Stalwart that he was, Mario Monti lived just long enough so he and wife Josephine could be honored as the longest-wed couple in Oregon. Monti, a member of St. Ignatius Parish in Southeast Portland, died March 14 at age 98, just hours after Worldwide Marriage Encounter presented the certificate for 71 years of faithful matrimony.

The Montis, members of St. Ignatius for almost 70 years, were married up the road at Ascension Parish on July 23, 1944. Mario was in town on a three-day pass from the U.S. Army, having traveled from his base in Panama. Before wedding day, he mailed many love letters to Josephine, including one on a coconut.

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Source: http://www.catholicsentinel.org/