Brazil's Record-Holding Couple Married Before WWII Leave Legacy of 13 Children and 120 Descendants After 84 Years Together
When Manoel Angelim Dino and Maria de Sousa Dino crossed paths for the first time in the 1930s in Ceará, Brazil, neither could have predicted that their union would endure for nearly 85 years and produce a sprawling family spanning five generations.
The couple, who officially tied the knot on November 20, 1940, at the chapel of Boa Ventura in Ceará, held the Guinness World Record as the world's longest-married living couple of different sexes after their marriage was verified at 84 years and 77 days in February 2025.
From Agricultural Roots to a Lifelong Bond
Manoel, born in 1919, and Maria, born in 1923, first met around 1936 while working in agriculture for their respective families. Manoel had travelled to the Almeida region in the Boa Viagem district to pick up a shipment of rapaduras—a traditional Brazilian cane sugar sweet—when he first saw Maria.
Although their initial encounter did not blossom into a romance, fate brought them together again around 1940. Manoel made his feelings clear and asked Maria out, and she agreed. Despite initial hesitation from Maria’s mother, Manoel earned the family’s blessing by demonstrating his dedication and constructing a home for their future before their wedding later that year.
A Legacy of 13 Children and Over 120 Descendants
Throughout their decades together, the couple supported their growing household by farming and selling rolled tobacco. Together, they raised 13 children, who went on to expand the family tree dramatically.
By the time Guinness World Records documented their remarkable milestone in early 2025, Manoel and Maria's family encompassed:
- 13 children
- 55 grandchildren
- 54 great-grandchildren
- 12 great-great-grandchildren
In total, their union produced more than 120 living descendants across multiple generations.
The Secret Behind Nearly Nine Decades Together
In their later years, both living as centenarians, Manoel and Maria enjoyed a peaceful daily routine in Boa Viagem. Evenings were spent together in the living room listening to the radio broadcast of the rosary at 6:00 p.m., followed by watching televised mass.
When asked to share the secret behind a marriage that endured through World War II and into the mid-2020s, Maria and her family offered a simple and timeless answer: “love.”
End of an Era
Manoel passed away in Boa Viagem on October 20, 2025, at the age of 106 years and 95 days, concluding nearly 85 years of marriage. Maria was 102 at the time of his passing.
Following Manoel's death, Guinness World Records recognized American couple Lyle and Eleanor Gittens—married since June 4, 1942—as the new longest-married living couple. However, the legacy left behind by Manoel and Maria Dino remains an extraordinary testament to devotion, family, and lifelong companionship.