North York couple celebrate 66 years of marriage.
Maria Francisco cuts some cake for her husband John as they celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary at Extendicare Bayview recently.
Staff photo/NICK PERRY
Sixty-six years of marriage.
It's a milestone that few couples ever reach, but John and Maria Francisco did it - and they aren't done yet.
The North York couple celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary recently with family, friends, and residents at the Extendicare Bayview seniors' centre, at 550 Cummer Ave.
Their daughter Lee organized the surprise celebration to honour her parents' long-lasting love and commitment to each other.
"There's never been a 66th anniversary at Extendicare Bayview. They will be the first," Lee said. "People today don't work as hard as mom and dad did. The more hard times they went through, the closer they got."
It was a simple celebration, but that's the kind of life the Franciscos like to live.
Originally from Portugal, the two met while working on the same farm in the tiny rural town of Galveias. After playing a game of cat-and-mouse for quite some time, the two were married on July 22, 1945 at a local church.
They immigrated to Canada in 1957 and moved to their North York home in 1974 after taking up residence in downtown Toronto. John, now 86, worked as a bricklayer while Maria, 83, worked mostly as a house cleaner.
Not much for large parties, the two preferred the quiet life; "work and save" was their motto. Over the years, they helped many family members get established in Canada and would vacation every summer in their Portugal home.
"Every time I think of dad, I'll think of that house," Lee said.
"He's also got a 1982 Mercedes over there with only 26,000 kilometres on it. It was just like new. It was his pride and joy."
Today, John lives in the Extendicare facility because of a severe case of Alzheimer's disease, while Maria lives at home with her daughter.