Love Story: Stan and Colleen Price

Published 9:50 pm Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Stan Price spotted a good friend from Seattle at a Sunday morning church service in Ellensburg. He was curious to find out why he was in town and hadn’t contacted Stan.

The friend, once cornered, explained to Stan that he hadn’t wanted to let him know he was around because he was in Ellensburg to see a girl. He knew Stan would make it his business to find out about the girl.

Stan did.

The girl was Colleen Warner. Stan quickly became friends with her, hanging out with each other’s roommates and college buddies.

Stan was in graduate school and Colleen was a home economics major. Although Stan was becoming more interested in Colleen, he made himself a vow not to date until his thesis work was complete.

Then one of Colleen’s roommates mentioned to her that she thought Stan was falling in love with Colleen.

“That’s repulsive,” Colleen said. She wasn’t interested in anything more than friendship. One day, Stan asked Colleen if he had ever hurt her feelings. She said his sarcasm hurt her all the time. That conversation made Stan change his ways. “I didn’t realize it was hurtful to her,” Stan said. “I apologized.”

Stan and Colleen Price of Everett celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary Sept. 3.

Stan and Colleen wrote and memorized the vows that they recited on their wedding day in Olympia. Stan promised to always court Colleen.

Right before the wedding, Stan severely sprained his ankle. They were going to go to Victoria, B.C., but didn’t have the money.

“Instead of me carrying her over the threshold, she carried the luggage,” Stan said.

As newlyweds, Stan taught glassblowing at Pacific Lutheran University while Colleen did her student teaching. Stan accepted a position at the Pilchuck School as a purchasing agent and caretaker. Colleen took a teaching position at Snohomish Middle School.

In 1979, Stan and Colleen moved to Everett and opened Covenant Art Glass on Broadway.

Stan describes Colleen as a phenomenal homemaker. “She has made growing up in our household great for our kids,” Stan said. The couple has three children.

“She’s not only good looking, she’s smart, she’s creative,” Stan said.

Colleen is also a great business partner and volunteers at church and school.

Stan advises couples starting out to pick their battles and overlook things that are not important.

“Continue to do all the things that won your sweetie in the first place,” Stan said.

Stan also says that as couples work through the ups and downs of life together they can either grow closer or grow apart. He and Colleen are constructive rather than hurtful and are both very willing to fix things, he said.

“I love her more now than when we first met,” Stan said. “Colleen is one in a million.”

Tell us your Love Story. Please call Christina Harper at 425-339-3491 or e-mail harper@heraldnet.com.