The Hesses
77 Years

Marion & Jean Hess

MARRIED: September 20, 1947 – 77 Years
Metairie, Louisiana

Marion Ferdinand Hess, Sr., has lived a life that has defied the odds. He survived a premature birth, fighting in World War II, and two deadly hurricanes in his hometown of New Orleans. He has been married to his wife, Jean, for 76 years. At age 17, Marion enlisted in the army to fight in World War II. He was immediately deployed to Germany, where he landed under fire and served under General Patton until the war’s end. The Hesses now reside in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Soon after returning home from the war, Hess met his future wife, Jean Catherine Meliet. On September 20, 1947, Marion and Jean tied the knot just one day after one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast slammed into New Orleans, a category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph. Fifty-eight years before the infamous Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane George breached the 17th Street Canal, flooding buildings, causing massive power outages, and leaving standing water for weeks. Marion and Jean refused to cancel their wedding, and they were married the following night.

“There was no electricity,” recalled Jean, “so my mother placed lanterns around the church for lighting. She also hired a band for dancing and entertainment, and she placed lanterns all around the reception hall. From that day on, my mother treated Marion like her son.”