OLD BRIDGE, N.J. -- Pat Testa sleeps on a twin bed, surrounded by photographs of smiling relatives. His wife watches over him from their wedding portrait. Every day, his first thought is of her. His space in his assisted-living home was nearly silent, except for the occasional shuffle of another aged resident passing in the hall. Pat, 95, wears a hearing aid and bifocals. His voice is brittle, and he needs help getting dressed. But while his body is fading, his mind is still bright. Seated in his red power chair at a table in a common area, he recalled his life with his wife precisely.
He was 16, an usher at the Embassy movie theater in Newark in 1937. She was 17, and a regular customer. He helped his future wife find her seat. She asked him out on a date.
Pat married Carmela — Millie to him — at 2 p.m. on April 16, 1939. Seventy-six years ago.
They rented a Cadillac from an undertaker. They were married at St. Lucy's Church. They took a wedding photograph looking like movie stars: Millie in her white dress, holding calla lilies. Pat in a black tuxedo, a white bow tie, hair slicked back.
Pat and Millie's life together began in an apartment in Newark for $15 a month, steps from where they worked. Their family grew with two daughters, born on March 26, 1940 and Feb. 18, 1941.
Pat said there were fights and times Millie asked for a divorce, but they stayed together.
Suddenly, Pat looked up and grinned with 95-year-old teeth.
"Ohhhh," he beamed. "This is my pretty wife. You see that? She's still a beautiful woman."
Taking small steps, Millie slowly moved to a seat next to him. They kissed.
On their 76th wedding anniversary, Millie knew Pat was her husband.
Many times she doesn't.
To watch Millie and Pat's heartwarming connection, watch the video above.
To read more about their life together and their love that has remained solid despite Millie's Alzheimer's, click below.
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