The Issaquah Press
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COMMUNITY
Wednesday August 8, 2012
s Amateur shutterbugs invited to photo contest The Issaquah Press announces its annual photo contest, open to all amateur shutterbugs. As in the past, contest photos can fall into one of three categories: people, scenic and animals. Entries will be weighed on the basis of originality, composition, lighting and the strength of the photo’s identification with Issaquah. Photographers are invited to submit their entries by email, in JPEG format, to contest@isspress.com. You also can mail an 8-by10 print to Amateur Photo Contest, 45 Front St. S., Issaquah, WA 98027. With all entries, include your name, address, a phone number and any story behind the photo. The entry limit is three entries per photographer. The deadline for submissions is Aug. 12. Determined by newspaper staff, winners will be announced in the Sept. 7 edition of The Press. All admissions come with permission to be reproduced, with a photo credit, in any publication of The Press.
Lorraine and Bud Cochran enjoy summer from the wicker patio swing at their home near Issaquah High School. BY GREG FARRAR
PLATINUM PALS High school sweethearts celebrate 70 years of marriage
“I tell her sometimes that I wish her folks could come back and see what a good job they’ve done with Lorraine. I think they’d be really proud.” — Bud Cochran By Christina Corrales-Toy news@isspress.com
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ud Cochran used to walk more than a mile to see his sweetheart Lorraine back when they were students at Puyallup High School in the late 1930s. With no car and a girlfriend that lived on the opposite side of town, the trek became a familiar path for the lovestruck Bud. “It didn’t seem far at all,” he said. “I was just smitten.” Seven decades later, the two longtime Issaquah residents are still together, having celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary May 2. Sitting in their cozy ranch-style home situated next to Issaquah High School, Bud, 90, and Lorraine, 88, fondly reminisced about their eventful 70 years together.
Accept things, have faith The Cochrans married in 1942, just after graduation. The newlyweds didn’t have much time to get comfortable as Bud joined the Army soon after. He spent time stationed in New Guinea, but luckily, he didn’t get in on any of the fighting. Still, the time away from Lorraine was difficult. At home, Lorraine worked, saved money, wrote letters and sent care packages to Bud when she could. “It was hard but a lot of women were in the same boat,” Lorraine said of being away from Bud. “You just accept it and have faith that things will be OK.” After four years in the Army, nearly two of which were spent away, Bud returned home.
Jubilee Farms hosts Autism Day WA
“I used to say a lot that Bud’s mother spoiled his father terribly and then I said, ‘What am I talking about? I’ve done the same to him.’” — Lorraine Cochran
The 12th annual Autism Day WA is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 11 at Jubilee Farms, 229 W. Snoqualmie River Road N.E., Carnation. The free event for families touched by autism will give families and caretakers an opportunity to relax in the peaceful surroundings of an actual working farm. The day has been designed as an all-day family activity in a relaxed setting with an assortment of activities for children. A list of volunteer opportunities is available at www. autismdaywa.org. Learn more about donations or participation by contacting Lynne Banki at lynne@autismdaywa.com or 802-7420.
With assistance from the GI Bill, he attended a trade school to learn about watch repair. It was a 24-month program, but it took him only 18 months to complete. Bud had found his passion. Long hours That passion that would ultimately relocate the growing family to Issaquah in 1959, when the Cochrans purchased a jewelry store on Front Street. With three young children and a fourth on the way, it was quite the adjustment as the couple worked to maintain the store. Bud would spend hours hunched over his workstation, honing his watch repair skills at the shop. He worked late nights, consumed with the craft to the point where it affected his health. Lorraine, who mostly stayed home with the children, the youngest of which was born with developmental disabilities, was concerned and frustrated with Bud’s long hours. “I got a little impatient with Bud because he was working so late,” Lorraine said. After 10 years of ownership, the Cochrans sold the jewelry store. “I really like watch repair, but that wasn’t where the money was,” Bud said. By then, the Cochrans had grown quite fond of Issaquah. The family had no plans to leave even after the store sold. “Issaquah was just a safe, little town and a good place to raise our four kids, too,” Lorraine said. Not always easy Once the store was sold, Bud and Lorraine worked for the Issaquah School District for several years. Lorraine worked part time at
Bicycle drive donations sought for African students
CONTRIBUTED
Lorraine and Bud Cochran stand at the altar of All Saints Catholic Church in Puyallup for their 1942 wedding. a school cafeteria, while Bud worked as a groundskeeper and custodian for 13 years, until he retired in 1984. Over seven decades of marriage, it wasn’t always easy. The two struggled with the jewelry shop and Bud’s long hours. They were also faced with the difficult task of saying See ANNIVERSARY, Page B6
Olympia-based Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care and Seattle-headquartered PCC Natural Markets have teamed up for Bicycles for Education. PCC Issaquah is hosting a bike drive, accepting functioning, adult-sized used bicycles from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1810 12th Ave. N.W. The bicycles will then be distributed to disadvantaged teens in Africa for transportation to and from school. Learn more at www.pccnaturalmarkets.com or www.empowermentalliance. org. Learn about volunteer opportunities by contacting Olowo-n’djo Tchala at 360-866-0080, ext. 204, or bikes@alaffia.com.
Pastor leaves Alaska for Pine Lake church By Lillian Tucker ltucker@sammamishreview.com If you ask the Rev. Mark Meredith if he is a fan of “churchliness” the answer is “no.” “I hate churchliness,” he said. He defines the term as being church-bound and thinking that within the four walls of a church is where God is most active. “We gather on Sunday so we can have our batteries charged so that we can really be about God all week,” he said. While he has only been in Sammamish for a few weeks and is still looking for a house to buy, Meredith has already started his new post as lead pastor of Pine Lake Covenant Church. Keeping the lessons of Christianity present in everyday life has been something that has appealed to Meredith since he first committed to the faith in his mid-20s. That was nearly three decades ago, when he was living on Mercer Island and just getting started as owner of a small variety store. “I felt like that was my call-
BY GREG FARRAR
Mark Meredith is the new lead pastor for Pine Lake Covenant Church in Sammamish. ing, to experience God in the business world and find his light there,” he said. “This is my big thing, helping people connect their faith to their everyday life.” Shortly after joining the evangelical denomination, Meredith
met his future wife, Patty. The two were later married in the same Mercer Island church where they met. Still a small business owner, Meredith took a break in 1990 to attend seminary at Regent Col-
lege in Vancouver, B.C. “I didn’t feel called to be a pastor,” he said. “I just felt ‘I want to know more and grow more.’” Seventeen years after he earned his economics degree from the University of Washington, Meredith graduated from college again in 1993 with a master’s of Christian studies in applied theology. By that time, he and Patty Meredith had three small children — Aaron, Jesse and Sam. The family moved back to Mark Meredith’s hometown of Olympia, where he continued to run his growing business, Meredith Stores. With the line between his spiritual life and work life already blurred it didn’t seem like that big of a leap, Meredith said, when he decided to become the founding pastor at Community Covenant Church in Eagle River, Alaska. “I was getting tired of my business,” he said, adding that he did a lot of reflection. “Is this really what I want? Is this what I am meant to do?” So in 1995, the family of five left the Puget Sound region for Eagle River, a neighboring town
“I didn’t feel called to be a pastor. I just felt ‘I want to know more and grow more.’” — Rev. Mark Meredith Lead pastor of Pine Lake Covenant Church
of Anchorage. For Meredith, a fan of the outdoors and fly-fishing in particular, the new location was a good fit. But it wasn’t all a smooth transition. With nearly 2,000 miles between them and the rest of their family, it was cold, dark and a hard place to live, he said. But, he added, there were a lot of needs and a lot of opportunities for ministry. In the 17 years he was at the helm, the congregation that started with just 30 people grew to more than 1,000. “I love watching people experience the person of Christ and then watch the change that comes to their life as a result. It See PASTOR, Page B6