David and Ruth Round have witnessed the growth of a small town first hand, from farmlands to the booming urban city Bellevue has become today.
Celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary on Sept. 10, the couple recalled some memorable times from the place they have called home for more than half a century.
“The children always said moving to Bellevue was the best thing we ever did,” Ruth said. “Bellevue was nothing but dirt roads, fields and small shops. It was a wonderful community.”
The newly married couple first came to Bellevue in 1960, relocating their three children to the Clyde Hill neighborhood. David went to work for Boeing as a structural engineer and the family moved into a new home overlooking Yarrow Bay prior to the installation of the SR 520 Bridge connecting Seattle with Bellevue.
Deborah Freng and her younger sister, Gail Round, remember ice skating on the frozen ponds around their property. Their brother, who later passed away, spent his days fishing and exploring the pipes leading down to the construction of the 520 Bridge.
When the Rounds first bought their property where they built their family home, they did not anticipate the rapid growth of Bellevue that followed the completion of the 520 Bridge.
“Back then, the tallest building in Bellevue was the two-story Puget Power Building,” David explained. “Now look at these buildings. They seem to go on forever.”
The Round’s recall the small shopping area that once occupied what is now considered the downtown area of Bellevue. At the time, the mall was anchored by a JCPenney, Fredrick & Nelson and Nordstrom shoe store.
“I remember Nordstrom back then, which was really just a shoe store,” Freng explained. “There was a monkey in the window display. A monkey. Can you believe that?”
The Round’s recall a memorable first Thanksgiving in Bellevue, when Ruth slipped on a rockery and was taken to the newly opened Overlake Memorial Hospital. She became one of the first patients in the hospital’s emergency room.
Over the years, David and Ruth became involved in the community, volunteering as chaperons for the local ski school, becoming scout leaders and getting involved in city politics.
“Our parents were very active in our lives growing up,” said Gail, the youngest of the three siblings. “Family always came first with my parents.”
The two daughters recalled their mothers passion for candy making and the joy she would bring to everyone around.
When they first moved to Bellevue, Ruth became good friends with the owner of the Kandy Cottage, a small mom and pop candy shop in the middle of town. She began making homemade candy and treats for the neighbor kids. They nicknamed her the Lollypop Lady.
“My secret to life is to eat dessert first,” Ruth laughed. “The first thing my husband would ask me when he got home each day was, where’s the dessert? I was a happy homemaker and I loved it,” Ruth added, who tackled home projects in her spare time. Her husband took up fly fishing as a hobby and continues to travel to Alaska on an annual family trip.
The couple of 60 years referred to themselves as an endangered species, accrediting their long-standing marriage to a life of taking care of one another.
“When you grow up in a home where your parents love each other, and it’s evident, you learn quickly that you can accomplish anything,” Deborah said, adding, “There was a lot of love in that household.”
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.
