Theresa Faiss, 97, died on Sunday Oct. 28 in Las Vegas only months after being honored with her husband Wilbur, 100, as the longest married couple in America for 2012.

The couple were honored in January by the Worldwide Marriage Encounter, who gives out the award only once to a couple, according to the Daily News. They were married for 79 years and had three sons. Theresa is also survived by six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. Memorial services will be privately held.

Wilbur is a former state senator who served from between 1976 and 1984 and he celebrated his 101st birthday only a few days ago. He is also the oldest living former Nevada state legislator, the news report added. President Barack Obama planned on giving the couple a public acknowledgement during one of his campaign stops in Nevada earlier this year but they were unable to attend the event.

"She was an amazing woman who was adored by her three sons," Linda Faiss, her daughter-in-law, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Born September 10, 1915, in Clinton County, Illinois, Theresa met Wilbur at a roller rink outside of St. Louis, Missouri, according to The Inquisitor.

"I was a hot shot on skates and she was by far the most beautiful girl in the audience," Wilbur said.

Wilbur showed off his skating skills in front of Theresa and came up to her and asked her out. She said yes and a year later, in 1933, the couple married, the news report added.

Wilbur told reporters that the secret to his lasting marriage was compromise. The couple moved to Las Vegas in 1944; Theresa was honored as Clark County's Pioneer Mother of the Year in 1996, according to the Review-Journal. According to the family, Theresa and Wilbur's proudest legacy was the Wilbur and Theresa Faiss Middle School, where they would visit annually and speak with students.