A sad goodbye to Whidbey | LETTER TO THE EDITOR

To the editor:

Good-bye, South Whidbey!

These past 32 years here on the South End have been so good to us. Greg and I came here in an old Econoline van from California in 1978 with not much in our possession except our three boys, Cameron, Matthew and Courtney, and our beloved German shepherd, Zeus.

Life on Whidbey was a lot simpler then; just what a young family dreamed life should be. Our first summer, we picked berries and sold them to buy passes to the Island County Fair.

It has been so nice to go into a bank, a gas station or a store where everyone working in it knows you by name. We did not worry about our boys when they played a couple blocks away from home on the bluff at Saratoga Beach. It just seemed a lot safer back then.

While we have watched Whidbey grow in much the same way as we watched our boys grow up, we have loved it here. As for our sons’ education, we feel they got a lot of positive attention in the schools here, and most of the teachers were great mentors to our sons.

So much has changed — some good, some not-so-much — but being a part of this giving, caring community has meant everything to us. It is a special culture here, like no other, and the friendships that have blessed our lives have made us happy.

We are grateful for the good, honest, hard-working people who have been part of our extended family all these 32 years.

Greg has worked at Nichols Brothers for 25 years, and he has been part of a family of strong, capable workers; these are people he and I will miss terribly, though retirement will be sweet.

Many thanks, South Whidbey, for giving us so many good memories. Now it seems South Whidbey is not far enough south for us. As we take our leave, we want you to know we will be thinking about you and hoping you remain safe and happy. We will be surfing and fishing in the Pacific Ocean in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur. Adios, amigos!

Susie Farrar

Clinton

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