To England and Back Again

The only church we knew was at Northgate. It was quite a drive. Boeing was in big trouble and there were hundreds of layoffs. Suddenly, just as we had really got on our feet, the man at Harry’s office laid him off with three month’s pay. All six of us sat around the table and decided we would be better off in England. We advertised our house in the paper and had eleven replies. We were so fortunate to sell it, as people were walking away from their homes. Harry did a very good job of packing all our stuff. It was going by ship. We managed to get six seats across on a 707 airplane. David was just about to be three. We flew to Iceland then on to England.

We stayed one month with Harry’s mother and then Reggie, Harry’s younger brother, rented their cousin’s house for us in South Darenth, Kent. It was a lovely spot. It had the Darenth River running through the back yard and ducks and all sorts of wild life were there in abundance.

Deborah went to Pitman’s in London for shorthand and typing. Julia went to a private school, Miss Dixon and Wolfe Tutorial. Because our children had American accents, the English could not place them socially – to our amusement. The Shah of Iran’s niece went to the same school as Julia. We really laughed.

Harry had Peter psychoanalyzed by a BBC analyst and we managed to get him into a really good boy’s “public” school in Dartford. He was really a brave little boy. Their school psychoanalyst didn’t have as many qualifications as the BBC analyst so he was accepted. He was just twelve. The boys there used to call him “Yank.” He did five years of school in England in 3 1/2 years so when we eventually returned to America, when he was sixteen, he went straight to University.

I loved being home. There is a softness about the people and the land that is so pleasant. Harry did freelance work. We stayed in Brian’s house for almost two years. We saw a lot of Reggie, which was nice. But, we had to move, and found a new townhouse. Julia meanwhile went to college in Dartford, and had a part-time job in the Dartford Public library. Deborah did temporary work in London. The girls loved the clothes and freedom they had in England.

We discovered that after being away nine years, they would not let us have a pension when we got old. Also, we couldn’t buy a house because Harry did freelance work. Harry’s dad died after we had been home for only two months, in 1970, then Joe, my mother’s husband, died in 1972, and then my mother in 1973. It was really a sad time.

Then, in 1974, Harry decided to go back to Seattle. David had been in school one year. I had a little part-time job to help out, and David would stay home with Harry. Then, in January, Harry and Deborah went back to the USA. I was left with one month’s rent, my part-time job, and Julia working at the library. Harry and Deborah stayed nine weeks with a Christian couple. Deborah had a job in three days, Harry in seventeen days; he worked for Metropolitan Engineers. So in nine weeks they saved enough to pay our fare, and managed to buy a nice house. They borrowed $2,000 for the deposit.

So, once more, we had our furniture and belongings packed up and sent by sea. Julia, Peter, David and I flew to Seattle. The Lord was surely with us. Harry and Deborah were waiting to meet us, and we went straight to the Walds to dinner. Then we went to the little house they had got for us. It was really a nice, cozy house. We didn’t have a car for a year, but we lived close to everything, and the bus stopped at the end of the road. Deborah had a good job in a bank, Julia and Peter were in college, and David, who was six, went to King’s Garden Christian School. At first, he went on a school bus, but it was a long way and he used to be so white getting off. A lady at church, who was not well, said if I drove her to the shops, doctors, etc. I could use her car. It was hard on me sometimes but I was able to drive David to school.

The kids made friends and did things together. Deborah used to be friendly with Lee Hess, but returning to the U.S., she started to go out with Lee’s friend Larry Young. On their first date he took her to the boat show. She was 21, and he was 22. I remember quite clearly, Larry turned up decked out in white pants and sweater. I liked him very much. He was quiet and a polite young man. They went out for a year, and I remember Larry asking Harry if he could marry Deborah. They got married at Northgate Gospel Chapel. Now they have three children: Jessica, Andrew, and Candace. They have built three houses so far!

Julia had a job at The Bon Marché (now called Macy’s) at night, and went to the University of Washington during the day. So at 30, she married Chuck, who is a nice young man. They have two children: Peter and Rebecca. Both of our daughters homeschool their children.

Peter, our eldest son, went out with Beth, who he knew before we went back to England, when they were both just children. They went out for seven years before they got married. They had three children: Jonathan, Elizabeth, and Courtney. Sudden sadness hit Beth and Peter between having Jonathan and Elizabeth. They lost a little baby boy 3 1/2 months old, Jesse, with SIDS. Then disaster struck again. Their last baby, Jacob, two years after Courtney, died at 4 1/2 months, with SIDS.

David, the youngest, met Kristi Olsen at King’s Garden school. They went out for quite a while. They were married at 21 and 23 years of age. It was a fantastic wedding. In 1984, Harry, David, Kristi and I went to Maui for a ten day vacation. It was wonderful.