Georgia WWII Veteran Turns 100, Celebrates 80 Years of Marriage
Jean, born December 16, 1926, and Jim, born March 31, 1926, were only 15 and 16 years old when they met in Birmingham, Alabama, the city where they were both born and raised. Ironically, they were not each other’s dates. Jean had a blind date with someone else, and Jim was out with her best friend, Vera. But something clicked. The very next day, Jim showed up at Jean’s house. That simple, determined gesture became the beginning of a lifelong love story that has now stretched across nearly a century.
At 18, Jim joined the Army and served in World War II, fighting in Austria and Germany, where he earned a Purple Heart. In 1946, home on a weekend pass, he asked Jean again to marry him. This time, she said yes. They arranged a church wedding that very day and were married on April 16, 1946. Jim’s parents traveled from Montgomery to attend, and Jean’s mother was present. Despite her father’s absence, nothing could delay what was meant to be.
And so began 80 years of marriage.
After the war, Jim attended the University of Alabama on the GI Bill. Within a year, they welcomed their first child, Jeanne, beginning a lively family of five children. Jim’s career with Georgia Power took them from Rome, where Gail was born, to Macon, where Jimmy and Judy joined the family, and then to Atlanta in 1963. Their youngest daughter, Jana, arrived in 1965. Through hard work and integrity, Jim rose to become a Vice President before retiring in 1988.
In 1971, they built a cabin on Lake Burton, finishing much of the interior work themselves during weekends spent driving from Roswell. The lake became their cherished retreat, and they later moved there full time, living by the water they loved until October 2023. Then, in another thoughtful step forward, they relocated to Ignite Living at Hiawassee Park. Surrounded by mountain views, close neighbors, and four of their children who now live in Hiawassee, they consider this season a gift.
Travel was one of their shared joys. Through Jim’s work and later in retirement, they explored Europe and journeyed across the USA, eventually visiting nearly all 50 states in their RV. Just as meaningful as the miles were the friendships they formed. From their school days in Birmingham to Army service, corporate years, churches, neighborhoods, and now Hiawassee, they have always made friends wherever they go.
Faith has been central in their lives. They were active members of their churches, generous with their time, and philanthropic in spirit. Their children believe that the example they set, more than any advice, defines their legacy.
Together they share five children, four sons in law, seven grandchildren with their spouses, and seven great grandchildren. But if you ask what matters most, the answer is simple. Each other. Their children describe their marriage as a lifelong love affair. Even today, nearly 80 years later, they still go to sleep holding hands.
On March 31, Jim celebrates his 100th birthday. According to Worldwide Marriage Encounter, the Rittenhouses are only months behind the longest documented marriage in Georgia. Public records show that former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter shared seventy-seven years of marriage.
On April 16, the Rittenhouses will reach eighty years of marriage, surpassing the length of the Carters’ union. While formal statewide verification continues, their milestone places them among the longest-married couples in Georgia history and perhaps even its record holders.
Their story proves that lasting love is built in everyday moments, in faithfulness, in perseverance, in shared laughter, and in choosing one another again and again. Eighty years ago they said I do. Today, their lives stand as a testament that love, when rooted in devotion, truly can last a lifetime and in their case, nearly a century.
