In 1941, Kê married He Yizhen, a physicist who would specialize in amorphous physics was metallic glass, and was a founder of the Institute of Metal Research and Institute of Solid State Physics.  They developed a competitive relationship with one another due to their studies in the same field.
The couple met at Yenching University, where he had been a lecturer and was three years older than Kê. Because He came from a wealthy and influential family, she had a number of admirers; her family did not approve of her relationship with Kê became he came from a poor family and also suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, for which a valid treatment was not available at the time. Furthermore, Kês political beliefs clashed with Hes father, who disagreed with Ges support of the political activism of students. In opposition to her familys wishes, she married Kê; their marriage became a much-told tale in Chinese academia and their love letters are still preserved in their biographies.
After their marriage, Kê obtained the opportunity to study in the United States with He, where they remained from 1941 to 1949.  Their two children were born in the United States and eventually became scientists: their daughter Ge Yunpei (1942-2013) was a professor in Shenyang Jianzhu University, while their son Ge Yunjian (born 1947), is an expert in robotics. The couple returned to China in 1949, where they both worked for the Chinese Academy of Science for decades.  When Kê was dispatched to work in Hefei in 1980, Kê and their children persuaded He to stop her research to join him in Hefei.