Alton and Patricia (Nickerson) Willford

Willford

Alton and Patricia (Nickerson) Willford, of Bend, will celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary with a family gathering.

The couple were married Aug. 31, 1943, in La Mesa, California. They have two children, Becky (and Leo) O’Brien, of Dana Point, California, and the late Tom, of Rochester, Washington; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Mr. Willford worked at California Heritage in San Diego and retired in 1981. He was a Sgt. in the U.S. Army Air Corps and was a B-24 nose gunner in World War II. Mrs. Willford works as a part-time banker at Bank of America. She has been a hospital volunteer for 15 years. The couple are members of Bend First United Methodist Church and have traveled by motor home throughout the U.S. and Canada.

They have lived in Central Oregon for 30 years.