Harry and Mary Babchuk Reveal Their Secret to 65 Years of Marriage

Harry and Mary Babchuk Reveal Their Secret to 65 Years of Marriage

Rosanne Fortier News Correspondent

Harry and Mary Babchuk still live in their own home in Vegreville where they recently celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary on July 23.

Harry and Mary met in 1951 at Hairy Hill High School. Mary said she used to see Harry through the window and she wondered who he was. While Harry said he was walking through the hallway at school when he saw Mary with another girl. “It was kind of interesting because my sister was also going to high school. So, I came home and asked my sister who that girl was because I never seen a girl that was more beautiful than Mary in my whole life. My sister then found out who Mary was. This was good because after I set my sight on Mary, no one else was ever interesting enough.”

Mary said she didn’t think about Harry too much at first because back then girls were on one side of the hallway and boys were on the other side of the hallway. They didn’t mingle like they do today.

They continued to see each other at school and at the school dances. They said at dances back then girls and boys all danced together, but it was nicer when they danced with each other. They were married on July 23, 1955.

After Harry was finished high school, he went to Toronto to the Radio College of Canada where he later worked in Edmonton doing radio and television maintenance. “Then I worked at North West Industries doing aircraft radio and radar, and then I worked selling FM mobile radios. Later, I got a job teaching radio apprenticeship at SAIT. Then the Vocational Education program got started so, I went back to university and took up vocational education and then I taught electronics at high school for 31 years,” Harry said.

Mary worked at Swift’s Packing Plant, and later worked in a store. After that she worked during the day as a secretary in the pharmacy at the University Hospital and went to college in the evening.

Harry and Mary had two children, Deborah, who was born in 1957 and Duncan, who was born in 1959.

Harry and Mary both admitted that they really enjoyed being parents. Mary said she was a stay-at-home mother. They did almost everything with their kids. Harry coached hockey for 10 years and Mary was involved with figure skating. “When we went anyplace for holidays, the children always went with us. We were a family who stayed together. We still are. We always got along well. Our two children always got along well, too, and they still get along well,” said Mary. “One thing I have to say is we never had a big argument in our family. As a couple, we only had serious discussions. No one ever yelled at each other.”

Harry said they never went to bed angry. “We never stayed angry for longer than half an hour.”

Harry said they never had any trouble with their children.

The advice Harry and Mary would give couples starting out in marriage is to have respect for each other, and everyone’s opinion means something, so you should respect it. Harry said no one is the boss in their family. They mutually decide on things. “We never fought about money. Whatever money we had, we both knew how much money we had, and what we needed to buy or spend the money on that we had,” Harry said.

In 1966 Harry and Mary moved to Vegreville where Harry taught at Vegreville Composite High School.

An interesting experience, Harry and Mary had was when they went to Ukraine together in 1979 for six weeks where they went on a visitor visa and lived with their family in Ukraine. Mary and Harry both agreed it was interesting to meet the rest of their family. Mary’s mother was born in Canada and her dad was born in Ukraine. Both of Harry’s parents were born in the Ukraine.

Another hobby of theirs is flying as they had an airplane of their own, and they flew to many places in Canada.

They also bowled at Vegreville Bowling Lanes where they won a lot of tournaments and as a couple. They also did a lot of volunteer work together and separately.

In 1959, they bought their first farm, and Harry is still farming there today. Mary still works in her two gardens, one at their house in town, and the other one at their farm. Harry and Mary are especially proud of their three grandchildren, Kyla, Kelby, and Kalon.

They celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary in a quiet manner with a take-out supper at their home. They were married at St. Demitrius Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and they are still members of the church.