Reprinted from Daily Mail
A great-grandfather who was married to his wife for 91 years after an arranged marriage in 1925 has died at the age of 110.
Karam Chand, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, died of natural causes on Tuesday last week, six weeks before his 111th birthday.
Last year, he and his wife Katari – who is 103 – celebrated their 90th wedding anniversary.
The pair had got married in a Sikh ceremony in 1925 after meeting in India as teenagers.
They claimed their marriage was a world record, although it was never officially recognised in the Guinness World Records.
Their son Paul said his father’s death had been unexpected.
‘He was not really poorly or anything like that,’ he said. ‘We just took him to hospital and he sadly passed away.
‘We had already started planning for his birthday which was only weeks away.
‘It is very sad but we all just have to come to terms with what has happened and concentrate on looking after my mother.’
Mr Chand was born in 1905 and came to Bradford in 1965 to work in the city’s wool mills.
He only recently gave up his one cigarette a day habit but would still occasionally drink whisky.
He had eight children, 27 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.
Speaking on his 90th wedding anniversary last year, Mr Chand said it was a ‘blessing’ to have been married and lived so long.
He also put his long life down to a ‘stress-free’ existence and said he had ‘never held back from enjoying life’.
‘Life and marriage is all about happiness, it is what is most important,’ he said.
‘We are happy to have been able to enjoy this day with our family. Occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays see our family come together and that makes us very happy.’
He added: ‘We have always eaten good wholesome food, there’s nothing artificial in our diet but things like butter, milk and fresh yoghurt are what we like.
Speaking about his parent’s achievements last year, their son added: ‘We are all very proud of them.
‘Every day we get to spend with them is a bonus and I can only hope that this continues. I would like to advise people to appreciate the time they have with their parents and to look after them, as once they are gone, they are gone.
‘Marriage is all about compromise and I believe my parents have had such a long marriage because they have had a happy and stress free one.
‘In all my years with them, I have never seen them argue and not once have I seen them become angry with each other. I believe that is their secret.’
