By Carl Stagner

On July 13, 1922, June was born. A few days later, on the 23rd, Hubert was born. A century later, their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren gathered at Eaton Road Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio, to celebrate the couple’s 100th birthdays and 79th wedding anniversary. Stalwarts of their local church—teaching Sunday school, directing the choir, managing facility construction, and so much more—Hubert and June Malicote remember fondly the beginnings of their long-lasting relationship and their happily ever after. Capturing the attention of local, national, and international media this summer, their story has further fueled the family’s recognition of just how blessed they really are.

Jo Malicote, one of the couple’s children, reflects on the publicity their parents have attracted over the past few months. “Back in May,” she recalls, “I left a couple messages on our local Cincinnati TV station but didn’t hear anything back. In late June, just a couple weeks before the birthday party, Channel 5 called and a reporter asked if she could come and bring her photographer to write a story. Well, that really got it all started. It then went on to the Today Show, other NBC affiliates picked it up, as well as The Washington Post, Fox News, People, and others. I think, in this world of so much agony and unhappiness, a story of two people being able to stay together and be happy, showing that it can be done, it’s just a breath of fresh air.”

She beams when she considers the rarity and authenticity of her parent’s love story, one that points to Jesus Christ all the way through. “They are angels in disguise,” she insists. “If there was a marriage made in heaven, it was theirs…. All of us kids grew up in a fairy tale. We didn’t have a lot, but we had everything. They knew how to make home a haven.”

When the church doors were open, they were there. One of the things the couple made sure to do every day, Jo explains, was start their day in the Bible and in prayer. They also deliberately set aside their tithe, recognizing that everything they had belonged to God anyway. Involvement in the local church at every level gave them community, and they’ve given each other their best. To the 130 or so family and friends who showed up at the party in July, the impact of the ongoing lives of Hubert and June Malicote cannot be understated.

Read the story of the couple’s long-lasting love from the Washington Post. Watch the local TV coverage of the story via People’s website.

Learn more about the Church of God movement at www.JesusIsTheSubject.org.

Feature (top) collage: Hubert and June Malicote outside Old Main when she was an Anderson College student; a hundred years later….