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

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Feb. 2, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME), the original faith based marriage enrichment program in the United States, announced today the national winners of the 2015 Longest Married Couple Project. They are Dale & Alice Rockey of Olathe, KS.  The Rockeys have been married 81 years as of Dec. 29, 2014.

Over 375 nominations were received for this year's project. The winners from individual states will be announced on Monday, Feb. 9, 2015.  This is the fifth year for the nationwide project.

"It is truly a privilege and honor to recognize Dale and Alice Rockey for their commitment to marriage," said Ron and Judy Pekny, the United States Ecclesial Team for WWME. "We are looking forward to personally recognizing them at the beginning of the Valentine's week on Feb. 7th in their hometown of Olathe," they added. The Peknys serve with Fr. Rocky Grimard, as the U.S. leadership for the marriage enrichment movement.

The Rockeys were married Dec. 29, 1933. They met in a small Nebraska town when they were teenagers.  They were dating other people, but one Sunday Dale spotted Alice on the street and asked if she would like to go for a ride.  The rest, as the Rockeys say, is history – marriage history. 

The Kansas couple achieved the honor of being the Longest Married Couple based on nominations submitted to Worldwide Marriage Encounter beginning in October of last year.  The nomination project ended on January 10th.

The Peknys pointed out that the project is based on nominations received from October 10th the previous year to January 10th of the current year.  "We realize there could be couples married longer, but we did not receive their nominations from friends or family during the nominating period or they chose not to be recognized for their marriage achievements," they said. 

Worldwide Marriage Encounter created the project to highlight marriage in America and to show young couples that marriage really can go the distance. "What an inspiration Mr. & Mrs. Rockey are to all of us. They made a commitment to each other 81 years ago and they have kept that commitment. They truly are an inspiration and sign of hope to all of us," the Peknys said.

The national winners have five sons along with grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren. The presentation of gifts and acknowledgments to the Rockeys will be made on Feb. 7th at the Good Samaritan Society in Olathe.

State winners from across the country will be presented certificates of achievement and other recognitions by Worldwide Marriage Encounter couples during Valentine's week as well as the rest of the month.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter has been offering weekend experiences for over 46 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 Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekends go online to wwme.org or contact the WWME Office at 909/332-7309.

Media inquires should be directed to:
Dick & Diane Baumbach at either
321-544-3440 or
dickanddiane66@bellsouth.net