Whirlwind romance has lasted 40 years
Couple were engaged within six weeks of meeting
A Paisley couple who got engaged six weeks after first dating will celebrate forty years of wedded bliss tomorrow.
Janice and Donald MacKinlay met back in 1978 in Valentino’s pub in Paisley where Janice was working behind the bar.
Janice worked in a bank during the day, but at night she worked in the bar,not only pulling pints, but she was also worked her magic and caught Donald’s eye.
Loving daughter Karen claims her parents debate who asked who out but told us: “When you ask them who asked who out they argue a bit but they did indeed start dating and in fact dad asked mum to marry him within six weeks.”
The couple were married in St Andrew’s Church – which has gone on to have many names, on October 17, 1981, and their wedding picture was published in the Paisley Daily Express.
The couple welcomed two daughters within the next few years, Karen was born in 1984 and Fiona soon after in 1986.
The family moved to Coats Drive in Paisley when the Claremont Park estate was built in 1988 and have stayed there ever since.
Both Donald and Janice are Paisley born and bred with Donald growing up in Crags Road and Janice from Glenapp Avenue.
They each had two sisters, Janice being the eldest of her siblings and Donald being the middle – but golden child as the only boy.
Donald was only 19 when he met the love of his life and had just finished serving his time as an engineer for British Gas where he worked all his days and retired from after 41 years service.
Janice continued to work for the Bank of Scotland before raising her daughters.
When the girls were old enough to go to school, Janice attended college then went onto university with a period of lecturing at the college afterwards before eventually settling as project administrator for Alzheimer
Scotland.
The happy couple are both now retired and Karen loves that her mum and dad spend quality time travelling.
She said: “Both mum and dad are now retired and love nothing more than their breaks away in Scotland with Inveraray being a firm favourite but Aberfoyle, Drymen, Dunoon and Largs have been visited this year alone.
“The pandemic put paid to their usual more sunshine coated breaks away, they’re usually in Ibiza and Tenerife at least twice a year but hopefully those will return soon.”
The green-fingered couple spend three seasons out of four in the garden.
Karen says that dad, Donald takes care “of every flower and plant you can think of including growing many vegetables for the neighbours”.
Whilst Janice enjoys reading a book in the summer sunshine.
Janice and Donald also spend as much time as they can with their grandchildren Emily, James and Cole.
Their daughter Fiona will marry husband-to-be Graham in March to round off a busy time for family events.
And to celebrate their Ruby Anniversary, both Karen and Fiona and their families will take their loving parents to the Lynnhurst Hotel in Johnstone tomorrow for a celebratory meal.