95-year-old Marie Wilkinson from Ebor Court care home has been sharing the tale of how she met her late husband, Joe, in honour of Valentine’s Day.
In Spring 1948, Marie and Joe met at a dance at The Folk Hall in New Earswick. Joe was in the RAF and wanted to make the most of his 36-hour pass before travelling back to his base in Warrington.
Marie arrived with a friend and Joe attended the dance with a date on his arm, but in Marie’s words, ‘Joe’s date never got a look in because he asked me to dance first.’
The pair danced all night, and Joe asked Marie to spend the following afternoon with him. Marie said, ‘I was seeing someone else at the time, but I ended up standing him up to spend time with Joe! We were officially courting after that.’
Although things were going well, Marie broke up with Joe a few months later. Joe was eager to get married, but Marie wanted to wait a couple more years until she was 22. Marie continued,
‘I had it in my mind that I didn’t want to get married before I was 22, but after a while I realised I was being stupid and got back together with Joe and we got engaged.’
On 5th August 1950, Marie and Joe married at Clifton Church in York. Marie wore a full length, white lace gown made by her mother, Marguerite. Marie added,
‘On our wedding day, my first thought was ‘We are getting married today, and no one is going to stop us’. Our first dance as man and wife was Unforgettable by Nat King Cole, and unforgettable it was – we had always loved to dance to that song.’
The newlyweds honeymooned on the Isle of Wight, travelling by train and boat. Marie said, ‘We had never been before and we never forgot it, we had a wonderful honeymoon there.
‘We never went back after that though, because we always found new places to go!’
This Valentine’s Day, Marie is looking forward to Ebor Court’s Valentine’s Day Pop-Up Restaurant, where everyone will be enjoying a delicious three-course meal, wine and music.
Shane Talbot, the Home Manager at Ebor Court, said, ‘It’s been wonderful to hear our residents’ love stories like Marie’s – it’s the perfect way to kick of Valentine’s Day.
‘We’re very excited to bring residents and their loved ones together for our special pop-up restaurant this year, and we’re sure it’ll be a Valentine’s Day to remember.’
To find out more about Ebor Court, you can call 01904 782 708, or email ebor.court@idealcarehomes.co.uk.
Ebor Court, operated by Ideal Carehomes, is a residential and dementia care home, rated ‘GOOD’ by the Care Quality Commission. All bedrooms in the care homes are en-suite, enabling staff to deliver person-centred care in a dignified manner, promoting independence as far as possible. Ideal Carehomes was named the winner of the Large Residential Care category in the Laing Buisson Awards 2022.