Love Story: Sue and Bill Bancroft

Sue Davis and I met when we were 8-year-olds in the third grade at Greenacres Grade School. It was 1964.

We went all through Greenacres Junior High and then Central Valley High School, graduating in 1974. We had few classes together; she was in the “College Prep” classes while I was in “General Studies.” We did have band together, though: Sue played the clarinet and I played drums.

We became friends over the years, and I developed a bit of a crush on her and wanted to ask her out, but she was quite tall and I was, well, not so much.

After high school, we went our separate ways, Sue to college and I on the road in various rock bands.

Sue married and had two daughters, and returned to Liberty Lake. I eventually returned to the Spokane area, married and had one daughter and two sons while settling on the family property in Greenacres.

Years later, my wife and I began growing vegetables and selling them at the Liberty Lake Farmers Market. One day at the market, I look down a couple of booths and I see Sue. She hadn’t changed a bit.

Sue and her mother were selling handmade pot holders, coasters, quilts and things. My wife encouraged me to go say hello. Sue had no clue who I was at first. Once she recognized me, we chatted for a bit, then my wife came over and immediately hit it off with Sue’s mother. We interacted over the course of the season, enjoying catching up on old times.

The following season, my wife and I sold the farm and moved to the South Hill. That same year, Sue’s mom passed away and our paths went in different directions. And then years later, after my wife passed away, I found myself perusing Facebook and came across Sue’s profile. I recognized her immediately.

Noting she was divorced, I nervously sent her a “friend request.” Over the course of a few months, we “liked” each other’s posts and found out we had a lot in common. Neither of us expected love to ever enter our lives again.

I asked her for coffee, and we met at the Rocket Bakery on Argonne Road in Spokane Valley. We ended up talking for five and a half hours nonstop. We neglected to even have a second cup of coffee or anything to eat. We met again a week later for another five-hour conversation. Clearly, something was happening. We’ve been happily married for seven wonderful years. Life is good!