Meet the Spiritwood sweethearts celebrating 70 years as Valentines

SPIRITWOOD, SASK. — When Dot Gaboury first met Leo at a neighbour’s house in the spring of 1955, she wasn’t exactly swooning.

“Oh, he’s too old for me,” she laughed, recalling her thoughts as she met the man who would eventually become her husband.

Leo Gaboury, naturally, remembers their first meeting differently. “She was a cute little dish!” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

More than seven decades later, the pair are still together, still teasing each other and still madly in love.

Dot and Leo’s wedding in October of 1955 was a simple affair. After the wedding, they took a week long honeymoon to visit friends and family in Saskatoon and Rosetown. (Submitted)

Read more Saskatchewan Stories from Brittany Caffet:

• Meet the P.A. billet mom who helped raise generations of hockey players
• Northern skies, family ties: The Paceys and the legendary Beaver
• Discover how a doll empowered this Sask. girl with a rare disease

Unlike many modern romances, their love story didn’t begin with swiping right or a flirty text. Dating in the 1950s was a completely different ballgame. No apps. No speed dating. No Instagram likes. Just muddy Saskatchewan roads, small towns and a lot of patience.

A month after their initial meeting, fate (and a little Ford tractor) intervened. Dot rolled back into town, mud flying, and she caught Leo’s eye all over again.

Listen to the story on Behind the Headlines:

“That’s the wheels I had!” she laughed, picturing herself on the tractor, spattered with mud and determined to make her way.

One glance at Dot on that tractor was all it took for the lifelong farmer to truly fall head over heels. They started dating not long after.

“They used to have movies at these different little places,” Dot recalled. “We went as groups — about four or five of us in the car. Most of the time it wasn’t just the two of us.”

Romance came in stolen glances, small adventures and group outings with friends.

After seven decades together, Dot and Leo Gaboury are still happily in love. (Submitted)

Slowly and steadily, their romance grew, and before long Leo knew it was time to make it official. He proposed to Dot, though he’s never revealed exactly how he convinced her to say yes.

“That’s confidential!” he said with a grin.

Weddings today can be extravagant affairs with DJs, multi-tiered cakes and thousand-dollar dresses. But back in 1956 their big day was delightfully simple.

“It was just very small,” Dot recalled. “We went to North Battleford and got married there, then went to my grandmother’s place. She had renovations going on, so that made for quite an eventful day!”

And the celebration didn’t stop there. Instead of a single reception, they had house parties in the weeks to follow. First at her parents’, then at his, surrounded by neighbours and friends.

Their love grew as the years went by, and so did their family.

“She got her five girls and her two boys,” Leo said proudly, the twinkle in his eye still as bright as was all those years ago.

Dot and Leo have seven children together. (Submitted)

Asked what she loves about Leo, Dot didn’t hesitate to answer.

“He’s cute,” she said, looking at him with the same fondness she had when she first decided he wasn’t too old after all. “He’s still cute.”

And the secret to 70 years of marriage? Dot’s answer is simple, honest and hilarious.

“We put up with each other. We don’t think of running away,” she said with a laugh. “Where would I go?!”

Leo, not missing a beat, jumped in with a grin. “She couldn’t undo what we did together!”

All those years ago, Dot thought Leo was too old for her. But seventy years later, with a lifetime behind them, she’ll tell you with a smile that he’s exactly the right age.

Spiritwood’s Leo and Dot Gaboury are celebrating their 70th Valentine’s Day together. The couple started dating in the spring of 1955, and were married Oct. 25, 1956. (Submitted)