America’s Longest-Married Couple: A Love Story in Parts

Daily Mail 1
Daily Mail 1

PART 1: Love at Sight of Ford Roadster

There were two reasons Ann decided to elope with John Betar in 1932: 1) If she didn't, she would have been forced by her father to marry someone 20 years older; 2) He drove a Roadster.

Clearly, he left her with no other choice.

Well, she loved him too, of course, and he really loved her. Ann was 17 at the time, John was 21. The two lived across the street from one another, and he drove her to high school every day in his killer ride. Guess you could say, he had her at a honk.

PART 2: Love Is Patient, Love Is Kind. It Does Not Always Make Sense to Your Family.

Daily Mail 2
Daily Mail 2

It was the Roadster in which the Betars fell for each other, and the Roadster that transported them from their Syrian neighborhood in Connecticut to its more adventurous cousin in New York. Both their families said the bond would never last, but 81 years, five kids, 14 grandkids, and 16 great grandkids later... guess they told them!

Daily Mail 3
Daily Mail 3

PART 3: Love Conquers All, But Food Will Consistently Be a Point of Contention

Ann and John lived through the Great Depression. They share memories of everything from "King Kong" hitting the box office to the JFK assassination. In 1964, they bought a waterfront house in the Long Island Sound, where they still live today. Among other challenges, they've lost two children to cancer. They say they've accepted each other's ways over the years.

Other interesting facts:

1.) Their oldest daughter is 80. (They wasted no time starting family!)

2.) No surprise, they still argue about what to eat for dinner.

PART 4: Love and the Requisite Sappy Ending

Daily Mail 4
Daily Mail 4

Though Ann says, "Marriage isn't a lovey dovey thing," she and John demonstrate the standard mush to make their remarkable story stick. Yes, they finish each other's sentences; yes, they hold each other's hands; and yes, of course, they believe in endless romance.

"We'll be together forever," John tells the Daily Mail.

Ann adds, "Somewhere we will be."