Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 6034 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2016 34 FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2016 34 FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2016 arion Sweetman was 17 years old when she met Robert Healey at the dance. “We were boyfriend and girl- friend ever since,” she reminisces, fondly. When Robert turned 18, he en- listed in the army. “Back then, it was the thing to do,” Marion said. “They had to go. That was life back then. We had to accept it.” Many of her relatives were sent overseas as well. After Robert joined the army, their love affair contin- ued through the mail. During World War II, you never knew how long it would take for a letter to arrive. “It could be a week or a month,” Marion explained. The lovebirds kept their promise to write every other day. When asked if the contents of the corre-spondence were romantic, Marion answered, “very!” Based in Holland, Robert also sent his girlfriend post- cards from European countries. They also exchanged photo- graphs. Robert had a few close calls, but he did not worry Marion by shar- ing these details in his letters. Once, he was in the trenches and the two soldiers beside him were shot and killed. Robert’s life was spared. Marion prayed for him “all the time,” and she quotes Robert as of- ten saying, “prayer gave him more strength.” He had an important rea- son to come home safely. Words cannot describe the jubila- tion when Robert finally returned from the war, to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart. After work- ing for a year, they could afford the wedding that they had dreamed of, Marion recalls. When asked if any civilians at- tempted to be gentleman callers while Robert was serving oversee, Marion had a quick reply. “I never gave anybody the chance,” she said. “I was waiting for Robert.” Their love story continued after the war. Robert and Marion Healey were able to enjoy celebrating their landmark 65th wedding anniversary, prior to his passing four years ago. A Heartwarming Wartime Love Story A street dance held in Port Perry marked the beginning of it all. VETERAN ROBERT HEALEY This is the ticket that won Marion’s heart forever. She met Bob Healey on the 7th day of the 7th month and 72 years later, Marion says 7 was their lucky number.