A Brazilian couple who have been married for 84 years and have over 100 grandchildren exemplify unending love.
Manoel and Maria exchanged vows in 1940 at the Boa Ventura chapel in Ceará, Brazil.
The tale of this Brazilian couple began in 1936, when Manoel travelled to the Almeida region of Boa Viagem to pick up a supply of rapaduras, a typical Brazilian delicacy. It was here that he first encountered Maria. Their bond, however, did not grow overnight. A fortunate encounter in 1940 revived their relationship, and Manoel confessed his love for Maria. Maria accepted, signalling the start of their lifelong commitment.
They had 13 children, who eventually grew their family to 55 grandchildren, 54 great-grandchildren, and 12 great-great-grandchildren.
Now both centenarians, their days are spent in peace. Due to his age, Manoel mostly rests during the day, but often joins Maria in the living room in the evening to listen to the rosary prayer on the radio at 6pm followed by the televised mass.
While Manoel and Maria have the record for the longest living marriage, the longest marriage ever recorded between opposite sexes was that of David Jacob Hiller (b. 1789) and Sarah Davy Hiller (b. 1792), who were married for an astounding 88 years and 349 days until Sarah died in 1898.
