by asking her, "Why don't we just go get married?"

📜 Joining the Ranks of the Longest Marriages in History

Wikipedia has a list of marriages that lasted 80 or more years with records that go back as far as 1743 when Lazarus Rowe and Mary Molly (nee Webber) Rowe began a union that would last over 85 years. David Jacob Hiller and Sarah (nee Davy) Hiller are on the list and recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest marriage ever.

💍 Rare Milestone: Mays Celebrate 80 Years of Marriage in the US

Only 67 couples were on the list of marriages that lasted at least 80 years in the United States, and last week Billie and Laura moved that number up to 68. It is a remarkable amount of time for two people to spend together that few will even reach half of in their marriages.

👴👵 A Personal Reflection on Long-Lasting Love

My grandparents raised me, and they were married for 65 years before my grandfather passed away in 2019 at the age of 86. My wife, Leigh, and I would have to live over 100 years to before we would reach our 65th wedding anniversary.

💔 Marriage Trends: Putting 80 Years in Perspective

According to the Center for Hive Law Firm, the average length of a marriage in the United States is 8.2 years, and almost 45% of marriages in the US end in divorce.

Congratulations to Billie and Laura Mays on 80 years together in holy matrimony.