<< Previous   of   Next >> Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) The light shines on Jean (center-left) and Helen Bryson as they participate in a senior center aerobics class, Monday, Aug. 11, at North Creek Presbyterian Church in Mill Creek. The Brysons have been married for 71 years. Enterprise/CHRIS GOODENOW  (click to enlarge) Jean (left) and Helen Bryson have been married for 71 years. They pose for a photograph Monday, Aug. 11, at North Creek Presbyterian Church in Mill Creek.

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, Copy editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

It's just a walk in the park

• ‘It doesn’t seem that long …’ couple says of 71-year-old marriage

By Alexis Bacharach
Enterprise editor

Helen Bryson shrugged her shoulders. She and husband, Jean Bryson, celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary last month, but the day passed liked any other.

"It doesn't seem that long ago," said Helen, 89, of Mill Creek. "The days sort of pile up and before you know it, here we are. I guess we've kept ourselves so busy over the years we just lost track of time."

They were childhood sweethearts -- caught up in a sort of on-again-off-again romance that played out through their school days in Montana's Bitterroot Valley.

"It's really something," 90-year-old Jean said. "All those years."

Helen's parents disapproved of the match, so the young couple eloped about 90 miles south of their hometown near Missoula. Helen was 18; Jean was 19.

"He told everyone he was 21, but I knew better," Helen said laughing. "We'd been either friends or sweethearts for so long that we ended up with eachother."

They eventually left Montana and settled in Spokane where Jean worked for the railroad. They raised three boys and played host-family to dozens of foreign exchange students. Helen thought it was a good way to broaden her children's views of the world.

"They talked about politics and cultural differences and all kinds of things," Helen said. "I was glad our boys had that influence in their lives."

She couldn't imagine raising children today "there are a lot more temptations that young people have to deal with. Things we didn't have when I was growing up -- when my children were growing up."

The mother, grandmother and 71-year bride offers just one piece of advice to young families just starting off: stay active, she says.

The Brysons attend an exercise class through the Mill Creek Senior Center three times a week. It's how they tune into community chatter and stay connected with friends -- both of which prove more and more daunting with age.

Seventy-one years of marriage and 90 years of living have their blessings, but there's also the burden -- the pain -- of outliving so many friends and loved ones.

"I want to cry just thinking about it," Helen said. "It's why the few social activities we have are so important. Our friends are falling so fast, we need a place where we can feel connected to people."

The Brysons have long lost touch with there friends from Montana and Spokane, making their extended family at the Mill Creek Senior Center all the more precious.

While Helen and Jean chalked their anniversary up to one more day on the calendar, they were surprised and honored that their friends not only remembered the occasion but gave them flowers and cards as tokens of the 71-year milestone.

"I don't see that it's such a big deal," Helen said. "We've kept a very busy but quiet lifestyle and we always stayed active. I wish I had something more interesting to say about it."