Not only have Duranord and Jeanne Veillard lived to be centenarians, they've also been married 82 years -- more than many of us can expect to live. And this weekend, they'll reach a combined age of 213 as Duranord celebrates his 108th birthday on Saturday.
"He remembers everything. Look at him! He don't want to use a cane. He's a superstar," the couple's son, Vely Veillard, 62, told The Journal News. The Veillards tied the knot in 1932, the same year that Franklin Delano Roosevelt beat Herbert Hoover in the presidential elections.
They met in Haiti and have five children, 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. They're still going strong, not only in marriage, but in life.
When asked his secret for living a long life, Duranord responded "That's God." An active, healthy lifestyle also could play a role. He starts his day at 5 a.m. with a bowl of oatmeal and a round of pushups. Wow.
The habits of centenarians have long fascinated society but it seems there's no magic recipe for a long life. While some centenarians, like the world's oldest woman, Misao Okawa, 116, credit a low-stress, relaxed mind for a long life, others have less conventional advice. At 115, Susannah Mushatt Jones loves to have bacon and grits every day. Italy's Emma Morano-Martinuzzi says she lived to be 115 by having one raw and one cooked egg every single day.
As for the Veillards, they'll celebrate Duranord's birthday with a simple gathering of close family and friends in Spring Valley, New York.
Congratulations!
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