Five generations of family and friends traveled to Tracy, California to celebrate Rafaela and Nicholas Ordaz’ 82nd wedding anniversary, but amidst all the commotion, the two only had eyes for each other.
Rafaela, 100, and Nicholas, 102 say that “Respect, affection, and don’t sweat the small stuff,” are key ingredients to their long and successful marriage. And according to their granddaughter Leticia Ordaz, romance also runs in the family.
“Their parents lived to be 112 and 108, and they were also happily married. Divorce isn’t really something our family has experienced,” Leticia Ordaz, told TODAY. “Nurturing those relationships is a huge part of our culture.”
“They’re still so in love. It’s quite remarkable,” Ordaz said. “In every picture, they’re holding hands or trying to kiss each other.”
“At one point, my grandfather pulled her aside and said, ‘Rafaela, let’s go to the bedroom now.’ Of course we all heard and started howling!” But Nicholas didn’t even blush. He said that he married the most beautiful woman in the world, and that her body was just as booming now as it was then.
Leticia says her grandparents really take care of each other: “At the party, he kept looking around to see if she had gotten any cake yet. She has diabetes — she can’t really have cake! But he wanted them to experience it together.”
Leticia just celebrated her own 10-year anniversary, but her grandparents have given her a lot to live up to. They are just 5 years short of beating the Guinness World Records for the longest marriage ever recorded, which is held by U.S. couple Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher, who were married for 86 years and 290 days before Fisher died on Feb. 27, 2011. But 82 years is still quite an accomplishment.
“Now that they’re getting older, their memories aren’t as sharp. They forget everyone else’s names, but always remember each other,” Leticia says.
Watch this beautiful video of the couple’s anniversary and Nicholas’ 102nd birthday and please SHARE it with your friends on Facebook!
[Featured Image Credit: Nicholas and Rafaela Ordaz]