Celebrating A Diamond Anniversary In Vermilion

For a marriage to reach 40 years is an achievement, and hitting 50 is a major milestone. Now, reaching 60 years, or a diamond anniversary, is something truly to celebrate.

That is what happened in October 1960 when Sextus Ruthven Pringle Cooper and his wife Myrtle Louise celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in their home community of Vermilion.

Sextus was born in Holland Landing, Ontario in 1873 and he came out to Manitoba in 1897. It was in Baldur that he met his wife in 1898. She had come out west to Manitoba in 1880. It was there that Sextus established a newspaper. After they married, the Coopers remained in Baldur until 1907 when they moved to Vermilion.

In their new home, they raised a family of seven and took an active part in the community. Mrs. Cooper (her first name was not given as was the trend at the time in newspapers) worked with the church and was a past president and honorary life member with the Women’s Auxiliary. She was also a past worthy matron of the Queen Esther chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.

In the community, Mr. Cooper did much to help grow the community including serving on town council and the school board for 17 years. He was also a past president of the Vermilion Amateur Athletic Association. He also served as the president of the curling club.

Sadly, the anniversary was a solemn one in some respects. One year earlier, the couple’s daughter Blanche, who had moved to London, England in 1928, died from cancer. Their other daughter, Grace, lived in Windsor. As for the five sons, they all stayed in the Vermilion area. One son, Ashley, was an MLA in the Alberta Legislature. He was first elected in 1959 and served until 1975 with the Social Credit Party.

The diamond anniversary party was celebrated in their home, with a large amount of family and friends coming out including 21 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. The couple also received messages from Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and Premier Ernest Manning.

Sadly, the couple would not hit their platinum anniversary. Sextus died in Vermilion on May 8, 1964. Myrtle outlived him by over a decade before her death on Feb. 22, 1979 in Vermilion.

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