INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - Ralph and Dorothy Kohler are celebrating 86 years of marital bliss, making them the longest living married couple in the nation.

It's a milestone that was recognized by Congress last year and honored with an award.

The Indio couple tied the knot in Tekamah, Nebraska in 1935, when he was 18-years-old and she was just 17-years-old.

After initially getting denied for a marriage license by a court official who believed the couple was too young to take the leap, the pair went elsewhere, exchanged vows, and have been inseparable ever since.

For Ralph, the secret to a long marriage, he said, is "togetherness."

(Photo provided by The Kohlers)


He said even though he enjoyed clay target shooting and his wife preferred ballroom dancing, they would always compromise to give the other what they wanted.

Their love and dedication to each others' passions led them to become fierce competitors across the United States, earning hundreds of awards for activities that began as hobbies, including trapshooting and dancing.

(Photo provided by The Kohlers)


Throughout the years, it was the couple's unbreakable bond that enabled them to become beloved parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and even great-great-grandparents.