Posted on 05/17/2026 4:43:31 AM PDT by DFG
A California couple, both over 100 years old, celebrated their second ruby wedding anniversary by raising a glass to 80 years side by side.
Jennifer McMullen, 101, and her husband Mel McMullen, who is set to turn 101 in June, gathered with loved ones this week at their retirement community in Whittier, where the couple still lives together.
They first laid eyes on each other nearly a century ago, became engaged just six weeks later and married in 1946, eventually raising three sons together in Southern California.
-- snip --
Family, friends and community members celebrated the couple’s 80th wedding anniversary Wednesday with a champagne toast honoring the history they've lived together.
'I was born in 1925, and she was born in 1924,' Mel said, before admitting that 'aging together is the best part,' according to the outlet.
'I'm over 100 years old but what I was doing when I was 18 is still a part of history, so that is worthwhile,' he added.
The pair reflected on their extraordinary achievements throughout their lives, beginning in the World War II era, when they each made significant contributions of their own.
Mel was a decorated World War II veteran, while Jennifer worked as a real-life Rosie the Riveter building warplanes before they even met.
'Most of our missions were bombing missions in occupied parts of China and Burma,' Mel told the outlet.
He served as a B-24 gunner in the Army Air Corps as part of the famed 'Flying Tigers.'
'I was proud of being a nose turret gunner right up in the front of the airplane so it was an exciting thing for a 17-18 year old boy,' the vet added.
Meanwhile, Jennifer worked at Lockheed Martin during the war, as part of a workforce supporting secret military aviation projects.
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That’s very interesting and very happy for them. But for some reason, my mind went to how much freaking money do they shell out monthly living (times two) in assistant living in California. I shudder to think and I wonder how the heck they have so much money in order to spend that much. And how did they not run out of money?
I’m guessing 20,000 a month. I mean we’re talking in California and we’re talking assistant living even in Florida, it can be 7000 a month for one person.
What an amazing story. God has truly blessed them both!
What a wonderful story! The marriage between Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft could have been similar but she died at 73 years old , while Mel is still alive at 99. He hits 100 this June.
No, she didn't.
“Soulmate couple aged 101 and 100 celebrate their 80th wedding anniversary”. Good for them.
That’s beautiful. I’m sure the celebration doesn’t go beyond an hour or so.
One of the two. Lockheed or Martin. Of some other company that got absorbed by what became Lockheed Martin.
Nice picture.... both look to be quite sharp. I have a few uncles and aunts that came close to 80 years married but I don’t think any quite made it.
Great couple, horrible story. Did AI write it?
Interesting story. Martin-Marietta was a merger, but Marrietta took its name from American Asphalt Paint Company, founded in Marrietta, Ohio, a city named after Marie Antoinette, then Queen of France, out of gratitude for her support during the War of Independence. Raytheon’s orginal name was the American Appliance Company, and their biggest product was Modern Maid wood-burning kitchen stoves. They branched out to vacuum rectifiers and got a lawyer letter from the American Appliance Company of Indianapolis, so they changed their name to “Raytheon” - “Light of the Gods” in the Greco-Schenectady dialect.
I an wondering what your objection is? The American Volunteer Group, serving the Chinese prior to U.S. entry into the war was nicknamed the “Flying Tigers” by a Chinese journalist, and inducted into the U.S. Army Air Force after Pearl Harbor, no longer being volunteers. (They were told by Vinegar Joe Stillwell if they wanted out, their draft board would be waiting for them on the pier when they arrived in the United States.) They most certainly had B-24’s with nose turrets, and shark-mouth livery, and retained the “Flying Tiger” monicker in U.S. service.
A similar couple showed up at court seeking a divorce.
The judge was kind of astonished and said “Well, I can certainly grant this today as this is a no-fault state, but I have to ask - after all this time, why even bother getting a divorce now?”
They replied, “We wanted to wait until the children were dead.”
God bless both of these heroes.
Likely Lockheed. Martin had plants in Omaha, Baltimore, I don’t think they had any in California in World War II.
Lockheed was California based. And the “supporting secret military aviation projects.” suggests the Skunk Works.
But I wouldn’t expect some young reporter to actually know enough to ask the questions to get the story right.
Lockheed had a plant in Burbank in WW2. Plant B-1 built Hudson’s and P-38’s. Plant A-1 built 2,750 B-17’s under license from Boeing.
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