BVI Couple Celebrates 75 Years of Marriage

TORTOLA — Could a couple in the British Virgin Islands have the record in the BVI and USVI of being married for 75 years.

Flanked by their ten children, along with family, government members, Friends, and well wishers, William and Josephine Rhymer of Round Hill Cane Garden Bay celebrated their 75 wedding anniversary Friday, September 25th.

One of their daughters Shirley Ryhmer told VI Consortium the grace of God is what’s keeping her parents together. “To celebrate that love we hold a party for them every year. Also they can no longer attend church, so a Minister came by the house to have a service with them on Sunday, September 27th.

Both William and Josephine are in their 90’s and Shirley said they would celebrate their birthdays in November.

Acting Premier Dr. Kedrick Pickering said he had the staff members in the office do some research to determine if there is any record of any other couple in the BVI having attained this milestone. And the registry said they have to go back into the records and search the archives, and it would necessitate them going back into the archives to verify, something they couldn’t have done at the short notice.

“But I remembered having a conversation with Former Premier Ralph O Neal when the Rhymers celebrated their 70th and he said at the time he wasn’t aware of any other couple who had achieved that particular milestone”, Dr. Pickering stated.

Dr. Pickering also said they did some research to see what the regional and international records look like, and there were a number of persons who had achieved that and most recently they had a couple in the United Kingdom who were congratulated by Her Majesty the Queen in celebrating their 75th wedding anniversary, both of them are 95 years old. So it basically says to us that this is not an ordinary achievement.