It’s never too late for love. Harriet Kideckel and Mark Evans are living proof.
After meeting about three and half years ago, the couple in their mid-70s discovered they share many interests and both are proud FOMOs – the acronym FOMO stands for Fear of Missing Out.
They are doing their best not to miss any opportunity to enjoy their retirement while sharing their love of travel.
“I tell everyone I picked up Mark in a parking lot,” jokes Kideckel, a former journalist and retired social worker.
They met at one of the Downtown Jazz Saturday morning summer concerts, which were held in the TD parking lot on Cedar Street.
“I sat in front of him. We started talking. He moved beside me, then we started dancing. We went for lunch, and the rest is history.”
Kideckel was impressed by Evan’s joie de vivre.
“Mark said, ‘Spend time with the ones you love. Money isn’t everything. Make sure there is time to enjoy life’,” remembers Kideckel, who describes herself as an old hippie.
“When I first met her, the big thing for me was values,” said Evans, a widower. “We don’t drink or smoke. That was important. And the next thing I wanted to know was if she liked to travel.”
The retired Vale senior technical analyst has visited more than 60 countries and wants to see more of the world while he remains healthy enough to withstand long flights and other rigors of travel.
He met his match. Kideckel is an outgoing and naturally curious person who loves travel and meeting people.
They are packing for a trip to South Korea and Japan in a few weeks and have booked a vacation in Morocco in the fall. India is on their bucket list.
They have been to South America, gone on safari in Kenya, took a Norwegian cruise and have visited Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
Recently, they gave a presentation at the Parkside Centre about their holiday to Vietnam and Cambodia last fall.
One of their shared hobbies is photography, and the images they shared at the presentation capture their story of adventure and discovery and their passion for exploring new cultures and cuisines.
“The people are very friendly, very helpful, lovely,” said Kideckel about the Southeast Asian country which was so much in the headlines in the 1960s and 1970s.
Tourism is important to this country of 99 million people. Vietnam has become a popular destination for travellers looking for an exotic experience of an ancient culture and natural beauty.
The communist country is “capitalism on steroids,” said Evans. “The people work, work, work.
“And the cities, like Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and Hanoi, are so busy. You can’t even walk on the sidewalk because there are scooters on them. Road traffic laws are survival of the fittest.”
Traffic is “worse than Montreal,” said Kideckel. “We had to learn how to cross the street (safely).”
The couple travelled with a Canadian company that offers small group packages.
As much as they enjoy travel, they like being home.
“I love Sudbury. I love being home,” Kideckel said. “All my friends are here.”
Evans owns a house by a lake and Kideckel lives in the city’s West End in the home she bought when she moved to Sudbury 35 years ago.
They keep a busy schedule of activities and are members of the Sudbury Shutterbugs club.
Kideckel is an executive member of CFUW Sudbury and is a member of the Northern Artists Gallery. Her photography can be viewed here.
Evans is an executive member of the Walden Lions Club.
“You wouldn’t know it from his mane,” Kideckel giggles as she teases Evans about his hairline.
Two or three times a week they go dancing at the local Legion halls and the Parkside Centre.
“We just wing it,” on the dance floor, said Evans.
“People are laughing but we think we are bringing a little happiness to the world,” added Kideckel. And to each other.
Vicki Gilhula is a freelance writer and dance student. Prime is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
