Our Stories

More than 70 years ago, after a chance meeting at a dance in New Westminster, Gordon and Doreen hit it off right away. The future Mr. and Mrs. Eliinson didn’t know it at the time but an unbreakable bond had been formed, one that would last several decades and enter a new millennium.

The happy couple married on March 21, 1953, but - life being as unpredictable as it is - they immediately encountered bumps in the road. The couple’s wedding rings and honeymoon savings were stolen from Gordon’s parents' house the night before the wedding.

Determined not to let the theft spoil their big day, the family pulled together and pitched in money to make sure everything still went according to plan. The flowers of choice at the wedding were red roses with white calla lilies, 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.

Being a centenarian is an exceptional and somewhat rare feat. The odds of any of us making it to dizzying heights of 100 years old are slim, about5,000 to one in fact. So it’s no surprise then that centenarians represent just 0.03% of the Canadian population. 

Gail Bissett grew up on a farm 40 miles from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. The self-proclaimed “prairie farm girl” made the move to Saskatoon in 1964 where she earned a degree in nursing. Gail, 76, spent the last 18 years of her lengthy career working in Tuberculosis Control which she really enjoyed as it took her to parts of northern Saskatchewan many do not get to see. She would oversee the treatment of TB in communities in the north.

Her husband John and the “positive accident”
Gail married her late husband John in 1969. They were married for 31 years before John’s untimely passing in 2000 at the young age of 53. Both John and Gail were active wildlife and scenic photographers. In a strange turn of events, Gail retired in 2004 after being kicked in the face by a horse.
“I didn’t lose my vision or have a head injury so that was my wake-up call to retire,” she said. “That was when I was 57. I was going to work until 60 but that plan got jettisoned. I called this my “positive accident,’ she added with a laugh.

Joy Green, 72, is a smart, articulate woman happily residing at Aspira Mayfair Terrace in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. A third-generation Japanese-Canadian, she was born in Manitoba but after meeting her husband Robert - or “Bob” - the pair moved out west to live in BC.

New life in BC with Bob
Joy spent 37 enjoyable years working for the Canadian forestry company Weyerhaeuser while living on the mainland. Before making the move to retirement living, Joy and Bob planned to retire in the beautiful, natural surroundings of Vancouver Island. Green requested a transfer to the island and that’s where the pair settled for a few years. Sadly things took a sudden turn for the worse in 2008 when Bob was diagnosed with two rare and aggressive types of stage 4 cancers. The couple were forced to move back to Vancouver City so that Bob could receive the best treatment possible.

It’s February again so love is in the air. People across many walks of life are currently planning a romantic surprise for their significant other on February 14th. New romances are growing at Aspira and anniversaries are also being celebrated by those who have spent their lives together. So please join us - as Cupid’s arrows fly - as we look at how romance has blossomed across some of our residences.

A story from Island Park resident Bob Bennett
On a Sunday afternoon late last June I decided to go for a walk in Ferris Park by the way of the suspension bridge. My wife Ann - always the keeper of the welfare of her family - asked me where I was going. And as usual said “Bob, be sure to wear your Tilley sun hat. You know it’s a very warm, sunny day.”
“Yes dear!,” I replied.

The walk took me - a 91 year old man - about 20 minutes at my fastest speed, anyone else would likely only need ten. About halfway across the bridge I got into a conversation with a group of four young men who were enjoying the view down stream. A gentle breeze tried to lift off my hat but my fast reaction saved it from blowing away. A few seconds later a stronger wind blew the hat off faster than I could stop it. All five of us watched as the hat sailed off and landed in the water about 100 yards downstream and floated upside down. I asked the young men if anyone was a good swimmer who might retrieve it. There were no takers so I was sure that I had seen the last of my hat.

For Bearbrook resident Betty and her Yorkshire Terrier Nikki, finding a truly pet-friendly retirement residence was high on the priority list. Read about Betty and Nikki's special bond, as well as the many benefits of owning a pet in retirement.