Revera Report on Romance

 
At a time of uncertainty, how do you show your commitment of love? For Leonard, it was a poem he wrote to his darling Dixie, when nobody knew what the future would hold. They met in 1943, the year they turned 20. Leonard was a soldier, and at a dance his eyes scanned the floor and stopped at Dixie. After one dance, he knew she was meant for him. They became a couple, and Leonard wanted to marry before leaving for war. Dixie didn’t want to rush, so they promised to wait. During the war, Leonard corresponded with Dixie faithfully, including that poem. Upon returning home, he went straight to Dixie’s home to ask for her hand in marriage. They wed in June 1946.
 
They both feel that romance is important, exciting, and a mystery. It’s also about caring, giving, compassion, a connection with your best friend. It’s the kind of love the Leonard wrote about in his wartime poem to Dixie, which he read aloud just this past November at the Remembrance Day service at their residence.

 
The romance of George and Anne-Leise started on the right track – after all, they met on a train. But there were a few early obstacles. Anne-Leise was so shy that she wouldn’t speak with George at first. Eventually, he managed to break through the silence. Then when they were courting, Anne-Leise introduced George to her parents. Her father was hoping for someone who could look after the family farm. That wasn’t George, but he survived the scrutiny nevertheless. 

 

George and Anne-Leise made a wonderful life together, and when Anne-Leise had to move into a Revera residence, George visited regularly. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted to be with her all the time. So he moved in too. Enter the building, and you’ll often hear the lovely sounds of a waltz being played on accordion. That’s George serenading his Anne-Leise, with a melody of love that has lasted through the years.

 
Marilyn was 15, working in a grocery.  Bob was 22, working across the street in a butcher shop. When Bob washed the windows, he would gaze at Marilyn, “her dark hair bouncing at her shoulders,” he recalls all these years later. One day, he came in to buy milk. When he left, Marilyn asked someone “Who was that guy, he’s cute!” Bob started asking Marilyn if she needed a ride home. It was in the car that they shared their first kiss. 

 

Parents to two, the success of their 62 years of marriage comes down to a formula, they say. Marriage isn’t 50/50, it’s 90/10 – and both partners have to give the 90.  Marilyn visits Bob almost daily at his Revera residence, Brierwood Gardens, and if she can’t her day isn’t complete. “I’ve still got him, so I’m lucky”, she says. As you get older, love changes, says Marilyn: “It’s deeper. My love just keeps growing.”

 
Mendel and Valerie met at a dance for new Canadians in Ottawa shortly after World War Two. Their early life in a small apartment was lean but happy, and Mendel says his wife’s “cooking with love” helped him up his weight substantially.  Now married 60 years, Mendel and Valerie say they get along so well that they rarely have any disagreements. If they do, their deep understanding solves everything.  

 

Today, Mendel is 86 and Valerie 82, though Mendel says she looks 30 years younger– smart man. They always try to be respectful with and kind to each other, regardless of the situation. After six decades of marriage, three children and eight grandchildren, Mendel still counts his blessings. “Valerie’s love and compassion,” he says, “makes me the luckiest man in the world.”

 
Marjorie lives out in the community, Doug at a Revera long term care residence where he requires full care. But the two, both in their 80s, remain very much a couple.
 

Marjorie has given Doug lunch and supper, every day for the past five years. She also helps him participate in events around the residence, brings him to the activity room while she plays piano or does crafts, and attends the Valentine’s Day sweetheart meal.  Marjorie includes Doug in every aspect of her life, and is always filling him in on what’s going on with their Church, their family and her life. Every day, it’s clear they both understand exactly what love is all about.

 
He may be almost 70, but Gerald says “I haven’t skipped a beat as a true romantic. Let a pretty girl cross my path, and my heart will beat many times its normal rate. Sometimes I wish I were 30 or 40 years younger. But then I look at all the experiences I’ve gained, and that far outweighs youth.”
 
Love and romance is critical as you age, says Gerald, and the secret is to be “completely honest, have trust and understanding.” This true romantic also has a bit of an irreverent streak. “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun,” says Gerald.

 
Lifemates for 66 years now, Richard, 94, and Hilda, 93, were actually playmates long before that. Their parents were good friends, and the two children played in the sandbox with each other.  Fast forward to a dance held years later, which they both attended accompanied by their brothers. After a dance together, Richard took Hilda home and they started to date. 

 

The couple became unofficially engaged when Richard left for World War II. He returned at the end of June 1945, got a marriage license, and married Hilda that July in her home. They renewed their vows just four years ago at their Revera residence, Telfer Place. Says Richard, “When you have it, love is timeless – it goes on forever.”

 
Sometimes it pays to listen to your sister. Tom learned that to his delight when his sister was planning a dance in 1936, and urged him to attend because they were short of men. Sure enough, he met a pretty girl named Rita, and not long after asked her if she wanted to go to the theatre with him. 

 

For his date, Tom had 50 cents in his pockets, enough to pay for admission, a quarter each. Walking home, he made sure to stay on the opposite side of the street from the ice cream parlour, as he didn’t have money left for a treat. No matter to Rita. The couple dated two years, then married in 1938 and had three daughters. More than 73 years later, Rita is still beautiful, says Tom – inside and out.