Our Stories

Childhood Neighbours Reconnect after 65 Years

Written by Admin | Jul 22, 2015 4:00:00 AM

Norm Brown and Beverly Fleck joined a group of residents from Red Oak Retirement Residence who went to Perth Ontario for an afternoon picnic, and to attend the Classical Theatre Festival production of “Barefoot in the Park”.
 
For Norm and Beverly, the July 22 trip to Perth also led to a trip down memory lane. During lunch, lifestyle consultant Jennifer Nason took a few minutes to introduce everyone, providing a reminder of first and last names. This had Beverly to her feet; and she relocated herself to sit beside Norm.
 
Bev turned to Norm and asked, “Did you ever live in the Glebe?” He responded, “Yes, I lived on Third Avenue.” With a pleasant smile Beverly said, “I lived on Fourth Avenue. My name was Beverly Mick”. Norm’s face lit up, and he declared, “We were backyard neighbours”.
 
You could see immediate recognition from the expression on Norm’s face, and an abundance of fond memories coming to his mind. Norm and Beverly spent the remainder of the picnic catching up. Norm shared that the last time he recalled seeing Beverly was approximately 65 years ago when she was on her way to a football game.
 
Norm’s grandmother and Bev’s mother were good friends, and the two families often enjoyed activities together. Beverly was friends with Norm’s younger brother Jerry.
 
Beverly and Norm both lived in the Glebe as children until they married in 1950 and 1951, respectively. Norm has lived at Red Oak for about one year, and Beverly has lived at Red Oak with her husband James Fleck since December 2014.

 

By Jennifer Nason, Lifestyle Consultant