Thursday, October 1, 2026
On June 30, Helen and Dick Davenport will celebrate their 75th year of marriage.
They met in high school in Wenatchee, Washington, and both attended Washington State University. They moved to Edmonds in 1956 directly from Morocco, where Dick was stationed in the Air Force.
Dick remained in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and started teaching at Lynndale Elementary School. He quickly became an elementary school principal, spending his first six years at Edmonds Elementary School – now the Frances Anderson Center. He retired as the Assistant Superintendent of Edmonds School District and was recently named a Living Legend by the District.
Helen raised their kids, Debra and Rick, and worked part-time at the Edmonds School District library center for decades.
Both are known for their deep involvement in their church, most recently at the Edmonds United Methodist Church in Edmonds, where their grandson Nick is presently the Director of Youth and Family Services. Tanner, their second grandson, is a high school teacher and football coach at Arlington High School. They also have a daughter-in-law of 40 years, Bev.
A master gardener, Dick is known for his huge vegetable garden. Especially his sweet corn, and for donating hundreds of squash each year to the Edmonds Food Bank. Helen became a tester for the Jackson and Perkins rose company and tried out dozens of new hybrid roses. She is also regarded by many as the maker of the best piecrust in Edmonds. Their yard was bursting with plants and flowers.
Presently, they still live in their lifetime home in Edmonds. Daughter Debra is their full-time caretaker. They are huge sports fans, and have had season tickets to the Seahawks since their inception in 1973. Relaxing and watching sports fill their days now, as well as attending church services remotely.
Life is good.
