Colorado’s Longest Married Couples Project Winners Have Been Married a Really, Really Long Time
True love really does last a lifetime. All you need to do is pick the perfect peach. That's how the Colorado winners of the Longest Married Couples Project explain it.
I'll be celebrating my 30th anniversary this year and that seems like a milestone. But it pales in comparison to Emil 'Rusty' and Elizabeth 'Betty' Seifken of Ft. Collins who have been married 73 years.
Now for the peach of the story. Rusty moved to Colorado from Nebraska to pick peaches. While in Colorado, he met, fell in love with, and married Betty. As Rusty puts it, "I picked the best peach in Colorado."
The couple reside at Brookdale Ft. Collins and were nominated for the award by their daughter. The contest is sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter. Each year, they recognize the nominee from each state that has been married the longest.
They also recognize the longest marriage in the nation. This year, the national winner is Mota and Avanelle Young from Bowling Green, Kentucky who've been married 81 years.
Rusty's key to a great marriage is simple, "You just have to realize you can't be right all the time. You have to treat the person you love like you want to be treated." So, with that in mind, it will be great to try and win the contest.
For me, it's going to be awhile since I'm not even one-third of the way there. For you, it may be sooner or later, but why not take Rusty's advice and give it a try.