Frank and Angelina (Babe) Yellam, who recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, have spent their entire lives in the South Seattle area.

Here they have witnessed the many changes that have transformed the area - one of which was the third runway that eventually took their home on Lora Lake in Sunnydale.

"I know they had to have it [the third runway], but I miss the old lake and the beautiful home we built," Frank said. "Then we had to watch them knock it down, brick by brick."

Other changes have been for the better. The couple is happy with renovations that have taken place in Burien, such as redesigned and rebuilt Southwest 152nd Street.

"I think they're sprucing it up nice, all the old buildings are being painted and fixed up," Frank said. "They're doing a lot of work, a lot of good work."

Babe's parents, Felix and Antonetta Vacca, owned and farmed the Pumpkin Patch on Des Moines Memorial Drive, where she grew up and eventually built her own house with Frank.

The Vaccas were well known in the area and even sold produce to Frank's parents.

"When my folks bought their farm out here in 1926, there was nothing here at all but tall trees," Babe said.

The couple met at a high school dance at Angle Lake while Babe was attending Highline High School. Frank was a student at Cleveland High School.

Dances were only five cents on Sunday nights.

During World War II, Frank joined the Navy and became a submariner based at Key West, Fla.

He wrote many poems while away, some to Babe and others just to express how he felt. One of them was published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer after a friend convinced him to mail it in.

They got engaged by mail-Babe received a ring while Frank was away.

Frank returned home in January 1946 and they were married the following summer.

The two are still living in Burien and Frank continues to take part in Frankie Boy Produce three days a week, a business he started in 1956. The other two days of the week are reserved for his golf game.

Their son Frank does most of the work managing the business that still remains the oldest produce company in South Seattle.

The Yellams have kept their Italian traditions alive with their three children: Patty Barber of Olympia, Donna Hansen of Federal Way and Frank Yellam Jr. of Federal Way.

They have 10 grandchildren, two grandsons-in-law and three great-grandchildren with one on the way this month.

"My brothers and sisters all had a unique experience growing up in Sunnydale," Patty said. "We used to always have huge Italian dinners with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins."

Though the farm and the houses are now gone, the Yellam's treasures of the past keep their memories alive.