December 12, 2018

Love is in the Air at Bayview

Category: Community

Author: bayview

“Serendipity” is defined as “The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.” The Bayview community has been touched by a number of serendipitous meetings over the years, two of which have resulted in wedding vows in our very own chapel.

Bayview residents and staff are still giddy over the recent marriage of residents Mary Body and Al Raymond. Mary and Al become close friends while participating in the Milk Carton Derby last summer. “It wasn’t immediate, love at first sight romance, like the movie South Pacific,” said Al. “It was a slow process – like barnacles growing.” Mary laughed nodded her head in agreement. “It just evolved,” she said. Like barnacles on a boat, Mary and Al soon realized that they weren’t going anywhere without each other. Both expressed surprise and joy to find love in their third act and attest the connection to being open to new experiences and people in older adulthood.

The same is true for Chuck and Marilyn Blankenship. Marilyn, an avid traveler, moved to Bayview in 2010 and later embarked on a cruise in Norway. While aboard she met Chuck, also a world traveler, and they become fast friends. A marriage proposal eventually followed and Marilyn and Chuck wed at Bayview amongst family, friends and staff. They moved to southern California for a short time until Marilyn yearned to be back at Bayview. They returned to Seattle in 2015 and resettled in their current 9th floor apartment that overlooks the Olympic Mountains. “We enjoy each other,” said Chuck. “We enjoy seeing the world together.”  And they will continue to do so with upcoming adventures to Hawaii, Bora Bora and the Appalachian Trail (and many places in-between) planned for the near future.

As the poem “The Art of Marriage” (which Al’s daughter read at the wedding) reads, “You are never too old to hold hands.” This will always be true at Bayview.

11 West Aloha Street

Seattle, WA 98119

Phone: (206) 284-7330