Couple to celebrate 70th anniversary
Gil and Alice Hylland will reach a milestone Wednesday as they celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary.
They’ve known each other all their lives. They attended the same church and held the same beliefs in the importance of God, family, respect, trust and patience. “To be truly happy,” said Gil, “you need to live life the right way.”
As children of Norwegian immigrants who settled in Minnesota in the 1890s where they had no running water or electricity in the house, Gil and Alice were hard working and traditional. “They worked hard and hung in there even through difficult times,” said their son Ron Hylland. “Traditionally, they had their roles, and it worked for them.”
Even their “country church” wedding was timed sensibly, just before planting season so they could start farming their own place after the wedding. Their honeymoon was delayed until June, a slow time on the farm, and they spent it at a lake.
In 1946, the couple moved to the Spokane area, joining Alice’s two sisters here. The Hyllands continued to work hard and ethically, the only way, Gil said, that it should be done.
In 1952, the couple settled in Opportunity, where they lived until they moved to Holman Gardens 20 years ago. In 1982, Gil had a heart attack but still managed to accompany Alice to Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
For the past 70 years, life for the Hyllands has been filled with God, love, family and hard work. “It hasn’t always been easy but it’s been good,” said Gil.
Their son, Ron, has been married almost 47 years and considers his parents good role models.
“As I observed them as a little boy, and later as a man, there was always the constant commitment, first to God, and then to each other. Dad was always a hard-working man, putting in many hours on the farm, at the auto repair garage, at the hardware store, at the dairy, selling life insurance, and finally as a real estate salesman. He set quite an example for me to follow.
“Mom was dedicated to working for her family, which was just dad and me. She kept the house nice, cooked great meals, saw to it that I got private music lessons, got to go skiing on Mount Spokane, and finally that I got to be the first one on her side of the family to graduate from college. They were both committed to each other and to me, and that is the example that I have tried to follow in my family.”
The couple will celebrate the occasion with residents at Holman Gardens and with church members at Christ Lutheran Church, and Ron will be taking them on a trip to visit family. To this day, they enjoy simple pleasures.