The remarkable Arkansas couple, Arwilda, 98, and her husband, Cleovis Whiteside, 102, have celebrated an incredible 84 years of marriage bliss.

They might be acknowledged as the longest-married pair in the country. Their incredible journey, which spans more than eight decades, is evidence of their strong relationship and the long-lasting key to their partnership.

When Cleovis was 13 and Arwilda was only 9 years old, they had their first meeting. Arwilda recalled the incident as taking place ‘in the fork of a road.’

Frequently, Cleovis would find himself with his special needs stepbrother, Elmo. Kathy Whiteside-Sims, the couple’s daughter,

recalled that Elmo had a habit of approaching young girls and holding their hands; Cleovis, being bigger, would step in to stop the behavior.

Arwilda was strolling down the road one day when her companion told her to go hide with the taller lad, Cleovis,

and he would protect her. Cleovis had a strong feeling that Arwilda would become his future wife when she came to live with him.

They ran across each other again at a church function where women and girls cooked boxed dinners that local guys and men could buy.

It was there that Cleovis made a memorable gesture by paying 40 cents for Arwilda’s boxed dinner.

They also went to the same school, a one-room classroom where kids of all ages congregated erratically, even senior sharecroppers.

On July 24, 1939, Arwilda and Cleovis exchanged vows and committed themselves to one another for the rest of their lives.The Whitesides were renowned for their altruistic efforts to support children other than their own.

Circumstances in life forced Cleovis and Arwilda to spend time apart, most notably when Cleovis left for army duty in the early 1940s.

He studied auto mechanics at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College after his return in 1945.

According to his daughter, Cleovis enrolled in school unexpectedly after traveling more than sixty miles from Clarendon to Pine Bluff, where he was told to start right away.

‘He was unable to return to his hometown of Clarendon,’ Whiteside-Sims clarified. ‘It involved making calls to people in order to tell them that I would not be returning home. I attend school.

After completing his studies, Cleovis got a job at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, while Arwilda took care of their kids and the house.

The couple accepted the burden of raising their own 12 children during their marriage and also provided assistance to other neighborhood children in need of housing.

‘On occasion, they had kids living with them,’ Dean from the Arkansas Family Council remarked. “They served as community pillars,’

Arwilda is really grateful for her husband’s kindness. ‘He consistently tries to assist others,’ she said.

Cleovis was unable to pick just one feature of his wife when asked what his favorite thing about her was. Rather, he said, ‘I love 99% of her,’ which perfectly captured his intense love for Arwilda.

Cleovis, now 102 years old, and Arwilda, 98, have been thinking back on their lengthy marriage since 1939 and crediting their success to a strong feeling of inner fortitude and resiliency.

Arwilda said, ‘We can hardly believe this is happening to us because we feel like the least,’ implying that a higher power had led them through life.

They have discovered that developing a strong feeling of inner strength, perseverance, and steadfast belief are key components of a long-lasting marriage.

‘That is going to have to take you through all kinds of storms,’ said Arwilda. Based on the couple’s 84 years of marriage, this guidance is intended for couples who are thinking about getting married soon.