BY IAN HOWARTH

Our annual dance with love and all its chocolate and lace trappings comes once every year, despite all the cynicism that says this is but a Hallmark manufactured holiday.

For those who celebrate the day with a partner, friend and long time companion, the day takes on a special significance. And longevity of that relationship takes the celebration to even more hallowed heights.

Georgette and Gordon Seward will mark 64 years of marriage this June, and for them Valentine’s Day is one of those days like birthdays and anniversaries that give meaning to their more than half-century relationship. The couple recently moved from their home in Kirkland to Le Wellesley in Pointe Claire after a broken hip cut back on Gordon’s mobility. Along with their three children, Barbara, Shirley and Elizabeth, they decided it was time to put the stress of home ownership behind them. Gordon, who will turn 90 on Feb. 26, and Georgette, 86, were content to put those responsibilities to rest. “We’re happy here,” Georgette said. “And I don’t have to cook anymore.”

The Sewards are a great love story, having met at a hotel in the Laurentiens while he was on leave from his post in Dorval with the Royal Australian Air Force as a radio operator and navigator. “It was love at first sight,” said Gordon, one of 70 Australians stationed in Canada for training in 1942. Georgette was on vacation with her sister/chaperone; it was the summer of ‘42. “The owner of the hotel asked us if two officers could sit with us,” Georgette said. “My sister was very protective. He was, after all, an older man.”

After Gordon came to the house offering Georgette’s mother flowers and chocolates, the deal was pretty much cinched. But it would be another year before they got married. Gordon, test flying a plane to England, crash-landed while en route via Africa. It was a tense time for Georgette who heard her fiancé was reported missing over the Atlantic. It would not be until months later that she learned he had been taken prisoner in North Africa, where he was held for three months as a POW. “I couldn’t eat for days when I heard he news. But at least I knew he was alive,” Georgette said.

Released in December 1942, he wasted no time when he returned to make up for lost time. They married in June 1943 and Gordon moved to Canada permanently, becoming a citizen. “She was the reason I left,” said Gordon.

Georgette took up the role of mother, wife and part-time helper with her daughter’s jewelry business while Gordon worked as a credit manager for Pratt & Whitney until retiring at 65. In 1980 they both went back to Australia for a reunion with Gordon’s brothers, a kind of second marriage/honeymoon all in one, a fitting celebration made difficult by time, circumstance and distance.

“My love for my wife has never changed,” said Gordon. “After all these years we never kept any secrets from each other. We always tell each other how we feel.” Georgette is somewhat more poetic about the solidity of their marriage. “Marriage is about give and take. I’d put my hand in the fire knowing my husband has never cheated on me. He’s a wonderful father and husband.”

As for anything special for Valentine’s Day, Gordon, ever the diplomat said, “I’ve got my Valentine sitting right beside me.”

Fellow Le Wellesley resident Gloria Gauthier and Georgette have something in common: they both married older men. Gloria married her husband Gerry in 1945; she was 22, he 10 years her senior. Now legitimate seniors, at 83 she can still call herself younger, but when they met, the age difference was much more significant. “We both worked at Westinghouse,” Gloria recalled. “My co-workers warned me about him,” she joked.

Combine the age difference with the fact that it was a union of a Catholic and a Presbyterian, and you’re looking at risky business back then. But love and accepting families made the union smoother, not to mention the fact that Gerry was the only one of many suitors who owned a car.

Now two children, four grandchildren and 62 years of marriage later, the Gauthiers are a testimony to the proverbial long-term commitment of marriages borne in wartime. A heart condition kept Gerry out of active duty and today he still has to be careful with his health. They live comfortably at Le Wellesley thanks to an inheritance from Gerry’s family. “We miss our home in NDG,” where they both lived for 62 years. “But still we’re grateful to have our family, our health and each other.”

Gerry is not one to forget birthdays or anniversaries; something he feels has contributed to the durability of his relationship with his wife. “I always do something for Valentines,” said Gerry. “I’m planning a meal at a restaurant,” the destination still a surprise for Gloria.

“He’s a good guy,” said Gloria. “He spoils me rotten.”

Gentlemen, take note.