— You’re Invited —
Noreen & Keith
We’re Getting Married!
A Match Made In Italy
Noreen & Keith joyfully request the pleasure of your company as we speak our vows and join in marriage in the presence of family and friends.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you! We have 2 ceremonies to choose from: one in B.C. and one in Saskatchewan. Please RSVP for the location/date that works best for you.
We want you there, so we’re doing it twice!
2 Weddings to Choose From:
Sun. May 17, 2026
Waskesiu Lake, Prince Albert National Park, S.K.
Ceremony: 11:00 am
Family Games & Reception to follow
Our Story
We like to think that our fathers brought us together, in Italy.
Keith
We met in October 2023 on the Canadian Battlefields Italian Tour, led by Liberation Tours. Specifically, we first spoke on October 18 when our tour group explored our first stop at Bark West Beach in southern Sicily. It was here, on July 10, 1943, that the Canadian Army came ashore as part of Operation Husky, the Allies’ liberation of Italy. Noreen’s father, Hector Paul, a Private with the Seaforth Highlanders Regiment from Vancouver, had shared with his young daughter his memories of that event.
While our group gathered on the beach to hear from our Tour Historians, Noreen had stepped aside from the others, overcome with emotions. Here she was, standing on the very shore where her Dad had started his war 80 years before.
From the group, I noticed Noreen standing by herself. I just felt I had to see if she was okay.
Little did I know, little did we know, that our story had just begun…
Noreen
As we travelled across the land bravely fought for, at each battlefield location, each monument, each cemetery, we heard the tour group family members’ stories and everyone felt the raw emotion; we learned to share it with each other, building bonds that last to this day. My father’s story was just the first to be told. We travelled across Sicily and up Italy, beginning to understand the scale of sacrifices made for each mile of land. Our troops, including my father, arrived at the Moro River in December 1943; they battled fiercely during the Christmas week for the town of Ortona. The Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Seaforth Highlanders fought the Germans with brutal losses, finally overtaking the enemy positions.
Keith’s father, Les Bocking, was a Regimental Signaler with HQ Platoon, Loyal Edmonton Regiment. He joined the Italian campaign in early spring of 1944, landing in Naples. These two Canadian regiments continued to battle alongside each other in Italy until early 1945, then on to the northwestern front until the liberation of the Netherlands on May 5, 1945.
Keith and I returned to Canada at the end of October 2023, changed by our experience in Italy with the tour group. I learned he lived in Sherwood Park near where my son Warren lives, and we arranged to meet there for coffee a month later. Our friendship grew despite the miles between us. There were multiple calls and visits to each other’s cities as we shared our interests, values, and life stories.
In 2025, we came to realize we had become far closer than friends…
Now know we have the foundation to create an incredible life together.
Keith and Noreen are thrilled to share their new life journey with you as our witnesses. Celebrate with us as we join in marriage this May!
The Registry
Many of you are traveling to celebrate with us. Your presence means the world, and is all we ask for. If you'd still like to contribute to our Honeymoon Registry, you can do so below.
