WINNIPEG -- A couple from Melita, Man., marked 75 years of marriage during the pandemic.

Lois, 96, and Jock Carr, 98, were married on Dec. 29, 1945, after about a year of dating.

The couple met when Lois’s family was living in Napinka, a community in southwest Manitoba. She explained on Saturday nights she would go to Melita with her friends to attend dances at the colosseum, where Jock played drums in the band.

“I thought ‘Oh golly, that’s a nice looking fella’ and I guess he thought I was a nice looking girl,” she said.

“So anyways we started dating and it ended up that we’re married just 75 years.”

Lois said when they first got together, neither of their mothers were too pleased with the relationship.

“My mom wasn’t fussy about Jock and his mother wasn’t fussy about me,” she said.

“She thought he should marry a good, strong farm girl and my mom thought, I was a stenographer, I should marry a doctor or a lawyer, but we crushed those plans and those dreams.”

However, the couple knew their love would last, so on their wedding day Jock got on the train at Melita and Lois got on at Nepinka and they got married at a church in Brandon, Man., with the minister and two of his daughters as their witnesses.

“We loved each other, that’s all there was,” Lois said.

“We knew we could make it with our love and understanding of each other.”

Throughout their life together, Lois and Jock had six kids – three sons and three daughters – 16 grandchildren, and 23 great-grandchildren. They lost one of their sons in 1996 to a heart attack.

Lois said looking back on her 75 years of marriage, though they both worked hard, but they’d always take off time to go to dances. 

“We worked hard, we played hard and we had six beautiful children, so that was enough incentive to carry on,” Lois said. 

Lois said to mark the milestone her daughter got them a 75th anniversary cake, but they’ll have to postpone other celebrations due to the pandemic.

“We’ll celebrate later on,” she said.

Jock is currently living in a care home in Deloraine, Man. Lois goes to visit her husband every day. The family is hoping to move him to Melita as soon as they can.

“He’s quite well except for the use of his legs,” Lois said.

“Otherwise he would be home.”

Every time Lois goes to visit the care home, Jock greets her with open arms, hugs and kisses, remarking about how excited he is to see her.