By Kathryn Stocks
Long-time Centennial residents June and Gayle Gibson will be celebrating 70 years of marriage this month. They married in 1950 when June was 22 and Gayle was 21.
The two had met when both were in Grade 9. “We go back a long way,” Gayle said. They attended different high schools: June went to Eastern Commerce and Gayle was at Danforth Tech. A friend introduced them and they said they were just friends at first.
But their friendship grew over the next seven years and they married on September 9, 1950. June said it rained earlier in the day but it stopped just before she went into Kingston Road United Church with her father. “It was beautiful for the rest of the day,” she remembered. The couple had their reception out on the patio at the Guild Inn and they said it was lovely.
June was part of a large close-knit family – her mother had five sisters. Gayle built their house here in Centennial on the street where June’s parents lived, and they moved into it in December 1951. They raised four children there, one boy and three girls, and now they have 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
They’ve been happy living in this community and enjoyed raising their kids here. “We were never world travellers,” June said, although on their 40th anniversary they enjoyed a trip to Nashville. They also used to go camping in Florida for March break and later had a mobile home there for a few years.
Their 70th anniversary will not be a big event. They’ve always had large celebrations with their family in previous years, June said, but in 2020 “I think it’ll be just another day because of the covid.” They will probably see their children, who have been very careful about protecting June and Gayle’s health during this pandemic.
Looking back on their time together, June said, “On the whole we’ve had a really blessed life and we have no complaints.” They have seen a lot of changes to this community over the years and June was happy to say that “it’s still a lovely area to live in.” But it’s busier now, Gayle added.
CCRA wishes June and Gayle all the best on their 70th anniversary. Even though it will “be just another day,” it’s still a significant milestone for a delightful couple.