Toronto

Ontario couple shares total eclipse birthdays — 25 years apart

Judi Jewinski celebrated her birthday in Paris during the August 11, 1999 total solar eclipse, a rarity her husband Ed Jewinski will share when he celebrates his birthday during Monday's total solar eclipse.

Judi and Ed Jewinski will share rare distinction of having total eclipse birthdays — a quarter century apart

Married couple celebrates rare total eclipse birthdays 25 years apart

8 months ago
Duration 2:30
Total solar eclipses hold special meaning for one Toronto couple. Judi Jewinski celebrated her birthday in Paris during the Aug. 11, 1999, total solar eclipse. Her husband Ed Jewinski will celebrate his birthday during the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse. The couple spoke to CBC's Patrick Swadden about the special event they share.

Solar eclipses are rare, and catching one on your birthday is even rarer.  But for one Ontario couple, that's a distinction they'll soon both be able to claim.

Judi Jewinski celebrated her birthday in Paris during the August 11, 1999, total solar eclipse. That's a rarity her husband Ed Jewinski will share when he celebrates his birthday during Monday's total solar eclipse.

"We were driving one day and I realized, 'Wait a minute, we met 50 years ago. Twenty-five years ago you, on your birthday, had an eclipse. Now it's 25 years later ... and I have an eclipse on my birthday," Ed Jewinski recalled.

"So we thought, 'How many have had double the experience in one lifetime in one marriage as one couple?' We thought, 'What are the odds?'"

The best, part, says Judi: "The sharing of it — that we're both still together and we're both seeing the second eclipse."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patrick Swadden

Reporter/Producer

Patrick is a reporter and producer for CBC News in Toronto. He is from Vancouver, BC, where he previously worked for CityNews and reported on the overdose crisis.