STOUGHTON - Bill and Gloria Knous, who now reside in Stoughton, met when they were teenagers.
Bill was born and raised in Mossbank while Gloria was born and raised in Kamloops, B.C.
After the Second World War, Bill’s parents and family moved to Kamloops and this is when the couple met through Gloria’s brother Bruce, who became friends with Bill.
“She was always tagging along with her brother,” said Bill.
After a while the two fell in love.
On July 30, 1960, the couple married when Gloria was only 17 years old, and they have continued to grow as a couple ever since.
They have two children. Their daughter Kathy Nazar, who is married to Wayne, and together they have four children. Bill and Gloria also have a son, Rob Knous, and he is married to Nancy; they have two children. Bill and Gloria are also blessed with two great grandchildren.
The family stayed in Kamloops for many years. Bill worked in the copper mines until he retired, and Gloria had a home-based business.
After Gloria had her second child, she began to have hearing issues. No cause was ever given to her and slowly she has gone deaf.
“It is a disability that no one sees,” said Gloria. “It is one that many tend to make fun of.”
Gloria needs to wear implants called processors. Being deaf has not slowed down Gloria in any way as she still works at the local post office in Stoughton.
With their kids grown, out of the house and still residing in Kamloops, the couple decided they were going to buy a motorhome and travel the country, starting in 1998.
In 1999, they travelled through Stoughton, where their daughter was living. They owned a house in the town, and they wanted to sell, as Wayne was working in Kapuskasing and Kathy wanted to be with her husband.
Bill and Gloria liked the small house and bought it, but continued to travel across Canada. They went to Vancouver Island, Yuma, Ariz., and Palm Springs, Calif., but always returned to Stoughton.
“Although the house is small, to us it looked big after living in a motorhome,” said Gloria.
During that time, Bill was asked to help build a golf course in Clearwater, B.C. The campground was started and so was the course, but it needed finishing touches and Bill helped.
In 2003, they settled into their Stoughton home for good and have remained in the small town ever since.
The couple became involved in the town, and Bill was Stoughton’s mayor for 11 years.
“It did not matter to me if you were in a million-dollar home or a $50,000 home, everyone was treated as equals,” said Bill. “As mayor that is what you must do, because everyone lives in this town.”
Bill felt he needed to step down from the position when he started to have health issues, and with back pain and struggling with walking, he felt he could no longer be the mayor the town needed.
Bill and Gloria will be married for 65 years on July 30, and they have a lot of memories that bring them a great deal of joy.
“I love remembering skiing every night at Grand View Mountain with the kids for a year. They were little and it was such a great family time,” said Gloria.
“My best memories are with Gloria,” said Bill. “She always let me do things like stock car racing, motocross racing and baseball, and she has always been very supportive.”
“To keep a marriage good, we have respect for each other even when we disagree,” said Gloria. “Respect and love has kept our marriage for 65 years.”
They look forward to making more memories that they can share with their family and friends in the coming years.
