Couple celebrated their 70 anniversary by renewing their vows

‘Here’s to us my love. May we live 100 years’: Tear-jerking video shows couple in their 90s renewing their vows on their 70TH wedding anniversary

  • Patricia Hoefling, 97, and her husband John celebrated their 70-year anniversary in 2017 by renewing their vows 
  • The couple from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, were married for 72 years before John died at the age of 93 in 2019
  • Shelby Hoefling, 31, shared her grandparent’s heartfelt love story in TikTok video that has since gone viral with over 780,000 views 
  • She posted the video in honor of what would have been their 75th anniversary 
  • In the clip the couple can be seen at their ceremony and Patricia even toasts to her husband and says ‘May we live 100 years. May I live 100 years, less one day’
  • Granddaughter Shelby added that her grandparents’ love ‘helped them’ live as long as they did while TikTok users were captivated by the bittersweet love story

A couple in their 90s celebrated their 70-year wedding anniversary by renewing their vows and the video of the elderly couple has captured the hearts of thousands of viewers, who watched their everlasting love story reach a bittersweet end.  

Patricia Hoefling, now 97, and her husband John Hoefling, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, originally met in the 1940s and enjoyed a life of happiness together.

John, who fought in Vietnam and Korea, and Patricia, a retired teacher, remained devoted to each other, so they celebrated their platinum anniversary with a vow renewal.

The couple’s granddaughter Shelby Hoefling, 31, from Alexandria, Virginia, shared her grandparent’s heartfelt love story in a TikTok video that has since gone viral with over 780,000 views and 174,000 likes. 


Patricia Hoefling, 97, and her husband John, who died at the age of 93, from Pennsylvania, celebrated their 70-year anniversary by renewing their vows

Patricia and John met in the 1940s and enjoyed a life of happiness together, they celebrated by renewing their vows at a ceremony alongside family and friends 

At the ceremony Patricia gave a toast to her husband and said ‘May we live 100 years. May I live 100 years, less one day.’

In the video Shelby explained that her ‘Nanny’ and ‘GrandJack’ first married on April 12, 1947, and added that it would be their 75-year anniversary the day she posted the video. 

Shelby shared footage from Patricia and John’s 70-year wedding anniversary, which showed the couple renewing their vows. 

‘You know, I’m gonna say no,’ GrandJack joked before the service, as he slipped on his military jacket covered in ribbons and the two stars of a major general. 

The video then shows the couple in the car looking their very best ahead their ceremony filled with family and friends.  

John wore a full uniform and his walker at his side, while Patricia wore an ivory lace blouse, an ivory calf-length skirt, satin heels, pearl earrings and a pearl necklace, and let her short red hair hang down. 

When the couple arrived at the ceremony family and friends greeted them with smiles while bagpipes played in the background.

‘Here’s to us, my love,’ Patricia said onstage after they renewed their vows. ‘May we live 100 years. May I live 100 years, less one day.’ 

Granddaughter Shelby said: ‘The ceremony was beautiful – it was such an amazing day.

‘They really had the strongest love for one another.’

They got married the first time on April 12, 1947, and the renewal took place in 2017 – two years before John passed away. 

Shelby revealed that her grandparents were married a total of 72 years before her grandfather John died at the age of 92. 

In her viral TikTok video Shelby wished her ‘role models’ a happy 75-year anniversary and said her ‘Nanny’ ‘doesn’t go a day without loving him just as she vowed she would ‘love him all the days of her life.”

Shelby, who released the video to commemorate her grandparents, added: ‘Ever since grandad died, a part of grandma is missing.

‘Their faith was very important to them both, and grandma has no doubt she’ll see him again.’

Shelby also shared a video of her grandmother visiting John’s grave with the caption: ‘their love for each other will never end no matter what.’  

TikTok users were captivated by Patricia and John’s heartfelt love story and were left in tears after viewing their video

She added that her ‘GrandJack’s’ tenure in the Army often left her grandmother along for long periods of time but believes that their ‘love is what got them through so much.’   

Shelby noted that her grandparent’s love for each other ‘helped’ them live as long as they did.  

The footage of the couple renewing their vows not only touches hearts, but also reminds viewers that a long-lasting marriage is something to be cherished. 

The average length of a first marriage is around seven years, and almost half of all marriages tend to end in divorce, according to the CDC. 

The couple’s love outlasted even John’s life and Patricia and her husband of over 70 years proved their love was an exception to the statistic and TikTok users were left in tears over their love story.

‘Who’s chopping onions!?!’ asked one user. 

Another user added: ‘Wow I love this. I wish all marriage ended like this.’ 

When my grandmother passed, my grandfather mourned so greatly that he would place her urn next to him in bed because he couldn’t sleep without her.’ said a third user.

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