Casper 65th

CASPER 65th

Kenneth and Joyce Casper recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with friends and family. They were married Aug. 27, 1950, at a small Adventist church in Corning, Calif.

Kenneth grew up near the rural hamlet of Gravelford, Ore., while Joyce Lewis spent her youth between southern Oregon and northern California. Initially working in the timber industry, Kenneth then developed his general contracting business in the mid-1950s while Joyce worked at home. They met at Laurelwood Academy in Gaston, Ore., and later married while attending Walla Walla College.

Through their journey together, they’ve enjoyed camping and travelling, bird watching, water skiing, Pathfinders and the raising of four children. For most of their 65 years together, they lived in the southern Oregon area of Coquille and later moved to Oregon's Rogue Valley, where they still reside.

In the early 1980s, they became heavily involved in Maranatha Volunteers International, building churches, schools and clinics on five continents. Kenneth serves on the Maranatha board of directors.

The Casper family includes Dennis and Marjo Casper of Seattle, Wash.; Rhonda and Greg Ford of Battle Ground, Wash.; Martin and Judy Casper of Eagle Point, Ore.; their adopted son, Kakule and Cheryl Kisunzu of Dallas, Texas, and Takoma Park, Md.; 7 grandchildren, Ryan Ford, Kevin Ford, Katherine Casper, Victoria Casper, Jessica Kisunzu, Conrad Kisunzu and Sophia Casper.