Duranord Veillard knows a lot about longevity, but Saturday is a milestone for the record books. USA Today reports that not only is Veillard celebrating turning 108, but he will also celebrate 82 years of marriage to his wife, Jeanne, who is 104.
The husband and wife are believed to be the oldest couple in New York’s Rockland County, the report says, and both will celebrate their birthdays this weekend. Veillard’s wife, Jeanne, will turn 105 in May, but both will celebrate their birthdays at their home this weekend with family, friends and others, notes the report.
Veillard, a native of Haiti, studied law and lived in Port-au-Prince. He married Jeanne in November 1932 and together they have raised five children. He obtained a visa to visit the United States in 1968 after losing his job as a judge and never looked back, the report says. He settled in Spring Valley, N.Y., and worked as a lab technician at the Good Samaritan Hospital for 10 years before retiring.
During an early birthday celebration Thursday at the couple’s home, Jeanne recounted to USA Today how they met. “I found him in the street,” she joked in Haitian Creole to a room full of relatives, the news outlet writes.
The Veillards, who leave home only to go to the doctor, have 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, the report notes.
During the celebration, Veillard revealed his secret to longevity: “That’s God,” he said, USA Today writes.
The Veillards also nap early and often, the report notes.
Read more at USA Today.