Joe and Kathy Pawelec were singing their favourite song, “Could I Have This Dance” by Anne Murray. The two thought it was a fitting tune to celebrate 70 years of marriage at the Venvi Renaissance retirement home in Regina. Joe is 92 years of age and Kathy is 89. They married in 1956 when Joe was 22 and Kathy was 19. They farmed for many years in the Kelliher area, before moving to Venvi Renaissance in 2022. “She was a good cook and a good wife and was willing to farm with me during the years that I farmed,” Joe said, reflecting on her best traits in his seven decades with Kathy. Wayne Bernakevitch has known the Pawelecs his entire life and says that no one has ever said a bad word about them. “This is truly an incredible event when you think about it,” he said. “Anyone who could be living 70 years is a bit of an accomplishment, let alone being married for 70 years.” Bernakevitch has known the Pawelecs ever since he was a young child, as his parents were friends with them. He remembers seeing Kathy in his kitchen, making hundreds of perogies with other women. They would sell the perogies to raise money for the local church. Bernakevitch also remembers seeing Joe often at the local coffee shop, talking to friends during “coffee time” at 10 a.m. The Pawelec marriage has created a four-generation family, with eight grandkids and five great grandchildren. The couple had three children and raised them on the farm. “We had livestock, crops and large gardens, so we had to help out with the animals and working in the gardens,” said Charlotte Wilson, their daughter who still lives in the Kelliher area. “We were all involved in lots of sporting activities and other activities, and they supported us in all of those.” Their grandson Bryan, grew up visiting the farm, remembering key moments like riding the tractor with his grandfather. “I spent a lot of time there as a kid chasing the cats, playing with my cousins and my sister,” he said. “It was an opportunity for us to learn the ways of the farm and the way that they kind of made their life throughout the past 70 years. It’s really impacted who I become as a person and the way that I want to live my life.”
