My parents were married 53 years ago today in the local Anglican church. My Mom was just 16 years old, and my Dad 19.

They met in our small town a year earlier when Mom was working as a Popcorn girl at the Lulu Island Theatre. She turned to her friend right after and said 'That's the man I'm going to marry'. She was right.

My Mom had left school about a year before, after an industrial accident a the local factory cost her a finger. This was long before Worker's Compensation and age restrictions on working. When she came out of the hospital, she found she was far behind in school and since it was uncommon, at least at that time, for the girls to finish high school, she left. She worked on the family farm and got a job serving customers at the theatre so she could get into movies cheaper.

My Dad was in high school, and was planning to work in a bank when he graduated. In those days, a bank job was secure and something much sought after. He was part of the local community centre, the debate team, a public speaking team and had been instrumental in starting a local chapter of Teen Town. Teen Town was an association formed to give teenagers of the day a place to belong to. From an old newspaper article my Dad wrote:

Teen Town is an organization formed to give recreation to the teenage youth. This organization holds dances and other functions which give teenagers some place to go to, instead of hanging around a street corner. These dances and all other Teen Town functions such as beach parties, fashion shows, sports and others are run by a council of elected representatives. The rules are no drinking, no gambling, no smoking and no profanity. Violaters [sic] of these rules are tried by the council much in the same manner of our city courts.

Ahh, a simpler time then.

When he and my Mom met, they became inseparable. As my Aunts have said there was never any question that they had found their true love. When my Dad graduated from high school, he took a short trip hitch-hiking across Canada and realized he couldn't be without my Mom. He returned and proposed the next day.


They were to be married in September, 1952. My Mom would be 17 by then, and he 20. However, it didn't quite work that way. He got his 'dream job' at a bank up in the Interior of BC. But he had to leave immediately. Again, in those days, my Mom travelling with him unmarried was unthinkable so the wedding was rushed up and they married on a Wednesday night. And with April 30 being tax day in Canada, my Dad actually dropped off his Income Tax forms in the mail on the way to the church.

The next day, they both left the family fold and moved up to Kelowna. What is now a 4 hour trip was then a 2 day trip. They had a difficult first year, as my Mom was desperately lonely and the winters were hard. The house they lived in was not properly insulated so it was not uncommon for them to wake up to frozen water in the toilet! They were just getting by so phonecalls were expensive and a luxury. My Dad's new job was looking after satellite branches, which meant travelling to small outlying communities for single-day openings of the bank.

When Mom was 19, she and my Dad welcomed my oldest brother. Soon after, he got a job back down on the coast and they were able to return home. They've lived in this town ever since.

They welcomed 4 sons and then me. My Mom stayed at home with us until I was 10. My Dad worked his way up to a Controller of one of the crown corporations before he inevitably got the 'golden handshake' at age 51. Thankfully, he has always been smart with money so he was able to retire young.

3 years ago, we had a very large celebration for their 50th. It was a fantastic event, made even more special that my brothers were able to put aside their squabbles long enough to make it very sweet. My Dad's family came up from California, and my Mom's brother also attended after a 28-year absence. We received the commendations from the government, local and federal and the church they were married in. The local newspaper wrote a great article.

Their love is incredible. 53 years later in a world that has changed dramatically, they have never lost that love. They still hold hands. Even as my Dad's deafness gets more and more profound and my Mom osteoporosis leaves her in constant pain, they are always there for each other. It is their example that has kept me holding out for true love. I know it exists. I've seen it first hand...is it so much to ask for?