Howard and Vera Winkleman wedding photo (Courtesy of Eldon Winkleman)

The odds someone born today will live to at least 94 years old are 1 in 8.66 (11.5%). Those are about the same odds that someone will die before they reach the age of 59. The odds someone born today will live to at least 96 are 1 in 13.25 (7.5%); about the same as the odds a person will die before the age of 53. These odds are based on the latest available data from the National Vital Statistics System of the CDC.

Vera Winkleman, 96, and her husband Howard, 94, of Kirksville, MO, have beaten a lot of odds. Howard is older than 99.8% of the population, and Vera is older than 99.9%. Even more extraordinary is the fact that the Winklemans have spent most of their long lives together. They recently celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary.

“We enjoyed it,” Vera says of the celebration. “I got an awfully lot of cards. I’m still getting them.”

Vera and Howard married on September 9, 1934 at the height of the Great Depression. One of 11 children living in a four-room house, Vera met Howard because he was a friend of her brother’s.

“It was a terrible time, but everybody was happy or at least happier. Now you don’t know your next-door neighbor. Then, you knew everybody around. You could only go as far as you could walk.”

Their wedding was simple, held one evening in a minister’s home when she was almost 22. They made their way as farmers for more than 30 years, sometimes trading crops and livestock for things like rent.

“It wasn’t easy, but back then you didn’t know the difference.”

Their son Eldon says this sensibility is central to their way of life. “They’re very thrifty. They don’t spend any money they don’t have. They watch every penny. They talk to each other. They don’t always agree. They kinda look after each other.”

Vera is a strong believer in family. She handwrites letters to her two children, Eldon and Elaine, twice a week and speaks with them every day. Vera also still takes care of daily chores, focusing on a little housework, cooking, and taking care of plants scattered throughout their home. “Well, just doing what needs to be done. When you get to this age, you don’t move too fast.”

The Winklemans’ 75th anniversary celebration brought family from as far away as Colorado and Arizona to help celebrate. Vera has a remarkable memory for the full names and cities of everyone in the family tree, some in “Missoura” and others farther away.

When asked how she might advise younger generations about making marriage last, Vera takes a minute to consider her reply. “You have to learn to just get along. It’s very hard. People can’t have their own way.”