OXBOW - It was New Year’s Eve. Allen Wilson was at a dance in Oxbow when his eyes happened to land on a young lady by the name of Joyce Glaspey.
His heart skipped a beat so he decided to ask her to dance. She said yes and during that dance, her heart skipped a beat as well. They ended up dancing most of the night away.
They had met previously at the Tripp Drug Store in Oxbow where she worked. But it wasn’t until the dance that they felt their hearts beating for each other.
Joyce went to school for a year in Regina shortly after and they kept in touch, mostly by phone but also by letter-writing. When she returned to Oxbow, she began working for the Royal Bank.
On New Year’s Eve, two years after that first dance, Allen proposed. Again, Joyce said yes. On June 28, 1952, they were married.
And on July 2, at the Oxbow Senior Centre, about 70 people gathered to celebrate their 70 years of marriage.
Those years have been happy ones for the Wilsons. Top of the list was family. Ten years after tying the knot, the children started coming. First it was Deanna and then a year-and-a-half later, along came Marlis.
They have enjoyed sharing life together. They’ve hardly ever fought. They’ve spent lots of time dancing, of course. They’ve also curled and bowled together and have travelled to places like Hawaii and England. They’ve also taken driving holidays throughout North America.
In recent years, Joyce has been falling a lot and decided to put her name on a waiting list at the Bow Valley Villa in Oxbow. That was tough as it would mean moving out of Heritage Court and living apart from her husband.
Shortly after their 70th anniversary, she received word that a room was available. Four days after the celebration, she moved. They both found that day difficult.
Allen and Joyce have heart issues in their medical history. In 1999, Allen had a seven-way bypass and a valve replacement. In 2016, a pacemaker was inserted. Joyce has had a transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Their hearts are weaker.
Despite this, their hearts still beat strongly for each other, even after 70 years. They’re hoping to make it at least to 75 years. As Joyce said, they’re both ornery enough that they’ll likely make it.
