LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Cleovis and Arwilda Whiteside of White Hall have been recognized by the Arkansas Family Council as the state's longest-married couple since 2019.
The two married on July 24, 1939, in Clarendon, Arkansas, at the age of 17 and 13 after meeting at church. They spent the past 84 years by each other's side.
"Mr. and Mrs. Whiteside are a shining example to us all," Jerry Cox, Family Council's executive director, said. "They made a marriage covenant with one another over 84 years ago, and, by the grace of God, they kept it."
Cleovis died at the age of 102 on March 23, 2024.
"Cleovis Whiteside lived a long and productive life," Cox said. "He was a faithful husband, father, and church member ... Until his passing, he and his beloved wife, Arwilda, were believed to be the longest-living married couple in the United States of America. They set the gold standard for marriage."
Family Council celebrated Cleovis and Arwilda's 84 years together this past September at their daughter's church in Pine Bluff.
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