Couple to Celebrate 75th Anniversary

When Louis and Sylvia Harmatz came together to say “I do,” Warren G. Harding was in the White House and Charlie Chaplin was entertaining motion picture audiences in “The Kid.” The year? 1921.

In an age where half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce, theirs is a union that has weathered world wars, the space race, the rat race and the development of television and radio. On Sunday, they’ll celebrate their 75th anniversary with a party at the Jewish Home for the Aging in Reseda.

“They really have seen everything that you can possibly imagine,” said the couple’s eldest daughter, Hope Mann. “I’m thrilled. Very few couples live to celebrate 75 years.”

Louis, 100, and Sylvia, 97, were married June 26, 1921, in Scranton, Pa., Mann said. In 1934, the family moved to Hollywood, where Louis worked as an embroiderer. “They’re very special people,” said Vivian Skurka, the couple’s other child. “I just think that they’ve got the best of both worlds.”

Although the Harmatzes have lived in convalescent homes for several years, the family, which has grown to include nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, remains close. After Sunday’s event, the next order of business is a private family celebration and Louis’ 101st birthday party in September.

“I think every day they look forward to another day,” Skurka said.

Neither daughter can explain the secret of their parents’ long-lasting marriage, but both point to their continuing love for each other as the best evidence.

“To see them walking together holding hands is still a pleasure,” Skurka said.