FALL CITY – LeRoy Bronemann has packed a lot of living into his almost 90 years.

The longtime Fall City resident has fought in World War II, served as his hometown’s postmaster for almost 40 years and helped organize a volunteer fire department.

When friends and family gather for his 90th birthday party next week, there’s sure to be a lot of stories told about the past, present and future of one of Fall City’s favorite residents.

The journey began on March 30, 1914, when LeRoy was born to Minnie and Fred Bronemann. Shortly after, the family moved to Iowa to be closer to his mother’s family, but returned to Washington in 1927, settling in Fall City.

LeRoy, along with his brother Herb, both graduated from Fall City schools.

During the Great Depression Leroy found work at a Fall City bulb farm. For his efforts LeRoy earned 30 cents an hour.

After graduating from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1938, LeRoy took a job driving a train locomotive with Weyerhaeuser Co. in Snoqualmie Falls.

When the postmaster job opened up in Fall City, LeRoy applied for the position and started his stint on Feb. 1, 1940. He wouldn’t retire from the job until Aug. 25, 1978.

Life appeared on a smooth course for LeRoy after taking the postmaster job. He built a home in preparation for possibly getting married and was earning a steady income.

In December of 1941, LeRoy was at the post office readying for the busy holiday rush when a friend arrived and informed him that the Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor.

In August of 1942, the 28-year-old LeRoy was drafted into the Army as a private and would serve 27 months with the 454th Amphibious Ruck Co. in the South Pacific. The unit, which was attached to the 1st Marine Division, would participate in the invasions of Peleliu and Okinawa.

In 1946, LeRoy married Lillie. The two met while LeRoy was in New York prior to shipping out to the South Pacific. Lillie worked in the mailroom near where the GI’s were staying and LeRoy noticed the young woman shortly after his arrival. After working to secure a date for some time, LeRoy almost missed his opportunity when on the day of their first dinner together, the young serviceman got sidetracked.

“I was playing poker with some buddies in the hotel when one of them came in and said, ‘You better get over there because she’s about to leave.'” said LeRoy.

With Lillie in the other room, LeRoy paused to offer his wife of 58 years a chance to chime in about the incident.

“Lillie, tell him how crazy you thought I was,” yelled LeRoy into the kitchen where Lillie was ironically sorting mail.

“I thought you were then and I think you are now,” Lillie responded with a smile.

In addition to his postmaster duties, LeRoy also helped establish Fall City’s first volunteer fire department. At the department, LeRoy quickly earned a reputation for driving the engines at top speed, prompting fellow volunteers to try and beat him to the wheel on calls.

“If your house was on fire you’d want somebody to get there quickly, too,” recalled LeRoy, who drove vehicles during the war. “I had that pedal to the floor.”

In 1979, Lillie and LeRoy returned to the South Pacific for a three-month trip to visit the places that had played such a prominent role in LeRoy’s life.

In 1982, that trip and the 27 months of military service would be immortalized in LeRoy’s book, “Once Upon a Tide.”

Like most things in the Bronemann’s lives, the book was a collaborative effort with Lillie writing the appendix of the novel, recounting the return trip to the South Pacific.

“In all the years we have been married, I don’t believe that anything has stirred us more,” Lillie wrote of that return trip.

While other books focused on the battles, LeRoy’s placed an emphasis on the life of a soldier in war.

High-stakes poker games, packages containing hollowed-out French bread filled with whiskey bottles and the camaraderie between friends let readers see a side of the war not often revealed in print.

Through all of his experiences, which include raising a son and daughter, LeRoy credits Lillie with keeping him on a steady course.

“She is the driver, you’ve got to give her credit,” he said.