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closeLocal couple still in love
Ross and Ruth Thompson met on blind date in 1930s, owned a Puyallup tire store for 43 years in their 70 years together
Roxanne Cooke
In the late 1930s, Ross and Ruth Thompson were set up on a blind date.
Today, they can’t quite recall what they did on that date — probably dancing, Ruth guessed — but they married a year later and are still together today.
The couple celebrated their 70th anniversary Wednesday, April 16, at Courtyard at the Willows, the assisted living community where they live.
Ruth and Ross married in April of 1938 in Bend, Ore., and shortly afterward moved to Puyallup to open an OK Tire store. The two worked together in the tire business for 43 years, closing the shop in 1981.
Ross is also a former Kiwanis president.
“They worked very hard,” said their son, Steve Thompson.
He said his parents are probably too stubborn to not stay together, but they generally get along anyway.
“Mom and Dad have always gotten along,” he said. “They don’t fight with each other. I was probably their biggest disruption.”
Steve worked with his parents at the tire store for 23 years, then worked as a computer programmer for 24 more years before retiring. He’s 64 years old.
Ross is now 92 and Ruth is 89. Ross still carries a sense of humor; Ruth has a pleasant smile.
“I didn’t even think I was 70 years old,” Ross joked.
The couple moved to Courtyard at the Willows last year.
So many years have passed that the two said they don’t seem to recall what brought them together or what keeps them married.
“Lord, I can’t remember,” Ross said.
“Gosh, I don’t know,” Ruth said.
They’re not too romantic, Steve said, but are still affectionate for their age. Since they met during the Depression, their bond may have stemmed from a survival instinct, he said.
“In those days, you did whatever you could to survive,” Steve said.