Startup couple hosting community anniversary party

Longtime Startup residents Frank and Nancy Roesler are inviting the community to join them in celebrating 65 years of marriage.

The Frank and Nancy Roesler 65th Anniversary Party takes place 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, at the Startup Event Center, formerly known as the Startup Gym. The location is strategic, said Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce Director Debbie Copple, because it happens to be where they first met.

"The Startup Gym is where they met and had their first dance,GÇ¥ she said.

Frank and Nancy have lived in Startup their entire marriage, and both have been active in the Sky Valley community. Frank co-owned and operated the Roesler Logging Co. later known as the Roesler Timber Co., which provided numerous jobs in the valley.

He has been a longtime advocate for youth, serving on the Sultan School Board for more than 20 years, and spearheading a massive project at Sultan High School that provided covered bleachers at the football field, along with an electronic scoreboard and lights.

He has spent numerous hours working with Sultan High School students, advocating for sustainable forest practices and the replanting of logged areas. -á -á

Frank and Nancy were founding members of the U.S. 2 Safety Coalition, a nonprofit organization formed after Sky Valley residents Donna and Robert Moore were killed in a head-on collision on U.S. 2 in 1997. Nancy circulated a petition shortly after the accident, gathering signatures from more than 400 community members who agreed that U.S. 2 needed safety improvements.

Nancy's efforts paid off, and a large public hearing was held in November 1997 in the Sultan High School commons. More than 200 residents were in attendance, along with state and local elected officials, representatives from the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Washington State Patrol and the Washington State Traffic Safety Administration.

The couple has earned countless honors over the years for their service to the community. Frank was honored as the 30th anniversary Sultan Shindig Parade Logging Marshall in 2013, and the year prior to that the Sky Valley Historical Society honored Nancy.

The Startup Event Center is located at 14315 366th Ave. S.E. in Startup.