Press "Enter" to skip to content

Couple Sets Record as Oldest Pair to Get Married

When Marjorie Fiterman and Bernie Littman met nine years ago, neither of them thought they’d end up married. After all, they were both in their 90s and had already lived long, full lives. But last May, the two became the world’s oldest married couple, with a combined age of over 202 years.

Ms. Fiterman is 102 years old and Mr. Littman is 100. He was an engineer. She was a teacher. Each of them had been married before. In fact, they each spent more than 60 years married to their first spouse.

But after their spouses died, they both wound up moving to the same retirement home in Philadelphia. Neither one was expecting to fall in love again.

But they did. They met at a costume party and quickly became friends.

Marjorie Fiterman and Bernie Littman
Marjorie Fiterman is 102 years old and Bernie Littman is 100. He was an engineer. She was a teacher. After their spouses died, they both wound up moving to the same retirement home in Philadelphia. Neither one was expecting to fall in love again. But they did.
(Source: Sarah Sicherman.)

Ms. Fiterman and Mr. Littman have a number of things in common. They both liked acting in plays at the retirement home. And they enjoyed sharing meals together. They both went to the University of Pennsylvania at the same time, though they didn’t know each other then.

Mr. Littman will always have an easy way to remember when the two went on their first date – it was the same day that one of his great-granddaughters was born.

Mr. Littman’s family was happy that he’d found someone he enjoyed spending time with. His granddaughter, Sarah Sicherman, said the two were “so lucky to have found each other”. She pointed out that they were able to support each other during the pandemic.

Rabbi Adam Wohlberg marrying Marjorie Fiterman and Bernie Littman.
The couple dated for nine years. Even so, the family wasn’t expecting the couple to get married. But that’s exactly what they did. On May 19, Rabbi Adam Wohlberg married the couple at the retirement home where they live (above).
(Source: Sarah Sicherman.)

The couple dated for nine years. Even so, the family never thought that the two might someday want to get married. It was “certainly a surprise,” said Ms. Sicherman.

On May 19, Rabbi Adam Wohlberg married the couple at the retirement home where they live. Four generations of Mr. Littman’s family were there to see it. (Mr. Littman, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.)

Marjorie Fiterman and Bernie Littman and four generations of Mr. Littman's family.
Four generations of Mr. Littman’s family were there to see the wedding ceremony: Mr. Littman, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren (above).
(Source: Sarah Sicherman.)

The rabbi told them that even though they each had “a lifetime of wisdom and experience”, they would “continue to learn and develop as people” together. He joked that now the University of Pennsylvania might want to put a picture of the couple on the cover of their magazine.

On the day they were married, the couple’s ages added up to 202 years and 271 days. That broke the Guinness world record for the oldest couple to get married. The previous record was set in 2015 by a couple whose ages added up to 194 years and 279 days.

So what’s their secret? Mr. Littman believes that reading and keeping up with what’s going on in the world have helped him live a long life. Ms. Fiterman says her secret is buttermilk. Ms. Sicherman believes the connection between the two is important. “They keep each other young,” she says.

Share:

Settings

Most news on NewsForKids.net is appropriate for all ages. When there is news that may not be suitable for all ages, we try to tag it. You can use the setting below to control whether content tagged in this manner is shown.