When you drive to Brenda Trafford’s house in Murray Corner, in the southeast of Brunswick, you can see why I would never want to leave.
It is a unique dodecagon house of 12 sides, with windows on all sides, with a view to the Northumberland Strait and the Confederation bridge.
It is a special place that she shared with her husband, Tom, until she died almost 12 years ago.
Trafford has stayed busy with friends and family and creating crafts and clothing he sells in a local market.
But when he learned of the Houses without Walls program, which combines with volunteers with older people in their communities, he registered immediately.
The volunteers are mandated, lead the elderly to appointments and make regular records.
Trafford said that knowing that he would receive a phone call every Wednesday was “reassuring” and just what he needed.
“Anyone knows where I am and how I am,” he said.
His initial match in the program “Apparently became ill. So I received a call on a Monday, and it was a male voice, and my musical mind was: ‘Oh, that is a voice that sounds interesting'”.
The voice at the other extreme was David Steele. He had recently lost his wife and decided that he wanted to spend some of his time as a volunteer.
“I got up a morning and realized that I owed New Brunswick and New Scotland, from which I received a rather decent life, which perhaps it was recovery time and coincidentally, there was an announcement on the radio looking for volunteers.”
The Boyfriends Senior Brenda Trafford and Dav Id Steele gathered five years ago when Dav ID was voluntary for elderly households without walls, and in that role, he was paired with Brenda for weekly phone calls. Shortly after, they met in person and began their love story.
Steele enrolled to make weekly phone calls to fellow last year who needed support.
“I had my call list … The members were divided into groups of seven or eight people, and my dear Brenda was one of those people,” he said.
“So I started and she also had a very beautiful telephone voice, which impressed me.”
Telephone calls continued for other weeks and then decided to meet in person.
They were not looking, but love found them
Trafford invited Steele to his house and got along immediately.
“We chat for hours,” he said. “I think it reached one o’clock or something. He stayed in the first step for a while before reaching the room.”
They talked about their interests in the elaboration, music, puzzles, food and travel. They also shared their experiences as a widow and widow, each knowing that the other would understand.
“Because of the way my wife happened,” said Steele, “many nights could not sleep, and I would chat with her, and she said: ‘I’m going to leave soon and we have had our time together.
Steele and Trafford definitely live life. They have maintained their respective houses but are close enough to travel regularly from one place to another.
They go to restaurants, buy groceries and make the occasional trip together, which makes Steele appreciate Trafford even more.
“I love her because I can go to Fredericton and we don’t have to stop to urinate,” Steele said with a smile.
Trafford, who is approaching his 90th birthday, said they laugh a lot when they are together, and marvels at the life he is living.
“I wasn’t looking,” he said about finding love. “I thought that was part of my life was over.
“Having a partner is much more comforting for me than living alone, and I’m lucky, lucky, lucky to have happened.”
