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Wednesday, February 11, 2009 Simple gi i i ts c Simple giveâ€"andâ€"take sustains 65 years of marriage By Andrea Macko . ooo STAFF REPORTER\ i â€" 3 e 63 7 s+ â€" mgant % Fo. ?‘“ x#‘ & .@. aA " L. 1 ./ ® One dance has turned into many for George and TV Wws ° i °C Ea oh. . e <£ e 9 Ruth Heron â€"â€" in fact, one danceiÂ¥1Woodstogck has \ > .. s fi, a‘,j m â€"~ | ‘% C im a in ,,@ftmen. %, ‘ leld to 65 years of marriage for the St. Marys couâ€" _;; ¢ ;‘ 3 * §\ 4 s ' ; 6 54 ple. ~ ‘ @ .PP 34 _ 3 2 n l e : cgp * The couple met at a dance at Southside Park in o im t ' . T329 ;“,c be â€" ?’; .. â€" e Woodstock in 1940. n 6y 3 o o_A <i AD P es > 5> "Ruth was there with some other guy... and some (o t S ¢_>~~ yA ‘ #â€"z C * ie ie =*. $ friends of hers," begins George, which causes her * Te uic‘ t .. t . * ce § > to break out into giggles. As for George, he dropped E. ? «x A K e . C * ;**_ into the dance with a few friends of his. Ee Bs , e lg # x 3k is S . [xit> "I knew one of the ladies who was with Ruth, but sâ€"> * : â€"â€" i 5 7+ e3 fE ; I had never seen her before," he says, "I so I * : * + §* j â€" i s | :lvorked up enough nerve to ask her (Ruth) to P n1 e ey: 3 ~ **, fls : ance.” . Te + | j ; :.. Fâ€" s x l a When asked if her future husband was a good P x > .: * : E: |â€" iâ€" e (3% _ dancer, Ruth smiles and says "Oh yes." ' azs : ># j f e â€" s j E. &6 George says that after that night, he made an §+ & : » ~ 6 i |_ s * effort to find out where Ruth lived â€" with her family es is 3 *A e e â€"_ . â€" | on a farm in the Woodstock area â€"â€" "and I phoned â€" o 3 R k â€" To Fa # #4 heg onedday, to see if she‘d like to go for supper on fe > <>. ta ; /( $A cA 'j ‘Ek, f 2), :# a Saturday night â€"â€" or go to the dance... I wasn‘t S =~ . ~ > 7 § > 9 ces / EP Â¥ syon Sm,eg'f Sh%l’ld e allogwed 1o go of aot." headds (Above) Ruth and Jean‘s joint wedding on Oct. 2, 1943. f 54 <3, i 4@ ., But she was, and they did. "There wasn‘t much FroOm left are Angus Green, Helen Meadows, Ruth . ¢ > e i â€" R said about another date (that night)," recalls Heron, George Heron, Rev. Glen Taylor, Jean M . o C George, "but then I said I‘d call her again, and I McCorquodale, _ Dallas â€" McCorquodale, _ Bill WA \ _ P ooE kept calling more often." McCorquodale and Marion Mc Corquodale. (Right) Ruth | â€"£ * â€"â€" Ruth just laughs when asked why she kept going and George Heron today. (Macko photo) * > z3e I out with George when he kept calling her, but § j ns ¥® * qpo=<9f George is more specific about what attracted him ends meet. living independently. :‘ .* * igâ€" *# o to her. "She was pretty good looking, a beautiful _ "We didn‘t have much when we "We put our names in at us 4. [ }' young girl." 2 started out, but we worked hard Fairhill (Lodge retirement A MA _1_‘;:& George can‘t recall quite when he proposed to together," says Ruth. The six home)," says George, "they‘ve c i Btwe * e Ruth, but the couple made plans to marry on Oct. cows evolved into 30 head of called us three times already (to 8 | 2, 1943 â€"â€" in a double wedding with Ruth‘s sister purebred Holstein cattle, as well â€"come)!" _ ’ *i _of Jean and her fiance Dal. The two couples also honâ€" as breeding awards for George. Ruth, at age 90, "still: enjoys & : ' eymooned together in Gravenhurst. "We got kidded _ On the home front, daughter puttering about the house and | § i | MB quite a bit about that," says George. : Shirley (now White) was born in doing my own housework," while |tas N 000 ’ ; The couple didn‘t stay away too long, as it was 1946, with Linda (now McEwan) George, at 89, adds that he does | e > | . harvest time; the couple had rented a farm near two years later, and Nancy (now some of it, too, which causes | $# /0 : Kintore, near the Heron homestead and was busy Hutton), 10 years after that. Ruth to laugh. ; L s [R s . filling silos. f George and Ruth eventually â€" It‘s indicative of what the pair | _ ho â€" The couple soon acquired six cows, and during bought their farm in 1946, and says has kept them together for i s i the first winter as a married couple, George also sold it in 1974 to build a new almost 66 years. "We have to â€" 0 S worked at a fertilizer plant in Ingersoll to make house. _.give and take," says Ruth. . ‘%_ on m oegiienmr mt H s < 3 â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"1 â€"Once in retirement, the couple â€" George adds that "we have the > p | ‘ 7 travelled via motor home to odd disagreement... but it doesn‘t 2 Sat | Florida, as well as to the East take long to settle them." M } and West coast, often traveling or _ The couple celebrated their and Ruth says, their six grandchildren and 11 meeting up with many great 65th anniversary with an OpEn greatâ€"grandchildren "make us feel young." | friends from the St. Marys area. _ house at the Friendship Centre _ George adds that "we had a (similar) do for 42 The couple decided to move to last year. "We had a really good â€" qur 50th â€"â€" and we thought that would likely be St. Marys in 1989, and are still day, thanks to our family," says it, but we‘re living longer than we think!" | s ; Ruth. "We received 175 cards." _ At the suggestion of a 70th wedding anniverâ€" The family organized the day, sary party, the couple both chuckle. ' f g 3 is â€" > â€"__â€" In tlhevirilmediateDfutu;’le, 4 â€" name alentine‘s Day this Browns hosting district annual se oi n ' leg‘ q : won‘t be doing much. Ruth Skillings Coope t en rasenestiae l ho sns Saturday was Valentine‘s Day as well "But we usegd to dance a lot," LAKESIDE CORRESPONDENT _. Ladies‘ Low, Irene Felkar; Ladies‘ Door as thesBinmer and Auchon for Camp c . hich R 1 & Prize, Rose Whaling. Men‘s High, David § e =oxford says George, to which Ruth ing of B Women‘s _ Arthur; Men‘s Lone Hands, Allan Sims; Tanneieial . Neate it OS CY adds, "we loved going to e t 2 i o daasl o Pn in t3 Presbytery Camping Committee. ___ Lakeside every Saturday night." Institute was held Feb. 17. It was deglded Men‘s ]:,OW, Frank Whaling and Men‘s There were 121 arficlesâ€"for the live c the cougle I}Illa ive hong C to write a letter concerning the discontinuaâ€" Door Prize, George Mch'ellan. * eachon. ATblicions Lorkeyiditner es their danI:: ig s)llloes Jut theg tion of funding for grandparents raising The Valentine‘s Day Dinner and Auction prepared and served by Janice‘s Tine ate ceriatm gs gll L I;t Sn their their kin. A report of the antique appraisal _ was another great success raising over Country Catering > heve y gh i that Browns _ $8,000 for Camp Tanner this summer. The f | eet after 65 years, thanks to a day was given. It was noted $ s o 4 Roger MacKay kept everyone good sense of humour, and just Branch won the prize for the most interestâ€" . Oxford Prg,sbytgry Camp Committee thank involved with his entertaining auctionâ€" a Mneleive and take : S ing and unique item in the branch displays. . all those individuals a.pd busmesses. who eering style. In the end there should â€" 81 > Discussion took place about the District â€" donated goods and services to be auctioned be a nice sum of money available for Annual, to be hosted by Browns Branch on _ off, and those _vy_ho atte'r_lded: ~ Camp Tanner and its programs. May 26. , Browns Women‘s Institute sponâ€" The roll call was answered by naming a R sored a Euchre Evening on Feb. 12. heartâ€"healthy food. Pennies for Friendship The winners are: Ladies‘ High, Donna was five cents for each time a member exerâ€" Cooper; Ladies‘ Lone Hands, Noreen cised or walked in the last week. Evelyn .Switzer; Ladies‘ Low, Bell Oliver; Douglas spoke about the value of exercise s Ladies‘ Door Prize, Carol Herbert. and led the group in chair exercises. A Men‘s High, Terryâ€"Barber; Men‘s § "cake" walk was led by Kay Conn with Lone Hands, Andy Kittmer; Men‘s Ruth Gill being the winner. A word search Low, Gordon Smith; Men‘s Door Prize, "Walk for Health" was won by Joyce West. Ernest Oliver 3 j The Feb. 26, Browns Women‘s Institute * , Euchre winners were: Ladies‘ High, Donna §