Elizabeth Gfatter couldn’t help but cry as she approached the altar and saw her husband, Charles, waiting for her. For almost 75 years, the couple has loved one other in sickness and in health.
Charles and Elizabeth just relocated into a senior living facility in Poughkeepsie, New York. After they arrived, Elizabeth and Charles chose to reaffirm their wedding vows in order to demonstrate to all that their love is still as strong today as it was 75 years ago.
Charles and Elizabeth met while they were youngsters and began dating in high school. The pair eloped soon after Elizabeth graduated. But things were not simple at first…
They eloped since their parents wouldn’t let them get married because they felt Charles and Elizabeth were too young, Elizabeth explained.
Charles’s dad approached him after the religious wedding. To say the least, he was doubtful.
He said to Karls that if it lasts longer than a year, he’ll pay him a hundred dollars, Karl recalls.
And, of course, Karl’s dad had to eat his words afterwards.
When Charles returned from the war, his and Elizabeth’s love grew stronger by the year. The couple had a daughter together, however she passed away in 2015 at the age of 68.
But there is one thing they have kept: their unwavering affection for one other.
He simply said he loved her, and that was all that counted, Elizabeth explains.
Couple married for 75 years renews vows at NY nursing homeNow this is what 75 years of wedded bliss looks like! Join us in wishing a happy anniversary to Elizabeth and Karl Gfatter. <3
Posted by ABC7NY on Wednesday, 3 August 2016
