Couple celebrates 79 years of marriage as they prepare to ring in their 100th birthdays

Hubert and June Malicote, who are both turning 100 this month, have spent the better part of their lives together. The duo were married at 20 and just celebrated their 79th wedding anniversary. They were proud to reveal that they have never had a quarrel in all these years—a claim backed up by their 70-year-old daughter, Jo. "We didn't go through life without problems, but we would never do anything to hurt each other," Hubert told TODAY. The WWII veteran shared that he learned early on in their marriage that a quick timeout is an effective way to deescalate conflict.

"If there's controversy, you might have to walk away for a couple minutes," Hubert said. "Then you come back in and change the subject or you work it out." According to NBC station WLWT, both Hubert and June were born in July 1922 and raised in rural Kentucky. However, they only met when they moved to Ohio to find jobs. Hubert revealed that it was an invite to church one evening that led him to his future bride. "Miraculously the back pew was empty, so, we went in and they were all standing, and right in front of us was a pew full of young girls. And, she looked around at me and smiled," he recalled.

Their friendship soon blossomed into something more and the pair tied the knot on June 8, 1943. Soon after, Hubert set off to serve with the Navy in Hawaii for two years during World War II. However, June didn't know where he was stationed. "One evening I was walking through the commissary, and I saw a grass skirt on the wall. I thought if I could mail that, it would give her some indication of where I might be," Hubert revealed. Not long after, he received a picture of her wearing the grass skirt. "In a few weeks, I got back a picture and I had my own Honolulu girl," he said.

When he finally returned home, June was there waiting at the train station for him. "As the train stopped, the conductor standing beside me said 'she's waiting for you,'" Hubert shared. The couple went on to build a life for themselves in Hamilton, Ohio, where they now have three children, seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. Although it has become difficult for June to communicate in recent years, having suffered several strokes, the couple's routine has remained the same. Every night they sit down for dinner and watch an old western before they share a kiss and go to bed.

"I put Mom in her wheelchair next to where Dad is sitting and they hold hands and say goodnight to each other," their daughter Jo revealed. "Then in the morning, they are so happy to see each other. They greet each other with huge smiles." Hubert and June, who have survived everything from the Great Depression to the COVID-19 pandemic, can't imagine their lives without each other. "It's kind of like if we aren't together, the team is broken," said Hubert.

Hubert revealed that he and June have never had weekly date nights as they enjoy each other's company even on ordinary days. Living through the worst economic downturn in U.S. history, he said, made them grateful for everything they have. "We've never really gone out much. When the kids were younger we were happy sitting around the table sharing stories about our day," Hubert shared. "We've had a wonderful life." The couple plan to celebrate their 100th birthdays this month—June's birthday is on July 13 and Hubert's is on July 23—with a joint birthday bash, which will include a backyard church service. "We will just worship God and thank him for his many blessings that he has bestowed upon this family for a century," Jo revealed.