The KFC Caper
Corespondence from Colin Moore, KFC President Canada
In 1974, I was a photography major at Sheridan College. Our class of 125 students included five females, and our mini clique included three women. Shirley and I were good friends. I finally built the courage to ask her out on a date. She turned me down with a line I will never forget: “I am not the girl for you, but I know the perfect one for you!” The rest is a love story for the ages.
I met Donna, Shirley’s lifelong friend and neighbour, at a party Shirley hosted. We connected that night, and I asked her out on a date for the class party the following weekend. There was a minor issue: I already had a date. I called my other date within a few days and told her that something had come up and I would not be taking her to the class party.
That became the last time I would ask a woman for a date! I knew Donna would be the perfect one for me. I am fond of saying that our marriage is still a work in progress; after all, every single stage was new, and every stage had new and different challenges. Whether dating, getting married, having children, or career changes, we faced them all together. I am sure that our love at first differed from our love for each other now. It has evolved, and I cannot imagine for a single moment ever having a better person join me on this journey called life.
We have an incredible number of stories on our journey that will find their way into some form of story. One stands out as a classic – the KFC story.
Shirley Young, Karen Sakala, Donna, Me, Bob Pope, Kamal Kerba on November 6, 1976
We were married on November 6, 1976. Within ten days, I had changed jobs from management to commission sales, from being a department head in cameras to a commissioned job selling carpets. I moved from my mother’s house to a shared accommodation with my bride. I changed from a short commute of six miles to work to 47 miles, from a suburban store to the main flagship store of the Bay at Yonge and Bloor. As a result of all that turmoil and job change, we only had three days for our honeymoon.
Our friend Yvonne could not attend the wedding, and since she lived in London, we visited Yvonne on our honeymoon. Our drive to London took us past another famous name landmark – Paris. We got to Paris at lunchtime and decided to have a KFC lunch.
For the next twenty years, I would proudly declare that we went to London and Paris for our Honeymoon and ate at a world-famous restaurant, KFC! I decided to treat Donna to a trip to London and Paris, Europe, for our twentieth anniversary. To make it a special event, I contacted the President of KFC Canada to help make our Paris trip more memorable. I wanted to set up a unique table with candles and fancy tablecloths at a Paris KFC. He reached out to the KFC General Manager for France – unfortunately, the Paris KFC was the busiest in France, serving thousands of meals a day. They could not accommodate our request but gave us a free meal voucher. We did have lunch at KFC in Paris.
I love Paris in the spring time,
I love Paris in the fall….see if you can continue without singing.
Fortieth Anniversary at the local KFC
On our fortieth anniversary, our big party was a week after November 6th at a beautiful hall. On November 6th, I surprised Donna with a dinner at the local KFC. Our family set up an anniversary table, and some friends and neighbours joined us. We had balloons and a wonderful time.
Over our years together, we have had so many stories and memorable moments. I would not change them for an instant. We have had our stresses and challenges but overcame them. Two incredible children have shown us that we have been blessed and fortunate. The extended family and friends who have made the journey with us prove the axiom that “no man is an island.”
A long time ago, in 1982 to be precise, a work colleague had a heart attack and died on his way to work. That morning, he fought with his wife, and she often regretted their last conversation as she slammed the door behind him. His grieving widow made me promise never to leave the house without saying I love you. Since then, those have to be the last words spoken between us when one of us leaves. The beauty is that it is more meaningful every time, and we have long forgotten why we say that - it is just something we do.
Some of the Kerba’s Travels
I thank Donna for a fantastic partnership through thick and thin, job changes, and raising children. Now, it is on to a new phase—retirement. We are still a work in progress, and I hope to have many more adventures. Thank you for putting up with me; I love you more and more each day.
Editors note - It is my hope and intention to go back to London and Paris for our fiftieth anniversary in November 2026
Photo Credit: Bob Pope
At the cottage
We truly appreciate our blessings and journey. Here are images from some of our travels and family events. Here are some of our friends who have made this trip so magnificent.
The places we’ve been and the people we’ve met!
We are still a work in progress and here is hoping to have more stories to tell.
Photo Credit: Robert Reid. Loch Lomond, Scotland