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Seniors celebrate 70th anniversary at Vernon retirement home

Gord and Doreen Ellinson mark special ocassion at Orchard Valley
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Gordon and Doreen Ellinson met at a dance in New Westminster and hit it off right away.

They were married on March 21, 1953 and had bumps in the road right off the bat.

Their wedding rings and honeymoon savings were stolen from Gord’s parent’s house the night before the wedding.

The family pulled together, pitching in money to make sure everything still went according to plan since the banks were closed that day.

Luckily the jeweller that sold them their rings had another of the exact same set, and later was kind enough to give a refund on the recovered stolen rings.

Right from the start they had to come together and showed that with commitment to each other anything was possible.

The flowers of choice at the wedding were red roses with a white calla lilly, and Gord promised he would get Doreen a bouquet of those exact flowers every year on their anniversary.

And he has, every year, for 70 years.

Doreen says the key to having a long and healthy marriage is the ability to talk openly, laugh together, and care for each other no matter what.

They always gave each other the freedom to be independent but made sure to put work into their strong and loving relationship.

It takes a lot of work and it is evident that Gordon and Doreen continue to put that work in every day, and it has paid off for them in their strong companionship.

Staff at Orchard Valley Retirement Residence helped the happy couple celebrate on their special day this year, wishing them well and congratulations.

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Jennifer Smith

About the Author: Jennifer Smith

Vernon has always been my home, and I've been working at The Morning Star since 2004.
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