It was New Year's Eve, 1936. Just a few months earlier the New York Yankees won their ninth World Series, Franklin Delano Roosevelt won his second presidential election, and gas prices stood at 20 cents a gallon. And somewhere in the town of Little Falls, Minn., a 28-year-old lumberyard worker named Phil Bellefuielle met his future wife for the first time.

"Her blue eyes looked into my eyes and I just fell for her. It was love at first sight," said Phil "Mr. B" Bellefuielle, as he recalled the square dance where he met Alean, a 25-year-old ammunitions-factory worker.

That night, they shared a few dances and exchanged mailing addresses. Nothing happened for several months until, randomly, they both wrote and received letters from each other just days apart.

In today's world of constant and instantaneous communication, an exchange like this might not seem noteworthy. But for Mr. B, it was a sign.

"I had no idea she was going to write to me, and she had no idea that I was going to write to her," he said. "When our letters crossed, that pretty much sealed it."

They were married four months later.

On Friday, April 13, Mr. and Mrs. Bellefuielle celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary at Providence Mount St. Vincent nursing home on West Seattle Hill, where they've lived since 2000. The celebration, which was attended by more than 150 friends and family, was a testament to the Bellefuielles' undying friendship and enduring love. As they embark on their eighth decade of married life together, the two have become a fixture within the tight-knit Providence community and continue to make their daily 4:30 p.m. cocktail date - a date they've held for more than four decades.

"I'm the luckiest guy on earth," said Mr. B in his slightly garbled voice. "She's a very pleasant gal to live with. That's why we live so long. No cause of any ulcers."

Outside their small bedroom on the fifth floor, Mr. and Mrs. B sit side by side - he in a plush green recliner and she in her black wheelchair. He touches her hand lovingly as he calls to mind the story of how they moved to Seattle in their '31 Chevy.

"Or maybe it was a '32?"

Though the exact dates and details may be a bit fuzzy, the love that that they share shines through brighter than ever.

"They stay together no matter what," said Cheryl Winchester, a program coordinator at Providence who has worked with the Bellefuielles for the past seven years.

"Through good or bad they've been together. Falling down. Bruising. In and out of the hospital with different ailments. They just stick together like glue."

When Mrs. B was forced to move to the skilled-nursing area, Mr. B moved from his apartment to be with her, even though he did not require an increased level of care.

"They never give in. They're very strong-willed people," said Anne Kovacich, a fellow resident at the nursing home who attended the anniversary party.

So how do they do it? How has their marriage managed to thrive when, according The National Center for Health and Statistics, nearly 43 percent of all marriages end in divorce? The answer can be traced back 1963, the year Mr. and Mrs. B sat down and shared their first Manhattan just before dinner.

"We've done it every day at 4:30 p.m.," said Mr. B. "It's become a ritual."

The recipe for a Bellefuielle Manhattan is one part Canadian whisky, one-half part sweet vermouth. Why Canadian whisky? "It's not as harsh as U.S. liquor," said Mr. B.

While Mr. B worked long days at his job at Boeing (he began at 95 cents an hour, "big wages" then, he said), Mrs. B was busy raising their two adopted children. The daily event provided the perfect opportunity for the two to reconnect.

"It wasn't only the drink," said Mrs. B. "We sat together on our swing in our backyard to have our drink. I think every couple should have a time where they are peaceful and quiet and just together."

The daily Manhattan is just one of the elements that make Bellefuielles' relationship so special. According to Arlene Carter, assistant director for the nursing home's charitable foundation, Mr. B can often be found gently pushing Alean in her wheelchair and helping to feed her daily meals. "They are absolutely the most devoted couple you could imagine," said Carter.

Despite several health setbacks (at 95 Mrs. B must use a wheelchair and has lost much of her eyesight from macular degeneration), the two continue to remain active within the Providence community.

In addition to partaking in weekly singalong sessions, Mr. B currently holds the record as "The Mount's" oldest volunteer. At 98, he still finds time to assist a fellow resident suffering from brain damage with cognitive exercises and often walks with her to Mass.

Mrs. B, who once read to students at West Seattle's Holy Rosary School, recently compiled a book of her own short stories entitled, "Granny's Stories for Little Ones" which is being sold to raise money for Providence.

As for the future, "We will only be getting stronger and better, but lord knows how long it will be," said Mr. B.

For now, they are content just to be together, side by side in their chairs, hands clasped together as if they just met for the first time.

"The patience this gal has with me. ... Never had a complaint," says Mr. B, as if still awestruck by his good fortune.

"Well," replies Mrs. B, "you haven't given me much to complain about."

Eli Schwimmer is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory and may be reached via wseditor@robinsonnews.com.