America's current longest married couple celebrates 85th wedding anniversary

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Friday, September 18, 2020
America's current longest married couple celebrates 85th wedding anniversary
A Nebraska couple who recently moved to California is celebrating their 85th wedding anniversary.

PALM SPRINGS, CA -- A Nebraska couple who recently moved to California is celebrating their 85th wedding anniversary.

Ralph and Dorothy Kohler claim to be the longest married couple alive in the United States.

And that is likely true. The Guinness World Record for longest living American couple belongs to North Carolinians Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher. They were married for 86 years, 290 days as of February 27, 2011 when Herbert died at the age of 105.

Ralph said the key to his and Dorothy's longevity is their healthy living and agreeable nature.

"If we had anything, a real problem, I agreed to it. That's the best way to get out of that," Ralph told WOTW in Nebraska.

Neither of them have ever drank alcohol or smoked, and they spent a lifetime loving the passions of the other.

"Dorothy loves ballroom dancing and I loved to shoot clay targets," Ralph said. "I joined her with ballroom dancing and she joined me with trap shooting."

Dorothy proved quite good at trap shooting too. She became the National Trap Shooting Champion in 1952.

Here's what Ralph said when asked if the couple was shooting for celebrating their 100th wedding anniversary:

"That's 15-years isn't it. I'd like to be -- but I doubt it. I think we're pretty fortunate to be this far along."