Not many people can boast having the opportunity to celebrate platinum wedding anniversary, but one Barrie couple will be doing just that this coming weekend.
Peter and Helen Cooper will officially celebrate their 70th anniversary next week on Tuesday,Nov. 22.
They credit a combination of a relationship built on a solid foundation of friendship as well a general “sticktoitiveness” as a few of the possible reasons that have seen their relationship last through seven decades.
The couple met while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and were married while stationed at CFB Clinton, south of Goderich, marking the first marriage between two staff members at the military base.
“I joined the RCAF in 1950 and met Peter. He was working in the same place I was,” Helen, now 93, tells BarrieToday. “He had such a cute smile and he had lots of hair and was — he still is — handsome.”
As for what first drew him to his future bride, Peter tells BarrieToday it was hard to pinpoint just one thing.
“I just liked her and I liked to talk to her … and she’d smile at me once in a while,” says the 94-year-old. “I think we were both corporals at the same time, so we’d associate that way and I guess we just enjoyed each other’s company playing cards.”
In less than a year, the two were married. And shortly after that, Helen retired from the service to begin a family, while Peter continued to pursue his military career — most of which was in air traffic control — until he retired at the rank of captain while stationed at CFB Borden, located about 20 minutes west of Barrie.
“Before we even got married, I was asked what I was going to do. … Was I staying in the air force, and I said yes. The padre that was marrying us, he wasn’t happy with that and said he can’t marry (us) because you won’t be home to cook Peter a hot meal,” Helen recalls with a chuckle. “He relented and he eventually did marry us … but after a while our first child came along and we couldn’t fit in a uniform very good — and we only had a dress uniform.”
Over the years, the couple was transferred to different bases around Canada and overseas, including a posting in Metz, France, where their second child was born.
A few more transfers and two more children later, the couple ended up at CFB Borden, where Peter worked as a standards and training officer until he retired. They ultimately settled in Barrie for more than 40 years, where Helen continued to volunteer at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) up until the pandemic.
Military living, the couple admits, came with both its ups and downs.
“When we were in Goose Bay (N.L.), we lost our oldest son … and that was a rough time, but most of our time was good,” Helen says.
Peter and Helen believe it’s been their ability to agree on things — most of the time.
“No secret … just come back and respect the other person,” Peter says.
There also has to be love, Helen points out: “You can’t go 70 years with someone you don’t like.”
Daughter Carolyn described her dad as quite the character, telling BarrieToday you’ve always got to keep an eye on him.
“He’s got quite the sense of humour. … There was a time when I was little and we were out shopping and he was actually sitting on toilets in the display room trying them on for size,” she says with a laugh. “That gives you an idea of some of the things he’s done."
As for her mother, Carolyn calls her a “fair player” in all aspects of her life.
“Even when we play bridge, she is very forgiving and gives you some fair chances. She’s a good mom, for sure. Dad and I get in trouble a lot … and she’s the one that says, ‘Oh, behave yourselves.'"
As a couple who have lived a life of service to their country, family and each other, Carolyn tells BarrieToday she's proud of her parents and all they’ve accomplished in their seven decades together.
“My parents are an amazing couple. I’m so proud of them that they have been married for 70 years. It’s a milestone that isn’t reached very often nowadays and probably will happen less and less in this new age," Carolyn says.
Although the family plans to have a small get-together to honour her parents' special day, Carolyn tells BarrieToday they have reached out to family and friends online asking them to help the couple celebrate their vows in a special way, but the “how” is still a secret to her folks ... and is something she believes they will truly love.
