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April
17, 1985 - The Scotia Sun [Page 4; Section 2]
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70 years of marriage celebrated |
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Saturday,
April 20, 1985 will be a special anniversary in Dartmouth. Leo Francis
Pelrine and Victoria Mary Richard, both 91, will celebrate 70 years
of married life. They were married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in
Cambridge, Massachusetts on April 20, 1915. Leo is the son of the late
William and Margaret Pelrine. Victoria is the daughter of the late John
and Nancy Richard. They grew up just five miles apart - although Leo
was in Larry's River, and Victoria was in Charlos Cove, but they did
not know each other until they separately went to the United States
to work. There Leo did masonary [sic] work and Victoria was working
as a housekeeper. They met in a Church Picnic through mutual friends
when they were in their late teens. When they were both 21 they were
married. Shortly after they were married, Leo and Victoria moved back
to Nova Scotia to live. Life was a challenge in those days. Leo fished
and planted all their vegetables, saving enough seeds for the next year.
In the fall everyone picked berries (blueberries, raspberries, bakeapples
etc.) to trade for flour, sugar, tea and molasses. The only other means
of earning a living in those days was to work in fish factories (lobster
canning) in such places as Caribou and Merigomish, Nova Scotia or by
travelling to the cities or outside Canada. On their 5th wedding anniversary
their first child, a son William John, was born on April 20, 1920. On
their 50th wedding anniversary they were blessed with a granddaughter
Arlene, born April 20, 1965. In the early 1930's Leo began to travel
back and forth to the United States in the spring of the year and not
returning until late fall in order to support his family. In the early
1930's Leo and Victoria bought their property in Larry's River which
still remains the family property today. Then came the war years. The
family moved to Halifax in Agust [sic] 1944. Leo worked in the dockyard
and after the war went back to construction work until he retired in
the late 1950's. Leo and Victoria have had five children, William (deceased
March 20, 1982) Arthur, Rita, Lillian and Ronald. They have 29 grandchildren
and 48 great grandchildren.
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contributed
by Geneva Fougere, transcribed by Eileen Avery
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