The longest-married couple on the Beardy’s and Okemasis First Nation celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary Sunday with help from the community.
Ken and Therese Seesequasis, both lifelong Beardy’s residents, were joined by hundreds of community and family members to celebrate their big day with an afternoon of lunch and live music. According to family members, the couple has always been a positive influence in the community.
“They’d give their last dollar to you,” the couple’s daughter Emelda Seesequasis said. “They’re kind-hearted, compassionate and generous.”
Emelda shared several stories of her parents, including memories of Ken playing fiddle for the family after dinner and riding around with her siblings in the box of the family’s old pickup truck.
The couple, both residential school survivors, always raised their children to be respectful and hardworking, Emelda said, and never raised their voices or lost patience.
At the ages of 90 and 86, Ken and Therese have amassed a huge extended family. Therese said the couple had eight children, and now have 26 grandchildren, 69 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren. The couple also raised numerous foster children who expanded their family further.
“I guess we were blessed,” Ken said.
When asked about the secret to their long relationship, Ken said the answer is to avoid petty squabbles, especially about finances.
“We’ve never had a bad word to each other about money,” he said. “We just share.”
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