Life-long valentine: Hamilton couple celebrates 76 years together

If you think you’ve got big Valentine’s Day plans, wait until you meet the couple marking their 76th year of marriage in a few months.

Bill and Gerry Goldberg prove that true love never goes out of style.

“I sent her flowers; she hasn’t got them yet. It’s the first time,” Bill Goldberg says.

A day before Valentine’s Day, 100-year-old Bill Goldberg and 95-year-old Gerry Goldberg are looking forward to celebrating something even bigger in a few months — their 76th wedding anniversary.

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Their love story began in 1949 — a blind date set up by Bill’s sister.

Bill was in his final year of medical school at Western University. Gerry was a first-year student at McMaster University.

They met at Gerry’s family home in Westdale. Gerry, just 18 at the time, still remembers seeing Bill for the first time.

“I can tell you exactly what he was wearing when I opened that door — his smile,” says Gerry.

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She says Bill made an impression right away — especially with her mother.

“She came in quite often because she was a real mother — ‘would you like something to eat, would you like something to drink,’ — and he would stand up. As soon as she walked in, he would stand up and that was very impressive.”

That blind date turned into a year of courtship — and long walks downtown.

They were married on May 23, 1950, at a synagogue on Hughson Street South.

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Together, they raised four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren — with a third on the way.

Gerry still calls their wedding day a dream.

“I really was so happy that day, I was just on air,” she says.

Through decades of change, they say sticking together was never a question.

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When asked the secret to a long and happy marriage, they don’t hesitate.

“I think you have to find your commonality, rather than your differences,” Bill Goldberg says.

“We like long walks, we like books, we just like the same things and we’ve always enjoyed each other’s company and that’s all there is to it,” says Gerry.

Now living side by side at Amica Dundas, their days may be a little quieter — but their love story is still going strong.

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This Valentine’s Day, they’re keeping it simple.

“We’re probably going to be up here or downstairs having dinner,” Bill says.

For Bill and Gerry, 76 years of marriage comes down to one simple promise — choosing each other every single day.

“We never plan for Valentine’s Day. He is not a great ‘hearts and flowers man,’ but he doesn’t need to because 365 days of the year is like Valentine’s Day with him.”

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