Back when gas was 15 cents a gallon, Bob Van Winkle was driving his 1950s pink and white Ford Crown Victoria when Jeanne Pollard spotted him.
She thought he was handsome, self-assured and looked comfortable with himself.
“He had that certain look,” Jeanne said.
Bob and Jeanne were Everett High School students. When they began dating, Jeanne didn’t know if it would work. They were in love, but the couple argued. They were two individuals who had their own ideas.
Jeanne never thought she would marry Bob, figuring they’d never get along.
Jeanne and Bob Van Winkle of Marysville will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Thursday. The family recently celebrated with a party.
They graduated from high school June 8, 1955, and were married June 9 at Bob’s parents’ home. The temperature hit a record high that day, and the couple honeymooned on Orcas Island.
Their songs included “Too Young” by Nat King Cole, “Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino and “Unchained Melody,” a 1950s song later made famous by the Righteous Brothers.
Jeanne said she began to realize that the arguments she had worried about were superficial, more jostling for position between two individuals. Bob was the youngest child in his family, and she was the oldest one in hers.
The couple did have a lot in common, including their ideals and work ethic.
“The only difference we have is man and woman,” Jeanne said.
The Van Winkles moved into their three-bedroom home in Marysville in 1958. They still live there.
Jeanne and Bob started their business, Van Winkle’s Interiors, in 1969 in an old building on Colby Avenue in Everett that used to be a bakery. Bob’s father had run the business since 1938. They moved to their current Hewitt Avenue address in the early 1970s.
Bob expanded his love of hunting and fishing and opened a professional archery store that adjoins Van Winkle’s.
Jeanne’s advice to people starting out in married life is to take time to work out problems, and practice give-and-take. Couples also need to understand that anger will pass and that men and women are different.
Bob and Jeanne are members of First Christian Reform Church in Everett. They have relied on prayer during difficult times.
“Sometimes we need all the help we can get,” Jeanne said.
She says Bob is a great husband and a wonderful father. The couple have four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
“We laugh a lot together,” Jeanne said. “We really enjoy each other.”
Reporter Christina Harper: 425-339-3491 or harper@heraldnet.com.
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