STAFFORD 60th

Recently Tom and Brooke Stafford celebrated their 60th anniversary by climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia. Besides touring east Australia, they enjoyed several fun-packed days with their family on the Puget Sound in Washington state.

Their courtship began the spring of 1956 due to Tom receiving a suggestion from Nellie Sharmon, Walla Walla University dean of women, that he should date Brooke Huntington, a nursing student. They received tremendous support from faculty, friends and family. They were married on Sept. 30, 1956, by Brooke’s father, L.L. Huntington.

Immediately, Tom took up pastoral duties in the Washington Conference. Later he served in the Oregon, Southern California, Idaho and Colorado conferences as pastor, evangelist and conference personal ministries director for 40 years. He completed his Doctor of Ministry degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, Calif.

Brooke was always eager to make people feel welcome in the churches they served. As a registered nurse she taught in several schools of nursing, developed a hospital health education department and was a hospital nursing education director. Before retiring she was an ICU nurse at Adventist Medical Center in Portland, Ore. Brooke received her Master of Science in Nursing degree from California State University, Los Angeles.

During recent years they have conducted evangelism, health teaching and in-service training in how to share about Jesus’ salvation. Much of this has been in overseas mission trips to India, Africa, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Belize and Bolivia.

Their greatest joy is to spend time with their children, Sid and Janell Stafford, and grandchild, Abby, of Vancouver, Wash., as well as Jerry and Nelda Stafford of Sausalito, Calif.

Tom and Brooke live in Vancouver. They are looking forward to their 70th anniversary by actively seeking good health with walking, biking, skiing, connecting with friends and attending the Sunnyside Church in Portland, Ore.