Nationwide — Oree and Lena McRae, an African American couple from Union City, California, have celebrated their 79th wedding anniversary. Oree is almost 100 years old and his wife, Lena, is almost 97.

Oree and Lena’s love story began in high school in Arkansas, where they first caught each other’s eyes, they told KTVU.

Oree still fondly recalls Lena’s beauty, describing her as “one of the best looking on the campus,” he said. Lena also couldn’t help but admire Oree’s charm and handsome features.

Their courtship lasted three years, and at the ages of 20 and 17, Oree and Lena got married in a ceremony officiated by a justice of the peace. Since then, Oree, the two have been inseparable for nearly eight decades.

“When I first asked her to marry me, that’s the woman I wanted to be with. And after we got married, we just stayed together. We stuck together all these years,” said Oree.

Their journey together took them from Arkansas to Detroit, where Oree worked as a spot welder. In 1951, they relocated to the Bay Area in San Francisco, where he enjoyed the cool weather. For 30 years, they lived in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco before settling in Union City, where they have resided for the past 3 decades

Together, they raised 6 children and are now proud grandparents to 25, great-grandparents to 15, and great-great-grandparents to 3.

The couple attributes their lasting love to their shared interests and their faith in Christ. They expressed their joy at having such a large and loving family, emphasizing their deep gratitude for their decades together.