HFC retiree and wife celebrate 70 Valentine’s Days

HFC alumnus and retired instructor Patrick Bruen and his wife Irene have been each other’s Valentine for 70 years – and they’re still going strong.

The Bruens, who are both 90, reside at Beaumont Commons, Dearborn, a senior independent living community. They met more than seven decades ago at Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital in Detroit. Patrick was working in the ER when Irene had been sent there to be treated for poison ivy.

“When he later called me for a date, I didn’t even know who he was because his nickname in the ER was ‘Paddy,’ not Patrick,” recalled Irene, then a nursing student at Mt. Carmel.

Humor and faith

The couple married in 1955 at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Irene’s native Lake Leelanau and settled in Dearborn. They have seven children, 19 grandchildren, and 32 great-grandchildren.

When asked about their secret to a long and successful marriage, Patrick joked, “She does everything I tell her to do.”

“And he has a good sense of humor,” retorted Irene. Getting serious, she said, “A strong faith.”

Balancing family, work, pastoral care, and classes at HFC

An alumnus of Detroit Catholic Central High School, Patrick graduated from SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, where he became a deacon and served for 45 years. He earned both his bachelor’s degree in business and his master’s degree in theology from what is now the University of Detroit Mercy.

During his 45 years as a deacon, Patrick served at Sacred Heart Catholic Parish and School in Dearborn, St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church in Wyandotte, and St. Stephen Catholic Church in New Boston.

Decades later, Patrick – who worked in accounting for General Motors and later in sales for other large corporations – took classes at HFC (then Henry Ford Community College), earning his associate degree in computer science in 1997. Subsequently, Patrick taught Computer Information Systems at HFC from 2000 through 2016. He retired from HFC when he was 82. In late 2023, Patrick retired from his duties as a deacon.

“I don’t know how he did it. He worked all day and came home at night to study at the dining room table. You know that with six kids running around there was always chaos, but he stayed focused,” marveled Irene. “He somehow also managed to balance our ever-growing family, work, and pastoral care with taking computer classes at HFC.”

70 years of family, faith, and friends

In 2023, the Bruens realized their house in Dearborn was too big to manage, so they sold it and moved into Beaumont Commons. The move has not changed their active lifestyle. Patrick continues to lead a men’s weekly prayer breakfast in Dearborn. Both are members of the Community of God’s Mercy that meets at St. Kateri Catholic Church in Dearborn.

Irene also visits a friend who is now in nursing care on a daily basis. While on campus, Irene attends exercise classes and other special events. They both enjoy reading and having dinner with the other residents.

When asked if they did anything special for Valentine’s Day this year, they enjoyed the special surf and turf Valentine’s Day dinner for residents.

“For us, Valentine’s Day is another way to count the sweetness of 70 years of family, faith, and friends,” said Irene.