Seventy-second wedding anniversary for local couple

Leonard and Mary Loppe of Oxbow recently celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary.
They were married Mar. 5, 1940 at St. Giles Anglican Church in Estevan.
In 1937 Leonard started working at the deep-seam coal mine southeast of Bienfait. That’s where he met Mary (Katrusik) as she was one of the cooks at the mine.
Mary said their wedding was a very small one. She purchased her wedding dress, shoes and veil all from Sears. She remembers the dress cost $12.50, the shoes, $3.50, and the veil, $1.50. The flowers in her bouquet, Leonard’s boutonnière and her bridesmaid bouquet were all homemade from pink, white and blue crepe paper.

After they married, Leonard continued farming with his father in the summer and worked at the mines during the winter. In 1942 they moved to the Swenson farm (later owned by Jarl Mellom), and in 1944 they moved to a farm south of Glen Ewen. They farmed there until the fall of 1947 when they purchased the Tom Baird farm from the Fred Hill Estate in the south Oxbow district.
Mary said they both loved the farm and their life there. She thinks their marriage was successful mostly because they worked together and were willing to help each other. Both were involved in the life of their community and church. As they also had five children to raise, their life was busy and fulfilling. Mary and Leonard liked travelling, and through the years visited almost all the States, plus did extensive travelling in Canada.
After spending 35 years on the farm, the couple moved into Oxbow. Leonard never had problems finding something to do, as he enjoyed writing (publishing two books) and wasn’t afraid of learning how to use a computer. Mary also has many interests, and enjoys going to the Friendship Centre.
Mary and Leonard have 12 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandsons.