Memory Bank

There are few things in this world more inspirational than seeing a woman’s eyes light up at the sight of her husband. To quote the German poet Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, "When a wife has a good husband, it is easily seen in her face." If you were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Gertrude Kennedy's face when her husband of 70 years, Tom, came to visit, you would have seen evidence of this. Tom and Gertrude Kennedy were a remarkable couple with a truly heartwarming story to share. Regrettably, Gertrude passed away while this story was being written, on October 11, 2007.

In 1932, Tom's teenage passion for amateur radio would begin to shape his entire future. At 18, Tom saw an innovative way to extend his annual three-week stay at the YMCA summer-camp in Williamson's Landing to an all-summer residence by trading his expertise in communication via "ham radio" (an informal term for amateur radio, a communication method that transmits messages via Morse code) in exchange for room and board. With the nearest phone to the camp approximately 5 miles away, and modes of communication in high demand, Tom was able to communicate close to 2,000 messages to and from camp that summer—an accomplishment that earned praise in the Kingston Amateur Radio Club News years later in 1977. But Tom's busy days tapping Morse code signals did not keep him from noticing a particularly beautiful young Gertrude Srigley, whose parents owned a summer cottage next door. Little did they know that over 70 years later, they would still be an inspirational couple to many who knew them.

Following a near five-year courtship, Tom and Gertrude married on April 14, 1937, at the Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver. In 1939, Tom enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces as a signalman, just days after World War II began. His decision to join the army was influenced by his and Gertrude's father—both survivors of WW1 in France. Tom's expertise in communication and electronics led to several promotions throughout his 23-year military career. In 1941, Tom was promoted to Warrant Officer Class II and transferred to Ottawa, where he was employed at the National Research Council constructing a prototype anti-aircraft radar. In 1942, he was promoted to Lieutenant and, after a year at army headquarters, became Captain and transferred to the Pacific Command Headquarters in Vancouver where he was responsible for overseeing the installation and maintenance of Coast Defense and Anti-aircraft Radar.

More travels awaited Tom and Gertrude when in 1951, he was sent to the United Kingdom as an Exchange Officer with the British Army. While living in Wales, they were invited for tea at Buckingham Palace, a highlight of their stay in the U.K. Shortly after returning to Canada, Tom was sent to Korea for a year as a peacekeeper.

In 1957, while working at the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers training school in Kingston, Ontario, Major T.D. Kennedy made the Whig-Standard news when he and his commanding officer Colonel C.W. Jones, established radio contact for the first time with the Gaza Strip, where a troop of Canadian peacekeepers were stationed. The article highlighted the groundbreaking accomplishment, and the joy it brought to two Canadian wives who were able to communicate with their husbands for the first time in six months.

Finally, in 1962, Tom retired from the Canadian Armed Forces to work with Westinghouse. In 1969, he joined Queens University in the Department of Electrical engineering.

Tom has lost count of the number of times that he and Gertrude moved throughout his career. But as a proud and devoted wife, the frequent relocations never bothered Gertrude as Tom's career advanced. She made friends wherever they went, and maintained many of these friendships long after Tom's official retirement in 1979. They relocated to the Sunshine Coast in 1989 and by 1999, after 21 years of retirement, the couple was on the move again. This time the focus of their decisions would be much different than those in the past. Their new homes would be determined not by Tom's career, but by Gertrude's needs.

It is as though the couple had come full circle; now it was time for Tom to reciprocate by following what was best for Gertrude because at the age of 85, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. As a great-hearted husband, Tom lovingly moved into an assisted-living facility specially designed for people living with dementia. This new home allowed them to live together but also provided a higher level of care for Gertrude. When asked if the decision to live in a facility specially designed for persons living with dementia was a tough decision, Tom quickly responds, "No, it wasn't difficult."

Tom praises Gertrude's doctors for the top quality care they gave during the early stages of her experience, and the support they continue to give to Tom as a caregiver. These days, Tom is living in their second home since Gertrude's diagnosis; he is living on his own for the first time since he was a young man. However, thanks to the convenient living options offered by state-of-the-art continuing-care retirement communities, Tom had only to cross a skywalk and take the elevator up one floor to see his wife.

"I look at the paper every Saturday, and I haven’t seen another write-up of a couple married for 70 years," Tom boasts. When asked for words of advice about how to stay married for so many years, Tom's responds, "Well, when you marry the right person, its easy." The ability to communicate is key to a successful marriage according to Tom, which certainly makes him a communication expert, in more ways than one.