James (Jim) and Theresa Kovach, who have been married for 65 years, were reunited after living in separate care homes in Regina for the past five years.
聽He went into the system first in 2015 and she went into a care home in 2017, and since there was no room for her at the same care home as her husband, so she had to go to a different care home.
Their daughter Sharon Kovach took her mom to visit her dad every week.
鈥淪he was happy where she was but she was missing dad,鈥� says Sharon.
She went to a number of different care homes until Sharon could figure out a way to get her back with her husband James.
鈥淏ecause of COVID, I couldn鈥檛 put them together,鈥� explains Sharon.
The Kovach couple has many connections to Kipling. Their relatives include Balogh, Szabo, Szakacs, Daku and Kish families through marriage. That is pretty much all the namesakes who started out in this community.
The couple lived in Kipling in the late 70鈥檚 and early 80鈥檚 where James was a professional surveyor,
鈥淚 woke up one morning and thought to myself 鈥榊ou know my grandma stayed in that care home in Kipling for a long time鈥� and I made a phone call one day and asked to be put on a list. I didn鈥檛 think anything would happen right away but it wasn鈥檛 long after that I got a phone call and said they had a bed available,鈥� explains Sharon.
鈥淭ell Sharon I鈥檓 shocked!鈥� says James as he teared up.
鈥淚 want you to know, Dad, that the reason you鈥檙e moving back to Kipling is so that you and Mom could be together,鈥� says Sharon.
James just smiled and said 鈥榊es鈥�.
鈥淔inally!鈥� Sharon summed it up in just one word.
The Kovach couple were moved out of Regina by a company called 鈥楧riven With Care鈥� to the care home in Kipling in February after living apart since 2015.
鈥淢om was so glad to finally see Dad because she was missing him so much,鈥� says Sharon.
鈥淭hey can spend the rest of their days together,鈥� says daughter Sharon.
鈥淗opefully this summer they can have a tour around Kipling,鈥� explains Sharon. 鈥淎nd take him by his old farmyard to reminisce. He remembers the area and farmed here all his life. After moving away from Kipling he would still come back every year to help out with the farming.鈥�
The couple keeps busy at their new location.
鈥淢om used to be a seamstress all her life so she still likes to sew at age 84,鈥� explains Sharon 鈥渁nd if that doesn鈥檛 keep her busy enough she also likes to crochet and knit.鈥�
Theresa always did make the comment to her daughter:
鈥淚 do all that because I don鈥檛 want to lose my mind.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 glad they鈥檙e home,鈥� said a very excited Sharon. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like my grandma (Kovach) was watching from above to make sure they got 鈥榖ack home.鈥欌��
Once the couple was settled in at Kipling, Sharon said to her Dad 鈥榃elcome home Dad鈥�.
He just smiled and said 鈥淭hank you!鈥�
