Couple shares secret to happiness after celebrating 79 years of marriage
'We didn’t go through life without problems, but we would never do anything to hurt each other,' Hubert Malicote said.

A couple that's been married for 79 years share the keys to their relationship.
If you want something to make your heart go "squee," look no further. This story will warm your heart and make you believe in love, and let's face it, given how the world feels right now, we can all use a little heart warming. A couple in Hamilton, Ohio, recently celebrated 79 years of marriage. And if that milestone isn't enough, they're also turning 100 in July 2022. That makes for one summer full of celebration. Both TODAY and their local NBC news channel WLWT reported on the couple, whose story is too sweet for words.
Hubert and June Malicote were both born in July 1922 in rural Kentucky, and at age 19 were both looking for jobs in Hamilton, Ohio, where they met at church.
"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," Hubert told WLWT.
The spark ignited a friendship that quickly turned to love, and the couple was married on June 8, 1943. Not long after their wedding, Hubert joined the Navy to fight in World War II. After being stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii, Hubert sent June a grass skirt so she knew where he was.
"In a few weeks, I got back a picture and I had my own Honolulu girl," Hubert said when talking to WLWT. He also added that when he came home two years later, June was there waiting. "As the train stopped, the conductor standing beside me said 'she's waiting for you,'" Hubert said.
After Hubert's time in the war, the couple settled in Hamilton and had three children. They also have seven grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. Hubert worked for local company Diebold for 50 years before retiring, and June was a stay-at-home mom.
"She was a terrific stay-at-home mom," Hubert said. "She made the girls' dresses. She planted a big garden. She canned and preserved, and she was a good stay-at-home mom."
When a couple has been married for so long, you have to wonder what they're doing to make their marriage work. (Yes the Malicotes come from a time when couples rarely divorced, but that's beside the point.) The Malicotes are still happily married, and Herbert claims they've "never had one quarrel." Their 70-year-old daughter Jo told TODAY that this is true.
“We didn’t go through life without problems, but we would never do anything to hurt each other,” Hubert told TODAY.
Another important lesson he's learned? Sometimes you need to know when to walk away from a fight and take a breather.
“If there’s controversy, you might have to walk away for a couple minutes,” Hubert explains. “Then you come back in and change the subject or you work it out.” Maybe that's why the couple has never quarreled!
Despite not having any sort of date night routine, the couple still spend most of their time together, with Hubert explaining to TODAY that they simply enjoy each other's company.
“We’ve never really gone out much. When the kids were younger we were happy sitting around the table sharing stories about our day,” he said.
Now, the couple enjoys their quiet routines. June has suffered from multiple strokes, which have left it hard for her to communicate. But when you've been married for 79 years, you don't always need words. They have dinner together every night before sitting down to watch a movie together before bed. And they always kiss each other goodnight.
“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 told TODAY. "Then in the morning, they are so happy to see each other. They greet each other with huge smiles.”
It's really beautiful to see a couple so in love after so many years. They told WLWT that their family is planning a joint birthday celebration, and they were the grand marshals for the Oxford Independence Day Parade in Oxford, Ohio, over Fourth of July weekend.
Cheers to love!
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."