GEORGIA – An African-American couple is celebrating an extraordinary milestone in their marriage. Ralph and Tillie Lee Pullin have been husband and wife for an incredible 75 years. They tied the knot in 1938 after two years of dating. Despite inevitable ups and downs, their union is still going strong. Now the couple’s long-lasting devotion to each other is generating unexpected attention. They have received a proclamation from their mayor and a congratulatory letter from President Obama.
“I am so excited, I am telling you,” said Mrs. Pullin in an interview with local television station. Mr. Ralph Pullin, Sr, of McDonough, Georgia, said in the same interview that it was a strong attraction at first sight. “She had to sit on part of my knee! And that got my attention like– a live wire,” he said.
Though, their courtship was not without challenges. For two years, the pair kept their relationship secret from Mrs. Pullin’s mother instead telling her that Mr. Pullin was dating his wife’s older sister. The lovebirds finally wed on September 17, 1938. The pair – one of the longest-living married couples in Georgia — went on to to have 8 children. They have 6 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild, with another on the way.
