Love Story

Charlotte Pick was taking a year off school when she met Ben Westmoreland.

They were in the University District at a “hard times” party. Charlotte was tired and sat down against the wall. She looked Ben over.

Ben asked to walk Charlotte home that night. She had come to the party with her brother. “I really didn’t want to walk home,” Charlotte said.

Later, the couple began dating. They soon remembered they had already met at a “get- acquainted” party.

“The first date I decided I was real interested,” Ben said.

When it came to Charlotte’s 19th birthday, Ben had a proposal.

Ben and Charlotte Westmoreland of Everett will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary with a dinner at their church.

The couple were married May 2, 1941, in the parsonage of University Presbyterian Church in Seattle.

They have three children, four grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Charlotte says Ben has been an excellent husband and father.

“You can talk to any one of our three daughters,” Charlotte said.

Ben says Charlotte can’t be topped as a mother and wife.

Charlotte and Ben’s children were in junior high school when Ben attended law school. They built their Everett home in 1966.

Like most couples, Charlotte and Ben disagree with each other on certain things.

But their 65 years of marriage have gone by quickly, and when they got married, Ben and Charlotte committed to a lasting relationship.

“We got married to stay married,” Ben said.

In his work as a lawyer, he saw the problems in his clients’ marriages, some caused by alcohol.

“It has caused so much trouble in so many families,” he said.

There are many things that Charlotte loves about Ben, including that he has never disappointed her.

“I trust him utterly. I know he loves me,” she said. “He is committed to God. That’s another reason I can trust him completely.”

Ben said he never has looked at another woman and that he loves Charlotte, that’s the first thing, he said.

“For one thing she’s a woman of faith,” Ben said.

Charlotte has a theory that has worked throughout their relationship: never say anything just for the satisfaction of saying it.

“She’s not a pushover,” Ben said.

Charlotte agrees with that assessment.

“I married a dominant man with dominant parents,” Charlotte said. “I knew I would have to sink or swim.”

“And boy, did she swim,” Ben said.

To submit your Love Story or Celebration information, call Christina Harper at 425-339-3491 or e-mail harper@heraldnet.com.