100-Year-Old Couple Celebrates 82nd Wedding Anniversary, Shares Secret to Long-Lasting Marriage (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Betty and Elton Denner.Photo:Macey Montgomery (2)

Macey Montgomery (2)

A centenarian couple is reflecting on their long-lasting marriage shortly after celebrating their 82nd wedding anniversary.

In the United States, almost half of marriages end in divorce and the average length of first marriages that end in divorce is eight years, with there being a greater chance of divorce with each following marriage, per theU.S. Census Bureau. In addition, the average lifespan for both sexes is about 77 years,according to the CDC.

But Betty Denner, 100, and Elton Denner, who turns 101 on Feb. 8, defied the odds when they celebrated 82 years of marriage on Oct. 18, 2024. Now, they’re sharing their advice on how to have a lifetime of love.

Elton and Betty Denner.Macey Montgomery

Macey Montgomery

“Their advice for a loving relationship is simple: patience, don’t win an argument, do things together, with each other and the Lord,” says the couple’s daughter Christie Regan, who helped Betty and Elton answer PEOPLE’s questions.

She continues: “They credit their faith in Jesus as the strength in their marriage, guiding them each and every day. The love of their Lord has blessed and sustained them through these 82 years together.”

Betty and Elton were both born and raised in Santa Ana, California. Their romance began at Santa Ana High School, where they met at a DeMolay dance. The dance allowed for a “girl’s cheat,” in which a girl could cut in. Betty cut in on Elton, marking the beginning of their love story.

Betty and Elton Denner.Macey Montgomery

With military service a certainty for Elton after World War II broke out, he tied the knot with Betty on Oct. 18, 1942 at a “lovely” garden venue in Santa Ana. The following year, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps pilot training program and was later stationed overseas.

Once military service ended, Elton and Betty made their home in California. Now, they reside in the Brookdale Senior Living Community in Oregon.

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Over the years, the pair has welcomed three children and gained 16 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

“From my great grandparents' remarkable 82-year marriage, I’ve learned the importance of not taking life too seriously, always finding time to dance and laugh together, valuing family as the most precious gift we have, practicing patience with each other, and never trying to win an argument,” the couple’s 26-year-old great-granddaughter Macey Montgomery tells PEOPLE.

A video Montgomery recently posted of Betty and Elton went viral onTikTok, amassing more than 8 million views. Users on the platform were moved to see that Elton bought a dancing walker so that he could dance with his wife on her 100th birthday to their favorite song, “Serenata a la Luz de la Luna.”

The couple dressed up as Cinderella and Prince Charming for the celebration, whicheven included a horse-drawn carriage.

source: people.com