Find someone going in the same direction

Salmons credit faith and family for their 52-year union

Bea and Don Salmon met when they were 17 and married at 18.

By BILL GLEN
WCR Staff Writer
Edmonton

Strong family backgrounds. Strong faith. Volunteering in the community.

That's the recipe that has led Don and Bea Salmon to a vibrant marriage that has so far lasted 52 years.

As a young couple, their marriage did not have a chance to put down roots before the Royal Canadian Air Force dispatched Don overseas in 1953.

The young couple had been married only a year when Don was sent to Europe. They were 19 and had a new baby.

Bea and the little one accompanied him overseas only to learn that Don's mission as a communications technician would keep them apart five or six days at a time. It was Bea's first time away from home and she only spoke English.

Stressful times

Don earned less than $125 a month.

"Like many people, we had some difficult times the first few years we were married," Don said. "There was a strain, but we survived. We worked and supported each other."

The Salmons have three children and six grandchildren and are comfortably retired in a north Edmonton home.

Don is a fourth degree Knights of Columbus and Bea is treasurer of CWL's Edmonton archdiocesan council.

How did they do it?

Simple, really, Bea says.

"Find someone who is going in the same direction."

Don came to Edmonton from modest beginnings. He was born in Thornhill, Ont., south of Toronto. The family had 10 children. Don lost his father at a young age.

"We were very poor growing up," said Don, 70. "My father grew roses in greenhouses, but he had health problems. He died of cancer when he was 47. I was number six out of 10 and I was only 15. It was hard for my mom. I left school when I was 16 to work.

- WCR photo by Bill Glen Married for 52 years, Bea and Don Salmon raised their three children in a warm, loving Catholic home.

"I joined the air force when I was 17 and after a few months of training courses in Ontario, my first posting was Edmonton."

Bea had six brothers and sisters. Her family were devout Catholics.

They met through a mutual friend.

"We were fortunate and not quite as poor as Don's family," said Bea, 70. "I met him when he came out here at a family birthday party. He came along with another fellow who knew us.

"We were only 17."

When Don finished his training, he was asked where he would like to go. He had no preference. He chose Edmonton.

One evening during a dance on the base, their eyes locked from across the room. Don felt compelled to ask Bea out for a date. He was stationed in the Kingsway area while Bea was attending business school to be a receptionist.

They went to movies together. The military base had a few dances and they enjoyed going to local boxing matches. Playing cards for pennies was a hit in Bea's home.

"Most of the time, Don came over to our house to visit," Bea said. "My two grandfathers lived with us and we liked to play cards. My dad is alive and he's 92 and he still plays cards. We laugh when he plays with his great-grandchildren."

What about faith?

One problem they encountered was that Don was not Catholic and Bea's great-aunt wanted her to become a nun, like herself.

"I didn't ask him to change, but I told Don I wanted to be married in a Catholic church," Bea said. "He was agreeable."

After taking 10 lessons from the Edmonton Archdiocese, the Salmons received permission from Archbishop Anthony Jordan to be married in a Catholic church. They had to promise to raise their children Catholic and they kept that promise.

A year after they were married, Don became Catholic.

He had grown up in a Christian home, but they did not belong to a particular church.

"Going to a Catholic church just felt right. I liked the structure," he said. "I didn't understand Latin but it seemed to make sense because I could follow the dignity and the beauty of the Mass."

Don spent more than 12 years in the air force. When they returned from Europe, he had extra time so he took a part-time job repairing televisions. That led to another career with the Alberta government, first with the public works department and then with Alberta Government Telephones.

They sacrificed a social life for the good of the family. Bea stayed home, raising the children until they went to school.

"Our social life was Sunday dinners at my parents' house," Bea said.

She went to work with Imperial Oil as a keypunch operator. Her shift was 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. When Don came home from work, Bea would depart. She was hired full-time after the youngest child went to school.

In difficult or prosperous times, the Salmons continually served their Church, their family and each other.

"Our faith has given us a lot of things," Bea said. "We have met good friends through the Knights and the CWL."

Keep on giving

Don keeps busy volunteering with the Knights and delivering furniture for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. And he enjoys the occasional game of golf.

Bea is committed to the CWL. She also continues to five-pin bowl, an activity she has done her entire life.

The Salmons have never quit working or volunteering together.

"We came from good family structures, so that helped us. And our Church. It was part of our lives," Bea said.

"We always wanted to go together in the same direction, working for the same things. I think that was most important for us."

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