
Guinness World Records announced on February 5, 2025 that Manoel Angelim Dino and Maria de Sousa Dino, who married in 1940, had reached 84 years and 77 days together, making them the longest‑married living couple of different sexes.
The couple first crossed paths in 1936 while working on family farms in Ceará's Boa Viagem district; a later trip to Almeida for rapadura shipments introduced them a second time, when Manoel decided to pursue a relationship.
Maria’s mother opposed the match at first, but Manoel built a modest home and earned the family’s trust, securing approval before the November 20, 1940 wedding at the chapel of Boa Ventura.
Over the next eight decades, the Dinos raised thirteen children, who in turn produced 55 grandchildren, 54 great‑grandchildren and 12 great‑great‑grandchildren, a lineage that exceeded 120 descendants by the time Guinness documented the record.
When asked about the secret to their longevity, Maria said simply, ‘love,’ and described a routine that included nightly rosary prayers on the radio and televised mass; Manoel, who had reached 106, spent daylight hours resting but would join her in evening conversations.
Manoel’s death on October 20, 2025, in Boa Viagem ended the pair’s record; Guinness later named Lyle and Eleanor Gittens of the United States as the new longest‑married living couple after they reached 83 years and 153 days in 2025.