When someone uses the phrase “back in the day,” do they mean five years ago, 50 years ago, or just last month? The great thing about all of us is that we can see things from such different perspectives yet still work together toward a common goal. Older traditions and beliefs blended with new, innovative ideas is one of the many things that makes us a true community. We are all different, yet we are all the same.

For Royce and Debbie Jacob, back in the day goes a ways back — indeed, several decades — but in all the right ways. Although Royce has called Ridgefield home since the '70s, the real long-timer in the family is his lovely wife, Debbie, who was born and raised right here in Ridgefield. 

Debbie grew up on a 15-acre farm in Ridgefield, about a mile away from where the family lives now. Debbie’s parents are long-time Ridgefield residents Monte and Pearl Schmitz. Pearl moved to Ridgefield way back in the day, in the 1940s. Debbie and her two living brothers all still reside in Ridgefield. When Debbie graduated from Ridgefield High School in 1970, Ridgefield’s population was barely over 1,000, and there were less than a hundred kids in her high school graduating class. This year, our city’s population is estimated at well over 11,000. My, how times have changed.

“Growing up in Ridgefield was absolutely wonderful,” recalled Debbie. “It was not anything at all like it is now. It was very small, all farm country, mostly farmers, not all the professional people that are here now.”

“The classic story Debbie always tells,” continued Royce, “is that when she was growing up, in a local area called Sara, her parents would send her down to the store for cigarettes, probably a mile and a half walk each way, when she was a little girl. That’s how much the world has changed.”

Royce was raised in central California. He and Debbie met in Arizona while he was attending school there. After graduating from high school, Debbie and her close friend moved to Arizona to work and enjoy a change of scenery. Royce and Debbie married six months later, in October of 1972. Royce then joined the U.S. Coast Guard, eager to serve his country, and ended up stationed on the shores of Wildwood, NJ. Their daughter was born nearby in Cape May Court House, NJ. After four years of service in the Coast Guard, Royce and Debbie were eager to head back to Debbie’s roots in the Northwest, and they bought a home nearby in Vancouver. Subsequently, Royce’s parents, who retired in California, wanted to move up north to be closer to Royce and the family. As it happens, Debbie’s childhood friend’s farm was up for sale, so his parents bought the farm in the 1970s.

Royce and Debbie have two grown children, Liza and Zachary. Liza and her husband, Bob Meek, have three children, Nolan, Lilly, and Harrison. Zachary and his wife, Emily Jacob, have two daughters, Evelyn and Isla. All three families live in three homes nestled together on their 10-acre farm. It’s great for the kids, who can run and play outdoors between the houses in a contained, safe environment. 

Liza went to school in Vancouver, graduating from Hudson’s Bay in 1995. After spending some time in California with her aunt, she attended junior college and spent a summer working in Cannon Beach, where she met her future husband, Bob. “Liza was coming home every week from Cannon Beach on her days off,” recalled Royce, “and all of a sudden, she stopped coming home. So we knew something was up.” Liza and Bob were married a year later. Bob is a musician and a National Board Certified teacher who teaches choir and film at Ridgefield High School. He created the District’s Theater Department and is very active with his students and the community. Liza finished school at Central Washington  University with a degree in family consumer sciences with a focus on interior design. She took a break from her career when she became pregnant with their first child.

Zach grew up in Hazel Dell until he was 11 when the family moved to Ridgefield. He was always, always on the go. “If I could be gone, I was gone,” said Zach, “and if I couldn’t get a ride to where I wanted to go, I’d ride my bike. One time I rode my bike somewhere 5 miles away.” Zach began school at View Ridge and moved on to study automotive technology at the Clark County Skills Center, which put him on the path toward becoming an automotive technician. At only 17, he scored an internship at a BMW dealership in Portland and worked there for 15 years. He met his future wife, Emily, in 2009. “I sold her a truck on Craig’s List,” joked Zach. They nicknamed the truck “Cupid.” After living in Portland, Hazel Dell, and even Las Vegas, they settled back on the farm in Ridgefield in 2015 to raise their family.

In 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zach, Emily, Liza, and Bob went into business together and created a company called Ridgefield Lavender. They planted a half-acre lavender farm on their property and have over 400 plants and several varieties. “We worked the field from scratch; it was the four of us,” said Emily. “It was definitely a family effort. We’re hoping this season to have a good harvest and be open for business this summer.” Bob added, “It’s so beautiful when the fields are in full bloom.” 

“One of the things that the kids have done that we’ve really been very proud of is creating the lavender farm,” said Royce. “Part of the reason is to learn business, discover what a business can do, but the other aspect of it is that it’s a family adventure. Get the kids down there working, learning work ethics. The interaction with all the cousins, trying to work through challenges. I think that has really been a healthy thing for us, and I think it’s also a good thing for the Ridgefield community. That’s what our little 'compound' is about. It’s all about supporting each other. We’re not perfect; we all have our difficulties — every family does — but the lavender farm is a really good vehicle for us to do that. It’s fun for the kids. The whole thing was what can we do for the family to bring them together, work 'em, teach 'em, and give them good advice and a great environment to grow up in.” Emily concludes, “The kids are thriving in a lot of ways by being here.”

Being long-time residents with a long family history in Ridgefield, the Jacobs have warm but mixed feelings about the widespread growth, both in Clark County and especially in  Ridgefield. While it’s wonderful to have families from all over the area and beyond moving to our beautiful city, it’s also challenging for such a small town to accommodate such rapid growth and change. “We’re in a nice pocket, mostly undisturbed back here,” said Liza. “I think the thing for me that’s most hard is seeing the barns that I’ve driven past a million times get torn down. I think what makes Ridgefield, Ridgefield.”  Debbie added, “The open fields, the farmland is gone, and that part is sad.”

Liza said, “I think one of the nice things is that our kids have newer schools. When Bob started teaching, he was doing plays and productions in the cafeteria. It’s nice for him to have his own classroom now.” 

In the winter months, Royce and Debbie spend time at their home in Green Valley, AZ. “We don’t know why it’s called Green Valley,” Debbie jokes. “It’s not green at all."

"We made the decision,” continued Royce, “that it was either travel, which we love, or buy a house in Arizona, so that’s where we went. Our family is really our focus.”

For more information about Ridgefield Lavender, please visit https://www.facebook.com/Ridgefield-Lavender-185312816926898.