TORONTO – Some people just exude a cherubic-like disposition and disposition to life: it always gets better. Lucky guy that George Flumian – he found and married Marie-Antoinette. There they were on August 16, 2024, celebrating their 51^st anniversary at La Madonna della Resurrezione, a quaint suburban Catholic Church serving the once vigorous Italian community in Nepean, Ottawa – officially recognized with the status of “parish” in April of 1984.

Marie Antoinette, MF, as she is known to family, friends, co-workers and associates, is from Toronto. More specifically, a post-war émigré’ from Northeastern Italy, via the parish and school of St. Clare in Toronto. You probably guessed it… that school is also my alma mater.

The other day, MF radiated the same enthusiastic look of anticipated joy in living the next moment that Life was about to share with her. It is an infectious, engaging eagerness impossible to dismiss. George, as a young man was obviously smitten, yet still sane enough to marry into that ambience.  And here they were 51 years later, still holding hands.

As the saying goes, God bless them! The pastor, Father Antonio, performed the “blessing of the rings” and of the couple. It impressed me as an uncharacteristically informal (for the MF I had come to know in the previous thirty plus years) celebration of the “renewals”. But it hit just the right tone… how could it not?

Giorgio has had a career as an accomplished lawyer; MF as a career civil servant at the provincial and Federal level. There would be much to write about from a social and professional perspective, but it would take a voluminous book. With all due respect to Giorgio, MF’s career for this writer, merits at least a mention, given her illustrious career in the bureaucracy and the “innovative problem-solving” post-government engagements with foreign and domestic entities that have been consuming her time and talents these last fifteen years.

My favourite recalls that little, unilingual, reddish-haired immigrant girl, from a working-class neighbourhood, who rose to the pinnacle of Canada’s bureaucracy to create and lead Service Canada, a visionary governance and service structure for the time. What an opportunity. What country. It was fortunate to grow with her.

They became a “couple”. Just like Giorgio and MF and all those who still count them as friends. Auguri infiniti.

In the pics below, some moments of the event (photos: Corriere Canadese)