The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
George and Iris Rideout still remember sitting in a darkened movie theatre on their first date. The month was April, the year 1953, the location Flin Flon's now-defunct Northland Theatre. And the name of the film? 'I don't know,' says Iris with a smile. 'Maybe we never paid any attention to the movie.' So strong and instantaneous was their chemistry that within a few months of that date, George and Iris were engaged. A few months after that, they wed. Now, in an era where many marriages fail after six years or even six months, the Rideouts are preparing to mark their 60th wedding anniversary. Both long-time Flin Flonners, their marriage has spanned 11 prime ministers, dozens of wars, and technological advances that would have been unthinkable the day they said 'I do.' Throughout it all, George and Iris have remained loving, mindful of each other's needs, and, perhaps above all, content to share a life full of ups and downs. 'I think we're pretty compatible most of the time,' says George, a dignified man who seems considerably younger than his 84 years. But George is quick to point out that solid marriages, including his, don't happen by themselves. 'It's something you have to both work at,' he says. 'That's why so many marriages today never survive. They both don't work at it. It's a 50/50 deal, you know. Some people think, 'Well, it's all my side.' It's not, though. If you want to keep it going, you both work at it.' No argument there from Iris, a delightfully upbeat woman of 80 who still maintains her trademark red hair. 'I know there's times you say, 'Wow, wait, I don't know (about this or that),'' Iris says. 'But you keep on (going).' True love often takes root despite the doubts of onlookers. The Rideouts were no exception, as some wondered whether the talkative Iris was a mismatch for the reserved George. 'All my family, when they first met him, they said, 'Boy, I don't know about this with Iris and George' because he was so quiet and I did all the talking,' recalls Iris. 'He was a very, very mellow fellow, never got excited about anything.' While George is not one to wear his heart on his sleeve, there was no concealing the fact that he fell hard for Iris. He was 23 when they met, and it was his (and her) first time in love. Starting out They were both starting out in life. George, a Newfoundland transplant, had been in Flin Flon less than a year and was employed at the HBM&S (now Hudbay) copper smelter. Iris had made the much shorter move from Mafeking, Man., to Flin Flon, where she worked at the legendary Milt's Sweet Shop, owned by a relative. Many a first date took place at Milt's, but George Rideout and Iris Clarkson ended up at the Northland Theatre with Don and Kay McLaren. The McLarens, who still call Flin Flon home and the Rideouts friends, set George and Iris up on what was a blind date. 'They had a group of friends and there was a girl that night who didn't have a partner,' recalls George. 'So they set me up with Iris. We kept going together for a short time and then we got married.' That 'short time' amounted to about seven months. Following their April first date and their July engagement, George and Iris wed in her hometown of Mafeking on Nov. 23, 1953. There would be no honeymoon. For one, George had to be back at work at the smelter and for another, the newlyweds' finances were restrained. 'You didn't have any of this stuff to go anywhere,' says George, rubbing his thumb and fingers together to symbolize cash. Such financial modesty would continue with George's single income supporting Iris and, in time, four children in Gary, Glen, Guy and Sherry (who married to become a Trudeau). Greatful Both born during the Great Depression, George and Iris always stayed grateful for what they had. 'We never envied what anybody else had,' says George. 'They had what they had and that's their business, and more power to them.' Iris is just as content. 'Oh my goodness!' is her reaction to some of today's young people who crave big money and new homes immediately rather than working toward those goals. 'Really, I never was one to complain,' Iris says. 'I got what we could afford and that was it.' Gratitude has clearly helped propel the Rideouts' marriage this far. So too has their adherence to a timeless saying: absence makes the heart grow fonder. George and Iris have always found time for their own endeavours. He was a long-time curler, part-time handyman and member of the Oddfellows. She baked, quilted and joined the North Star Rebekah Lodge. But there was no desire to be apart over the summer when, a few months in advance, the Rideouts marked their diamond anniversary. Over 300 family and friends, many from out of town, joined a celebration that included a tea, a barbecue and a social, all of them in Flin Flon. 'We danced like teenagers,' says Iris with a smile. The Rideouts hope to create many more memories as their marriage enters its seventh decade. And judging by their sprightliness and good health, there is every reason to believe they will. From two lovebirds in a movie theatre to great-grandparents of five, George and Iris Rideout stand as an example for couples everywhere. The Northland Theatre may have closed long ago, but the love that began on that fateful night in 1953 will last forever.
