Contact: Dick & Diane Baumbach, Worldwide Marriage Encounter, 321-544-3440, dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Feb. 9, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- The 2016 state winners of the sixth annual Longest Married Couple Project, sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) , the original faith based marriage enrichment program in this country, were announced today.

"We are truly excited and amazed at the number of couples married 70 years or more and there were many with 60 plus years of marriage," explained Joe & Sue Talarico, the United States Leadership Team for WWME. The Talaricos serve with Fr. Tom Ogg as the U.S. Leadership Team.

"There were over 250 nominations submitted," the Talaricos explained, adding, "And, again this year we had couples married much shorter times who wanted to make the Longest Married Couple Project something they could focus on in their marriages for the future."

The 2016 longest married couple in the United States, based on the nominations submitted, is Maury & Helen Gossenberg of Carlsbad, CA. They are married over 80 years having made their marriage vows in September 1935. The Talaricos and Fr. Ogg will be honoring Mr. & Mrs. Goosenberg in a special ceremony in their hometown of Carlsbad, CA at the La Costa Glen independent living facility this coming Valentine's Day weekend.

As in previous years of the six year old project, individual state winners will also be recognized and honored by couples involved with Worldwide Marriage Encounter over the Valentine's weekend or at a time convenient for the winning state couple and their families.
This is also the first year that a longest married couple was named for a U.S. territory, namely, Saipan.

Winners of the project are automatically made members of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Longest Married Couple Project Alumni group. Couples cannot succeed themselves each year as either national or state winners, thus giving an opportunity to honor other longest married couples across the country.

The Talaricos also pointed out that the project is based on nominations received from October 10th the previous year to January 10th of the current year.  They also pointed out that there were no nominations this year from five states.
 
The list of the 2016 state winners and their hometowns and wedding dates are as follows:

Alaska
Les and Delores Dennis
June 30, 1949
66 years
Anchorage, Alaska

Arizona
Warren & Joyce Davis                        
May 15, 1954
62 years
Scottsdale, AZ

Arkansas
Clinton & Christine Jayne
Feb. 19, 1943
72 years
Warren, AR

California
Clarence & Alberta Gazin
March 17, 1940
75 years
Los Angeles, CA

Colorado
Gene & Margie Nelson
Oct. 30, 1936
79 years
Castle Rock, CO

Connecticut
John & Katie Franzosa
Oct. 28, 1944
71 years
Manchester, CT

Delaware
James & Roberta Conrad     
Sept. 13, 1944             
71 years
Wilmington, DE

Florida
Peter & Marie Nepi
Nov. 22, 1941 
74 years
Sarasota, FL

Georgia
Edgar & Nelle Ennis                                
Oct. 17, 1942                     
73 years
Albany, GA

Hawaii
Richard & Dominga Yadao                      
May, 25, 1946                    
69 years
Wailuka Maui, HI

Idaho
Keith & Barbara Burns                             
Feb. 16, 1952                      
63 years
Meridian, ID

Illinois
John & Madeline Fote                               
Oct 12, 1940                       
75 years
Mount Prospect, IL

Indiana                                               
Ralph & Lilian Plummer                           
March 30, 1945                  
70 years
Indianapolis, IN

Iowa
Yeoman & Erma Cowlishaw                     
Feb. 6, 1940                       
75 years
Waterloo, IA

Kansas
Harold & Mary Alice McKinney               
May 16, 1948                     
67 years
Greensburg, KS

Kentucky
Clarence & Kathleen Chesser                     
June 6, 1959                       
56 years
La Grange, KY

Louisiana
Alfred & Shirley Reyes                               
May 27, 1950                      
65 years
New Orleans, LA

Maine
Ralph & Dotty Cornette                               
Nov. 21, 1970                      
45 years
Winthrop, ME

Maryland
Anthony & Mary Leggieri                            
Oct. 18, 1947                      
68 years
Ijamsville, MD

Massachusetts
Charles & Anna DiPietro                              
June 25, 1939                      
76 years
Peabody, MA

Michigan
Chester & Martha Leppek                             
Oct. 26, 1940                       
75 years
Ruth, MI

Minnesota
Ben & Rosemarie Sontag                               
May 22, 1943                      
72 years                                         
Rosemount, MN

Missouri
Luke & Gwendolyn Scavuzzo                        
Aug. 15, 1948                      
67 years
Harrisonville, MO

Nebraska
Erwin & Carol Keim                                       
April 27, 1940                     
75 years
Chadron, NE

Nevada
Wayne & Marcia Kessler                                 
July 24, 1965                       
50 years
Boulder City, NV

New Hampshire                                                
Sylvio & Lucille LeBlanc                                 
Oct. 19, 1940                       
75 years
Manchester, NH 

New Jersey
Jack & Mary Smith                                            
July 15, 1944                        
71 years
Bridgewater, NJ

New Mexico
Henry & Cecilia Marrufo                                    
Dec. 2, 1950                         
65 years
Las Cruces, NM

New York
Ralph & Joan Keefe                                             
Sept. 8, 1942                        
73 years
Oceanside, NY

North Carolina
Bill & Julia Stephens                                            
Feb. 1, 1959                         
56 years
Raleigh, NC

North Dakota
Tom & Jean McNulty                                           
Jan. 22, 1942                        
73 years
Bismark, ND

Ohio
Constantine & Pauline Nonno                               
March 8, 1943                      
72 years
Barberton, OH

Oklahoma
Lloyd & Velma Cox                                               
Aug. 17, 1947                      
68 years
Guthrie, OK

Oregon
Mario & Josephine Monti                                        
July 23, 1944                       
71 years
Portland, OR

Pennsylvania
Chet & Helen Amick                                                
June 10, 1939                      
76 years
Lanse, PA

Rhode Island
Santa & Nicola Mainelli                                            
Dec. 2, 1944                       
71 years
Providence, RI 

South Carolina
Frank & Betty Murray                                                
Nov. 24, 1947                    
68 years
North Augusta, SC

Tennessee
Anthony & Dorothy Kliemann
June 27, 1942                     
73 years
Knoxville, TN

Texas
Henry & Isaura Palma                                                 
Nov. 22, 1952                    
63 years
Georgetown, TX 

Vermont
Paul & Thelma Hance                                                  
Sept. 28, 1946                   
69 years
Bristol, VT 

Virginia
James & Christine Bacco                                
July 2, 1949                       
66 years
Daleville, VA

Washington
Frank & Marie Bishop                                                  
July 24, 1936                    
79 years
Shelton, WA

West Virginia
Cheap & Phyllis Safreed                                               
Nov. 19, 1948                   
67 years
St. Albans, WV

Wisconsin
Gordon & Shirley Arkens                                               
Sept. 20, 1945                  
70 years
West Allis, WI 
                                                        
Wyoming
William & Doris Carpenter                                           
Jan. 28, 1944                    
71 years
Casper, WY

US Territories
Saipan
Gregorio & Bernadita DelaCruz                                   
Dec. 27, 1965                   
51 years
Koblerville, Saipan CNMI 

Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been offering weekend experiences for over 48 years and is considered the original faith-based marriage enrichment program. The programs are continually updated to keep abreast of changes in society, and WWME now offers evening and half-day programs that are presented at parishes and other church facilities. The weekend program, traditionally presented as an overnight experience at a hotel or retreat center, can also be presented at facilities where the couples return to their homes in the evenings. WWME has a presence in almost 100 countries, which makes it the largest pro-marriage movement in the world.  In North America, the WWME programs are presented in English, Spanish, French, and Korean languages.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter offers married couples the opportunity to spend time together away from the busyness of the world to focus on each other. It offers tools for building and maintaining a strong, Christian marriage in today's world. To learn more about the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends online go to wwme.org or contact the WWME Office at (909) 863-9963.