Centarian WWII couple celebrates 80-year love story in Southern California
Image:KTLA
by: Vivian Chow
Loved ones celebrated a Southern California centenarian couple as they marked their 80th wedding anniversary.
Friends, family and community members held a party for Mel and Jennifer McMullen at the Whittier retirement community where they live together.
Jennifer is 101 years old and Mel is about to join her as he celebrates his 101st birthday in June.
“I was born in 1925 and she was born in 1924,” Mel told KTLA’s Lindsey Pena.
The couple took a trip down memory lane as they reminisced on their cherished life together.
They met in Los Angeles when they were just teenagers, after Mel returned from serving as a B-24 gunner in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Jennifer worked at Lockheed during the war as part of a workforce that supported secret military aviation projects.
It was Mel’s brother, Jim, who initially set them up. “He said, ‘You should meet my younger brother,” Jennifer recalled. “You’d be good together.’”
The rest was history. The couple married in 1946 and eventually settled down in Whittier to raise three sons together, creating a life filled with adventure and countless happy memories. The couple also has four grandchildren.
On May 13, 2026, they celebrated their 80th wedding anniversary. Their son performed an original song in their honor and loved ones gathered to wish the couple even more years of happiness together.
When asked whether they had any advice on the key to a long and happy marriage, both agreed that being thoughtful and understanding goes a long way.
“I think just try to keep happy and keep an open mind,” Mel said. “Never think that what you think is better than what anyone else thinks.”
For Jennifer, she agreed and also added that, “The secret is love.”
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