A Long Island couple who met on Valentine’s Day in 1948 celebrated their long-lasting love by renewing their marital vows in front of family and friends on Valentine’s Day as well. Morty Steinberg, 93, and his wife, Alice Steinberg, 91, exchanged vows yet again and committed to staying married at their new home in Encore Luxury Living at the Jericho Turnpike on Feb. 14, 2023. Their first wedding took place in Washington Heights on Feb. 4, 1951. The Steinbergs’ seven decades of marriage were blessed with a son and two daughters, who gave them six grandkids and nine great-grandchildren. The couple said that they’ve had such a long-lasting relationship because they consider each other best friends.
Morty recalled seeing Alice with her mother for the very first time at a deli in the Bronx as an 8-year-old boy. Years later, he found out that Alice lived just a block away from him but they only spoke to each other once meeting again at a Valentine’s Day party. When Morty saw Alice at that party, he knew he didn’t need to look at another woman anymore. After Valentine’s night, they went on their first date at the movies. From there, their love story blossomed into a blissful marriage. Morty and Alice’s marriage proves that love is not dead and statistics from 2022 show that the number of people who get divorced out of every 1,000 people has decreased to 2.7, down from 4 people in 2000.
The average marriage in the U.S. may last for eight years, according to Bride. Most marriages that end in divorce cite incompatibility as the main reason, which may range from differences in their personal, political or even religious beliefs. Some couples break up because of their inability to look past their spouse’s flaws.Morty told ABCNY7 that his marriage to Alice has had many phases but they made sure to grow together, not apart, as husband and wife. Alice agreed and said that happy couples thrive if they are growing as individuals but still willing to “blend together” as partners.
Morty and Alice stayed in Queens in the early years of their marriage until they moved to Jericho and built their lives there for nearly four decades. The family man provided for his wife and kids by opening a commercial sign business, which was in operation for 39 years until his retirement in 2022. Alice, on the other hand, worked as a kindergarten music teacher
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In June 2022, the couple opened another chapter of their life together as husband and wife by moving into a retirement facility. Morty and Alice feel blessed that they could still live together while a lot of their friends have lost their spouses or passed away. “We’re best friends now. Seventy-two years is a long time,” Alice said via CBS News.
Alice also said that the basic ingredient of their long-lasting marriage is love but they also do not let the little things upset their marriage. “You have to have love, the basic, and then you have to look away for a lot of things,” Alice told Eyewitness News ABC7NY. “Sometimes you have to write little love notes,” the bride added with Morty agreeing with her 100%.
One of their daughters also said that their parents’ marriage lasted this long because their father listens to their mother all the time.
