A River Ridge Love Story – Susie and Hal
February 6, 2025 | By Park Place Seniors Living |
Love has a way of finding its way back, no matter how much time passes or how far life takes us. For Susie and Hal Foster, River Ridge became the place where their hearts reunited after decades apart.
Susie has been a key part of River Ridge Seniors Village for years, supporting sales and events as the Sales Advisor since 2008. She has played an integral role in creating a warm and welcoming environment for residents and families alike. Little did she know that this very place would also become the setting for her own love story to come full circle.
Their journey began in the summer of 1977. One Saturday afternoon, Hal and his buddies came to pick up Susie’s oldest sister, and by chance, Susie found herself in the car, sitting right next to him. The drive to the lake was filled with laughter and easy conversation, and from that moment on, there was an undeniable spark.
Hal, from Beechy, SK, and Susie, from Kyle, SK, crossed paths again a few weeks later at a friend’s cabin. Hal recalls that the moment Susie walked through the door, he knew she was special. They quickly became inseparable, their families meeting and their love deepening. Though Susie’s father was initially cautious—given the slight age gap between them—they laugh about it now.
As life often does, it took them in different directions. They pursued separate ambitions, moved away from their hometowns, and eventually built lives apart. Hal settled in Calgary, married, and had a son, Darick. Susie made her home in Regina, married, and raised four daughters. The years passed, and for nearly 25 years, they had no contact at all.
Then, in an unexpected twist, fate brought them back together one summer. Susie, recently divorced, visited their hometown lake, where she and Hal crossed paths again. Hal was also going through a divorce at the time. Their reunion was serendipitous—both needing a friend, a familiar presence, and someone who understood the past they had shared. They spent time reminiscing, laughing, and leaning on one another before once again going their separate ways.
But love was persistent. In November 2022, after years of asking old friends about Susie’s whereabouts, Hal reached out, inviting her on a road trip to Lucky Lake to pick up some fish and then to Saskatoon to see an old friend. Without hesitation, Susie said yes—and just like that, they were inseparable once more.
Shortly after their road trip, Hal began working at River Ridge in December 2022, bringing them even closer together. Though their families had remained loosely connected—Hal’s son Darick and Susie’s daughters had kept in touch over the years—it was at River Ridge where their paths crossed once more, proving that fate had a plan all along.
The years apart only made their love stronger. In the summer of 2024, Hal asked Susie to marry him, revealing that he had kept the rings he had bought for her all those years ago. He had held onto them, knowing one day they would have their moment. With a resounding “yes,” their journey together came full circle.
Their families rejoiced, saying, “It’s about time!” And now, with hearts fuller than ever, Susie and Hal are embracing new adventures together, proving that true love always finds its way home.
Although Hal now still works in the Seniors Living sector, at a neighbouring retirement property, Meadowlands—River Ridge will always hold a special place in their hearts. It was here that love was rekindled, where memories resurfaced, and where two hearts reconnected after a lifetime apart. Now that’s a love story worth celebrating!
