Last week, Loree and Steele Brewerton commemorated a significant anniversary.
‘How long have we been married?’ Steele was questioned by Loree during a Global News interview.
‘75? 75! Oh my, that much time has passed.’
Loree grew up in Cardston where she was born in 1926. Steele grew up in Raymond where he was born in 1923.
The pair met for the first time while swimming at the Old Man River in southern Alberta in the early 1940s.
The two would finally be matched up on a blind date, though it would take some time.
Loree remarked, ‘I was astonished I had consented to it, but look how it ended out.’
Steele is the first to confess that he made for a dull date.
You also believed I was a dull first date, didn’t you? Loree enquired of Steele.
Steele answered, ‘No, I didn’t. ‘I thought you looked lovely. I kept asking you out because of this.’
They got married on May 9, 1946.
Steele and Mark Dahl established a medical practice in Raymond two years later. When the doctor from Magrath relocated to Lethbridge, Steele called Harlan Taylor, a buddy from college, and invited him to join.
Together, the three friends ran the Magrath-Raymond clinic and eventually welcomed Clare Norton as a fourth physician.
The three doctors alternated taking leaves of absence to pursue their specialty. The doctors would support one another while on leave by equally splitting the income from their practices.
To obtain his obstetrics and gynecology expertise, Steele had to travel to Hawaii and the US.We’re kind of wanderers, aren’t we? Loree laughed.
The Brewertons made their home in southern Alberta, where Steele worked as an OBGYN with his new specializations and in general practice. His favorite aspect of his job at the time was making house calls.
Steele snatched up a piece of paper on which he had made some notes and declared, “I had quite a few adventures.He recalled a call from a Hutterite community about a woman who was in labor.
His automobile couldn’t get off the highway and onto the sideroad he needed to take to reach the colony because the snow was so deep. About seven miles separated us.
He said, ‘They picked me up in a sleigh. And in the sleigh, they had a fur coat and fur leggings for me.’
On the way to the call, the sleigh ended up toppling over into a ditch.Fortunately, Steele arrived in time.
‘Cats were everywhere,’ he claimed. I kept my bag in hand and didn’t put it down as I made my way through the feces.
The woman was unable to walk due to illness. Steele’s husband refused to carry her when she stated she needed to go to the hospital since he was too old to do so.
Steele added, ‘So I carried her out to the car. Through knee-deep snow that was covered with snow. My bag was held by her spouse.’
Steele claimed he informed the town to clean up the house for the elderly couple because it was in such horrible shape.
He explained that it was burned down because the town claimed they couldn’t clean it up.
Don’t worry, though; the elderly couple moved in with their kids.
From 1948 to 1979, Steele practiced in southern Alberta. The family then moved to Texas where he practiced for the following 17 years.
Loree completed her education while they were living in Texas, and Steele was proud to tout her achievements.
She studied at Midwestern State University and earned a degree in political science and history.
She received the Governor’s medal at graduation.
She received the highest grade out of 800 graduates, according to Steele.
A university has also acknowledged Steele’s achievements. For his service in southern Alberta, he received the University of Alberta’s Alumni Honour Award.
Throughout his professional life, Steele delivered a good number of infants, some of whom were even his own children.
To be honest with you, I didn’t count them all, Steele replied when asked how many babies he believes he delivered. According to his daughter, thousands.
He had a woman give her child his name while he was employed in Texas.
He loves to boast that despite working for many years in both Canada and the US, he never faced legal action.
The happy pair has since made their home in Magrath, where Steele would later hold the office of mayor. Loree claims that they have too many grandkids to count in addition to their five children.
It just feels like home, said Loree. Since we essentially raised our kids there, the place feels like home.
They also have some tips to share after 75 years of marriage. Tolerance and forgiveness, Loree said. ‘Loving one another despite our flaws.’
Loree declared, ‘I don’t know any secrets. ‘There are no secrets, as everyone who has been married for that long knows.’
It’s the most difficult relationship in the world, but it’s also, in my opinion, the most fruitful and gratifying.