Last week Miss Ethel passed away.
(Taken in front of my porch)
If you haven’t read my previous post, her family was the one and only owner of the home Steve and I just bought.
Upon reading her obituary I came across some very old pictures of our house!
Upon reading her obituary I came across some very old pictures of our house!
Recently I had been thinking about going down to the Renton Historical Museum to see if I could find any old photos of our street in the archives.
I have been curious what it all looked like 80 years ago.
I was lucky enough to find a few pictures of my house right after it was built in 1929 as well as the original home that stood on the property before our house.
I was lucky enough to find a few pictures of my house right after it was built in 1929 as well as the original home that stood on the property before our house.
The cupboards that we are using to build our new pantry came out of that first house, which was built in 1910.
I would really love to find photos of the original kitchen, I am dying to know what it looked like.
So now the real question is… will she be returning to the house??
I will let you know if I notice any unusual activity!
Anyway, it is a real treat to be able to share these with you guys!
This is a photo of the original house that was built on our property in 1910.
Ethel’s family tore down this house and built this one
Built in 1929, this is the house I live in now!
This is a photo of a young Ethel ( far right) and her family
Take in the driveway where I park
That house next door is still here too!
This was taken in our living room, that corner right behind her is where I have my leaning mirror!
Crazy to see these and know what the home once looked like back in the day!
(Thanks for taking such good care of the place! Wish we could have met you)
The Obituary:
Ethel’s long and full life came to a close on June 18, 2011 in Issaquah, WA. She was born in Renton on February 17, 1922 to Arvid and Christine Swanson. Ethel lived in the family home in Renton all of her life until moving to Merrill Gardens at Renton Centre in 2007. Ethel graduated from Renton High School in 1940. After graduation, she attended a business school in Seattle. Ethel worked as a bookkeeper for Custer Hardware store in Renton as a young woman. Later, she worked as a temporary employee at the Bartell Drug Company in Seattle. Ethel was eventually hired on as a full time employee doing clerical work in the main office. Ethel was a long time member of the Vasa Lodge in Renton as well as the Rebekah Columbine Lodge. Ethel was very active in these clubs for many years. Ethel loved to travel and made several trips to Sweden over the years. She also traveled to many places in the United States and Canada. Thanks to reasonably good health and care, Ethel was able to enjoy going to lunch with classmates, shop, attend Vasa meetings and participate in activities at Merrill Gardens until recent days. Ethel was a happy lady, always smiling and friendly to all.She loved animals, especially cats. Ethel shared 47 years of her life with her dear friend, Harold Anderson. He passed away in 2007. A half-brother and a half-sister also preceded her in death. Ethel is survived by extended family here as well as in Sweden.
Ethel’s long and full life came to a close on June 18, 2011 in Issaquah, WA. She was born in Renton on February 17, 1922 to Arvid and Christine Swanson. Ethel lived in the family home in Renton all of her life until moving to Merrill Gardens at Renton Centre in 2007. Ethel graduated from Renton High School in 1940. After graduation, she attended a business school in Seattle. Ethel worked as a bookkeeper for Custer Hardware store in Renton as a young woman. Later, she worked as a temporary employee at the Bartell Drug Company in Seattle. Ethel was eventually hired on as a full time employee doing clerical work in the main office. Ethel was a long time member of the Vasa Lodge in Renton as well as the Rebekah Columbine Lodge. Ethel was very active in these clubs for many years. Ethel loved to travel and made several trips to Sweden over the years. She also traveled to many places in the United States and Canada. Thanks to reasonably good health and care, Ethel was able to enjoy going to lunch with classmates, shop, attend Vasa meetings and participate in activities at Merrill Gardens until recent days. Ethel was a happy lady, always smiling and friendly to all.She loved animals, especially cats. Ethel shared 47 years of her life with her dear friend, Harold Anderson. He passed away in 2007. A half-brother and a half-sister also preceded her in death. Ethel is survived by extended family here as well as in Sweden.
How cool that you get to see those old pictures of your house! Thanks for sharing!
RIP Ethel
I love the history of your home! Ethel sounds like she was a pretty awesome lady.
That's awesome you found those photos. So much history. Poor Ethel, I hope she went peacefully and leave you to enjoy your home.