Having a good relationship is a lot like running a business — it requires a lot of hard-work.
“There are some similarities,” Rex Dawson replied about his 64-year-long marriage. “You’ve got to stay with it and realize other people have ideas too.
“So you’ve got to be fair and honest, and that’s the number one thing in any business.”
Rex and Marg Dawson celebrated Valentine’s Day at the Rotary Club’s regular luncheon at the Westlock Inn last Thursday. Over 60 Rotarians and their spouses attended the celebration and general meeting and between announcements club president James Krysko jokingly asked how, and why, the Dawsons have stayed together for so long.
“Marg does her thinking and I do my thinking,” Rex replied. “We just accept what each other figures out, wants to do and tries to do.
“There’s no regiment, you have to give and take.”
Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly known as Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on Feb. 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world.
And while the Dawsons admittedly celebrate anniversaries, birthdays and, of course, Valentine’s Day, it’s just another day for the happy couple.
“We don’t do any of that mushy stuff,” Rex said. “It’s just very real.”
Although Marg shyly added Rex has never missed a beat. He has been buying her a colourful bouquet of spring flowers and a card each Valentine’s Day since the couple first met in Didsbury at age 21.
“I don’t think this year is any different,” Rex said.
The romance began in Didsbury, when Marg asked Rex for a ride home one day. She rode her bicycle into town earlier that day to buy groceries from his family’s storefront, and two years later the couple was engaged.
But it wasn’t always a piece of cake, and the couple fought to make the relationship work. Just like their old business, the Dawson Ford dealership in Westlock.
“It wasn’t easy,” Marg said, elaborating on their journey across Alberta, going to college and paying off student loans in Calgary, a bereavement in Rex’s family and finally starting up the Ford dealership in Westlock.
“But by the same token, we paid off everything we owed within six years of being here.”
The hour-long Valentine’s Day celebration brought friends and Rotarians from all over the community together for its weekly meeting.
“I think Valentine’s Day is always a special day,” Krysko said. “It makes people feel loved and it makes everybody kind to one another.”
The luncheon also included a presentation about Community Futures’ upcoming summer program Biz Kids — an opportunity to get a business grant as an interesting alternative to a summer job — and a 16-year-old Taiwanese exchange-student’s birthday.
“But the best part of the day is the fact that we can get to the age we are, and still enjoy life, and get around to mix with people,” Rex said.
