Gonzales couple among 2023 longest married couples in Louisiana

Butsie and Virginia Trahan of Gonzales were among the 2023 Louisiana Family Forum longest-known married couples in the state.

According to LFF, the couple has been married for 72 years.

Both grew up in New Orleans, off Carrolton Avenue. Butsie joined the Marines, and while he was home on leave one weekend, he and Virginia went on their first date to a Mardi Gras ball in the city.

At ages 21 and 19, they were married March 26, 1951, and they later moved to Chalmette to start their family. They relocated to Gonzales after Hurricane Katrina.

The longest married couple in Louisiana this year went to Ira and Margery Milan of New Orleans. They were married Jan. 17, 1942.

Last year, LFF honored Patsy and Gail Richardson of Gonzales as the state's longest married couple.

Patsy passed away June 13 last year. She was married to Gail for 81 years.

At the time of the honor in 2022, Gail was 102 years old and Patsy was 100.

Gonzales Weekly Citizen and Donaldsonville Chief, part of the USA Today Network of Louisiana, cover Ascension Parish and the greater Baton Rouge area. Follow at facebook.com/WeeklyCitizen and facebook.com/DonaldsonvilleChief.