America's longest married couple celebrate 81st anniversary Five children, 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren now make up their extended family. While Mrs Betar raised their children at home, John ran a greengrocer's and eventually became an estate agent. It can be repeated and repeated. It is unconditional love and understanding. Mrs Betar, 97, added. Their marriage has had its ups and downs, like any other. How to navigate them? "Compromise," John said, "And let your wife be the boss." Their daughter, Renee Betar, praised their resilience. They have this wonderful ability to face life as it comes. Heather Mitchell, their granddaughter, described them a "true beacons." The Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) runs programmes for married couples with a Christian ethos at their centre. Every year the WWME searches for the longest married couple in America, to hold up examples of successful marriages to their clients.