At 87 and 84 years old, George Siggs and Lorraine Williams aren't ones to fool around.
Well, maybe just a little, as is clear from the twinkle in their eyes.
The octogenarian lovebirds are tying the knot tomorrow (Saturday) after a terrifically brief courtship that had them making plans to move in together while they were still on their first date.
And despite their advanced years, Siggs and Williams' love story is anything but old-school.
Siggs was born in 1925 and grew up in Kitsilano. Eighteen years later, he was drafted into the army; he figured he didn't have the moxie to be a paratrooper so instead he volunteered for the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. He was sent to Europe to jump out of planes and into some of the deadliest battles of the Second World War, including the Battle of the Bulge.
When Siggs returned home in 1945, he started planning a welcome home party for himself and his two older brothers, who had also served in the war.
"They wouldn't give me a liquor permit, though, because I was too young," Siggs laughed.
Williams grew up in East Vancouver and served the war effort at home by making ads for war bonds; she proved so good at it that she was later recruited by the Vancouver News Herald's advertising department.
After the war, both married and raised families, with seven children between them and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Both were eventually widowed.
"Since then, I've been on the loose," Siggs winked.
That is, until he noticed Williams.
A little more than a year ago, Williams' bowling league awarded her the Bowler of the Month at PoCo Bowl, where she and Siggs were often found hitting the pins. Her prize was a lunch at Astoria Resort Retirement in PoCo, and she promptly invited Siggs.
"We weren't even courting at that point," Siggs said, but that mattered little to Williams.
"I thought it was a good move," she grinned. "I guess I'm a forward girl."
After lunch, they toured the building. Siggs recalls that Williams kept asking questions about living arrangements - for two.
"I didn't even know we were going together and I said, 'What's going on here?'"
"I thought maybe we could move in together," was Williams' straightforward response.
"I don't call her 'Mighty Mouse' for nothing," Siggs said of his bold bride.
The two moved in to Astoria together and have continued their courtship at the bowling alley and PoCo's Royal Canadian Legion Branch 133.
A few months ago, Siggs and Williams were sitting on a loveseat when the thoroughly modern Williams popped the question.
"I didn't want to live in sin," she winked, and besides, they both wanted to make their romance official.
Since then, there has been a whirlwind of planning.
Tomorrow, dressed in a white cocktail dress, Williams will walk down the aisle towards her groom to Sammi Smith's rendition of "Help me Make it Through the Night" and a justice of the peace will marry them in front of what's likely to be a large (and rather misty-eyed) crowd.
After a champagne toast, the newlyweds and about 30 friends and family members will go out for a celebratory dinner. In about a week, they'll hop aboard a bus for a tour down the Oregon coast, with a few casino stops along the way.
Siggs and Williams are bound to be cuddled together throughout the trip and she said they're often stopped on the street by people surprised to see an elderly couple holding hands.
"You're never too old to hold hands," Siggs said firmly. "Because you're never too old for love."
