A lovely couple celebrates the astonishing 80 years of marriage.
John and Charlotte Henderson have 211 years combined between them. John is 106 years of age, and his wife is 105. They celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary in 2019.
John and Charlotte met in 1934. They were students at the University of Texas. There, Charlotte was studying to become a teacher, and John was a football player. In fact, since 2010, John has held the distinction of the oldest living former UT football player.
The Hendersons are officially the oldest living couple in the world, according to Guinness World Records.
Mr. Henderson still remembers the first time he took a glance at his future wife. He shares with TODAY:
“Charlotte looked over her shoulder and smiled and I knew I wanted to take her on a date. She was anxious for me to ask her!”
The sweet couple has lived in Longhorn Village for the past few years. They don’t have children, and John jokes that this is probably the reason why they have been together for so long. When they talk about their life together, Mr. Henderson shares:
“In our ages, we’ve slowed down somewhat. We used to go on cruises, but now we have to take it easy. We like watching sports and talking about what we’re going to do tomorrow.”
Henderson’s nephew, Jason Free, admires their relationships and says that they are his role models.
“They don’t dwell on the past. You won’t hear them say, ‘Oh, if only it were 1952 again, everything would be great.’ They are still making plans for their future together.”
As a former football player, John attends the annual UT games every year. His nephew mentions that whenever his uncle is at a game, or out running errands, Mrs. Charlotte usually calls to check in with him.
“She likes to know when John is going to be coming back.”
Do you want to know the secret to their longevity? Well, Mr. Henderson says it’s all about regular exercise and having a positive mind. He jokingly adds:
“But some people think it’s because we never had kids!”
