Stuart Isett / Polaris

Her 108-year-old farmhouse in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard was in the middle of an area undergoing lots of commercial development. Before moving to this little house in Washington state, Edith had an interesting life. Born in Oregon in 1921, Edith lied about her age in order to join the service and support the war effort in England. Even when others discovered that she wasn't 18, Edith stayed overseas to care for orphans until her mother became ill and she returned to the States. Her only child, a son, died of meningitis at 13.