Leamington dog-lovers celebrate diamond wedding anniversary

A Leamington couple who love dogs recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary, and said '˜working together' was the key to a long marriage.
Peter and Eileen CookePeter and Eileen Cooke
Peter and Eileen Cooke

Peter and Eileen Goode, of Loxley Way, married on February 16, 1957 aged 18 and 16 respectively.

The couple have a very large family, with six children, Philip, Paul, Susan, Sid, Janette and David.

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Along with their children, Peter and Eileen have 32 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. They admitted it was difficult to keep track of all the birthdays.

But despite the size of their family, all of them get on well and regularly see each other as they all live in and around Leamington.

Peter said: “You realise when you grow older how lucky you are to have them.”

And Eileen added: “If there’s any bust-ups we stay out of it and let them deal with it.”

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The pair met at a cafe in Leamington when Peter was 17 and Eileen was 15. Peter soon popped the question after failing a medical when he tried to join the army.

It did not take long for the couple to start a family - Eileen had her first three children within three years.

Peter worked in a variety of jobs to support the family until he turned 21, when he got a steady job at the Lockheed factory in Leamington.

And Eileen worked for Leamington stove company Flavels, which later became Aga Rangemaster.

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Now their children have all grown up, Peter and Eileen enjoy looking after their two dogs, Pepsi and Tizer.

Peter said: “They’re one of the family and I wouldn’t want to be without them at all.”

The couple will celebrate their anniversary by going for a meal at the Green Man in Kenilworth on Saturday February 18.

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