ROYAL CITY - The Lawrence families invite all friends and neighbors to a celebration of retirement for longtime Royal City residents, Sandy and Donna Lawrence, this Saturday, June 29.

The party will be held at 4 p.m. at Sandy and Donna's house in Royal City, at 12688 Road D SW. RSVP to 346-2585 is required.

Sandy was raised in Hoquiam, in the midst Washington's timber culture. In 1965, at the age of 23, he came to the Royal Slope to try his hand at farming.

After graduation from high school, Sandy spent three years in college, six months in Idaho working for the Bureau of Land Management and six months in the Marine Corp Reserve boot camp.

Then Sandy decided he would try farming. He liked the outdoors and knew how to work. He found 250 acres of alfalfa to purchase and took the plunge.

In 1971, Sandy met Donna Worbes, who was the new secretary for Sun Royal Fertilizer. They were married in the fall of 1972.

Donna grew up in the Outlook/Sunnyside area. After graduation from the Kinman Business College, she was hired by Harold and Judy Janett.

Sandy and Donna started their family in 1974 with the arrival of twin daughters Amy and Teri. Sons Brian and Eric completed the family over the next several years.

Being first-generation farmers was not without its challenges, the Lawrences said. Hard work saved the day.

In 1980 the farm diversified, adding apple trees to the mix of crops. Sandy managed that part of the operation for the past 25 years, overseeing a great deal of expansion with different varieties of apples and cherries.

With 47 years of farming under his belt, Sandy decided to retire at the end of 2012. He and Donna have enjoyed raising their family on the Royal Slope and being a part of the community. The new crop to tend to is the grandchildren.

Three of the children live in the Vancouver-to-Salem corridor. With three of the four grandchildren living in the same area, the decision was made to move and enjoy life closer to family.

The Lawrences are building a new house in Battleground.