JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you were to step inside the Guerra family home near Regency, you might find at least three generations visiting in the family room.
To think, none of it would be possible if it weren’t for 96-year-old Charles Guerra, and his wife, Estela, 97. Their love story began nearly 80 years ago, with an invitation to a party and a single glance at a photo.
“I was a young sailor assigned to be a courier in Puerto Rico,” Charles Guerra remembered. “Lieutenant Verdon was retiring and there was a party to celebrate with him. Estela’s sister wanted me to go and showed me a picture of Estela. I told them I would go if she did.”
Guerra says the second he laid eyes on the beautiful girl from the picture, he knew he had met someone truly special.
“I mean, that was it, lights out,” Guerra said. “I just, she was mine. I said it to myself, ‘That’s the girl I’m going to marry right there’. That is the only girl I have ever kissed.”
If you were to ask Estela what she thought the first time she met her Prince Charming, you’d get an interesting answer.
“You know, he was handsome! He was not ugly!,” she said with a smile and a laugh. The couple married on April 2, 1949.
Before long, the couple’s children started to arrive. They have four altogether.
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Before the couple knew it, there were grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The years that followed were happy and fully of memories. Charles was in the Navy for two years before going into the Reserves. The couple’s daughter told News4AX he was called back into the Korean War.
Though their life together has been more than fulfilling, it did come with challenges. Estela has had two strokes and other health concerns.
Despite the challenges, the Guerras and their family never stopped celebrating their love for each other.
If you were to ask them what’s the secret to their lasting marriage, the answer is simple — unwavering faith in each other, and God.
“I have read the scriptures every day which reinforces my love of God and my family,” Guerra said. “Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren are such a joy to me.”
Not to mention, a lifetime of gratitude.
“It has been quite a life, I’ve enjoyed it,” Estela said. “I’ve been grateful and still very grateful. God has given us all this precious stuff.”
Though it’s been almost 75 years since they said those two magic words on their wedding day, Charles Guerra still feels like that young sailor at the party in Puerto Rico.
“She’s my doll,” he gushed. “When you’re blessed with the best, you don’t complain. And so, I never complain with her, ever.”
Through thick and thin, till death do they part, the Guerras are proof true love always stands the test of time. No matter what.
“Whether we have one more day, week, or decade, as long as I have Estela by my side, I will be the happiest man I know,” Guerra said.
When the couple celebrated their 70th anniversary five years ago, they danced to the timeless song “Just the Way You Look Tonight.”
The Guerras said they plan to dance together once again at their upcoming party to celebrate their 75th. They’ll be surrounded by their four children, 14 grandchildren, and their countless great and great-great-grandchildren.