“It's a milestone you don't run across very often,” Bill Thorns said. “I want to prove to younger generations that there can be longevity in marriage.”

SANTA ROSA BEACH — When Bill Thorns married Dorothy May, World War II had just ended, Bing Crosby was the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood and Harry Truman was president.

The world looks a little different today than it did in 1946, but one thing hasn’t changed: Thorns’ love for his bride.

The World War II veteran and former nurse renewed their vows Saturday afternoon at Somerby Assisted Living Home in Santa Rosa Beach 70 years after they first made them.

“It’s a milestone you don’t run across very often,” Thorns said. “I want to prove to younger generations that there can be longevity in marriage.”

Thorns, 92, and his wife, who is 89, are in good health, although Dorothy suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. They have five children, 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, with lucky number 13 on the way.

At Saturday’s ceremony, the lovebirds sat in chairs opposite one another while their son-in-law Ken Stam presided over the ceremony.

“Seventy years together doesn’t happen without love,” Stam told the small gathering of friends and family.

Thorns presented a special new ring to his wife to celebrate their marriage, and almost jumped out of his chair to kiss her when Stam said the magic words, “You may now kiss the bride”.

Cathy Stam, the Thornses’ eldest daughter and Ken Stam’s wife, helped organize the event. She teared up and became very emotional when talking about her parents.

“I love to celebrate my parents,” she said. “They have been wonderful role models. They have taught us what unconditional love is.”

Thorns attributes his long marriage to one overlying thing: love.

“You’ve got to have a mutual love, respect and sense of commitment to one another,” Thorns said. “A love like that will flourish.”