SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, October 23, 2024
Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the original faith-based marriage enrichment program in the United States, announced today that the national winners of the Longest Married Couple Project are Thell & Margie Ellison from Natural Dam, Arkansas. They have been married 83 years.
“What a privilege and honor it is to recognize Thell & Margie for their commitment to marriage,” said Peter and Sheila Oprysko and Fr. Dennis O’Brien, the United States Ecclesial Team for WWME, “We look forward to recognizing them in person on October 27, 2024 in their hometown of Natural Dam” they added.
The Ellisons were married June 24, 1941. They begin married life on a small farm where they raised vegetables and cattle. As time went on both would take jobs in town, Thell worked for Baldor Electric and Margie at the Federal Building. They have 5 children, 15 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren, and 31 great-great-grandchildren
The Arkansas couple achieved the honor of being the National Longest Married Couple based on over 70 nominations submitted to Worldwide Marriage Encounter from June until September. Worldwide Marriage Encounter created this project to highlight marriage in America and to show young couples that marriage really can go the distance. “What an inspiration Mr. & Mrs. Ellisons are to all of us. They made a commitment to each other 83 years ago and they have kept that commitment over these many years. They truly are a sign of hope to us all,” the national ecclesial team said. The state winners of this year’s project will be announced Friday, November 1, 2024. Nominations were received from 24 states and Washington D.C. The winners for each state will also be honored and presented their certificates and recognitions by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, during the month of November. Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been offering weekend experiences for over 55 years. The programs are continually updated to keep abreast of changes in society. The marriage encounter experience, traditionally held in a hotel, retreat house, or parish over the weekend, has now expanded to adapt to current needs. Virtual online programs are now facilitated by couples and priests through video conference on either weekends or week-day evenings. Our goal is to “go into your home, virtually, to assist couples and priests to not only improve their relationships, but to Thrive Together,” said Peter & Sheila and Fr. Dennis. WWME has a presence in almost 100 countries, which makes it the largest pro-marriage movement in the world. In North America, the WWME programs are presented in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Korean languages. Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers married couples the opportunity to spend time together away from the busyness of the world to focus on each other. It offers tools for building and maintaining a strong, Christian marriage in today’s world. The marriage encounter experience is also available to priests and religious to enhance their sacraments. Inquiries should be directed to: Paul & Robin Ring at 321-633-1531.
