DIAMOND HEAD — Wheelchairs and walkers went largely unnoticed as the three couples — married for a total of 164 years — waited for a preacher to renew their wedding vows.

What mattered most was that they were together at Leahi Hospital yesterday to celebrate their 67th, 50th and 47th anniversaries. And that they were still in love after all those years.

Howard and Laura Dornan, married for 67 years, now live together in the nursing home portion of the hospital. Dolores and Vincent Clark have been married for 47 years but now are apart because Vincent lives in the Diamond Head facility operated by the Hawai'i Health Systems Corp. George and Annie Tamura were married 50 years ago, but today dementia has come between them and George now lives in the long-term care facility.

The hospital and nursing facility decided to recognize the three couples for their long marriages as a way to launch National Nursing Home week. The staff draped bunting down a row of chairs in the lanai, baked a wedding cake and sprinkled rose petals around the room. They brought in Kahu Bernadette Park to preside over the services.

"We are here to celebrate one of life's greatest moments," Park said. "As you renew your marriage vows that united you, and reaffirm your faith in one another, I ask that you always remember to cherish one another as special and unique individuals. Love never ends."

The Dornans met in Farmersville, N.Y., where they grew up on neighboring dairy farms. They married on Nov. 22, 1940, and moved to Hawai'i in 1970, where Howard Dornan worked as a caretaker for the Hawai'i Kai Mariner's Cove Bay Club for 20 years.

Throughout their 67 years of marriage and two children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, the Dornans still say that love is what kept them together.

"It helps," said the 85-year-old Laura Dornan. "I also think you have to keep working instead of monkeying around like people do nowadays."

The Dornans' daughter, Mary Gadam, wasn't sure what she'd do when her parents needed to be moved to a full-time nursing facility. Then she heard about Leahi and found that it had room for both her parents.

"I'm happy they could come together," Gadam said.

Annie Tamura said they were married in 1958. Their wedding ceremony was held at a restaurant in Kapahulu owned by Annie's father. George was a member of the famed 442nd in World War II, Annie Tamura said.

The couple lived in Hawai'i, raised two children, and George worked at The Royal Hawaiian hotel as a cook. Today, though, he can't talk about his experiences or his love; dementia has taken his speech. George, 86, has lived in the long-term-care facility since 2001. Twice a week since then, Annie has been coming to visit from their Kaimuki home.

"We have never fought," said Annie Tamura, 78. "My advice to other married couples: Just be happy."

When it was time for Dolores Clark to speak of her 47-year-marriage to Vincent — second marriages for both — she insisted that it be under her own power, leaving her walker behind. The couple first met on a blind date, and six weeks later they were married, said Vincent Clark, now 84.

"I didn't want her to get away," Vincent Clark said.

They retired to Hawai'i 12 years ago. Then a year ago, Vincent had a stroke. For months, Dolores would make the bus ride from her Waikiki apartment to visit him daily. Now she comes every other day.

"Mr. Clark always told me not to sweat the small stuff," said Dolores, 77. "That's what has pulled us along all these years."

"Today was so beautiful," she said. "The ceremony was just as good today as it was in 1961."