An elderly B.C. couple celebrated their 65th anniversary together in the same care home this spring, one year after going public about being forced to live apart.
Alex Munroe was separated from his wife in 2013, when his declining health prompted health officials to move him into Kelowna, B.C.'s Spring Valley Care Home. Meanwhile, June Munroe remained at Fenbrae Manor down the road.
As a result, the couple spent their 64th wedding anniversary at separate addresses in May, 2014.
At the time, the Munroes described their separation as heart-wrenching.
"He phones me and says, 'I cry myself to sleep just about every night because I miss you.' That just tears my heart apart," June Munroe told CTV Vancouver that spring.
"We've been together 64 years and sure like to be together the rest of our life," Alex Munroe added at the time. "That's important, don't you think?"
While the couple struggled to live apart, a representative of the Interior Health said the government agency was working to bring the Munroes back together.
According to the couple's son-in-law, it was only a few months after that that June Munroe was able to join her husband in Spring Valley, and the longtime lovebirds were reunited.
"It was great. June lobbied for it, as did Alex, and there was a lot of public positivity, people writing in," Patrick Comba said in a recent phone interview with CTVNews.ca. "And you know what? Interior Health came to bat. They made sure it all got arranged and it all happened," he said.
Comba said his in-laws are now living together, though June Munroe is currently in hospital for pneumonia.
The Munroes' son-in-law was unsure when June Munroe might be able to go home. However, he said his in-laws are happy that when she does return to Spring Valley, her husband will be there too.
The couple has now been married for more than 65 years.
To celebrate the milestone, Comba said the pair left Spring Valley for dinner with family members.
"We just had a family dinner, a get-together at my house," Comba said over the phone from Spring Valley, where he was visiting his father-in-law.
Comba said the couple has three children: He and his wife, Valerie, live in Kelowna; the couple's daughter, Cynthia, lives with her husband in Trenton, Ont.; and their son, James, lives with his wife in Edmonton.
Comba spoke for the majority of the interview, explaining that his father-in-law is hard of hearing. However, Alex Munroe piped up when Comba discussed their many relatives.
"We have a big family," Munroe said proudly. "We have seven grandchildren and we have 10 great-grandchildren."
With files from CTV Vancouver
