Retired
Spouse: James
3 Children
6 Grandchildren
Information update: 05/24/2016

I worked in Duluth the summer after graduation to earn money for college, which I began, that fall at age 17. I attended UMD for a year, majoring in Art and minoring in English. I enjoyed it, did well and had some fun, too. The next summer I worked for MP&L, but ended up going to Minneapolis, living with my cousin and several other friends from Wisconsin. It was the first time away from my parent's home and I had a terrific time enjoying my independence. While in the cities I worked, again as a secretary, at N.Y. Life Insurance. I also played on their softball team. The fall of 1963 I headed back up to UMD, and also worked at MN. Woolen. I remember taking the bus to the campus and found all classes cancelled...JFK had been assassinated. Circumstances put an end to college life for a while and I bounced between Mpls., Fargo and Duluth; my daughter, Betsy, was born in 1964 and I began working for Clyde Iron Works in Duluth. But then everything changed with a phone call from Massachusetts.

I had met my husband-to-be on numerous occasions while in Mpls. Our paths always seemed to cross (fate!) Jim graduated from DeLasalle in Mpls. in 1961, shortly after which he joined the Navy, and I always seemed to bump into him when he was on leave. He's the one who made the phone call, and off to Boston I went. We were married there in January of 1966. We lived in the Back Bay area of town; I ran past Fenway Baseball Park each morning on my way to the subway. I worked right downtown at David Nassif Engineering. Oddly, they were drawing up renovation plans for Walpole Prison. Guess who escaped from there at that time? The Boston strangler! I lived in a 7 story building right in his old hunting ground with no elevator or phone. Luckily, the strangler, Edward DeSalvo, was caught in the Navy housing area dressed as a sailor! I was alone, except for two kittens, quite often since Jim was on the aircraft carrier Wasp. At that time, the Wasp was busy picking up at least 4 Gemini shots in the Caribbean...quite an interesting duty, bringing the astronauts safely on board. Our first son, Jon, was born at Chelsea Navy hospital that fall and we also moved to an apartment in Brookline, close to the house where the Kennedy's raised their children. I really loved my time in Boston. I met lifelong friends and there were so many interesting and historical places to explore. Luckily we've been able to go back several times over the years. I love that town!

The next stop was Philly! Jim was assigned to the battleship, New Jersey, but first they had to take her out of mothballs and recondition her for the trip to Viet Nam. We lived across the bridge in N.J. for the duration. The ship was commissioned on Jim's birthday in April of 1968. The ship had a tight squeeze through the Panama Canal, made it to California and proceeded to Vietnam via Hawaii. As you might suspect, family members were not allowed on this trip. I chose to spend a year with my folks in Duluth, and it turned out to be the worst winter ever. The snow was so high that there were tunnels along 4th street instead of sidewalks. There were times I kicked myself for not going to San Diego with most of my fellow Navy wives. We flew to L.A. a few days before the N.J. was due in; unfortunately there was a spy plane shot down and the battleship was turned around and headed back towards Korea. A couple of weeks later they did make it back to port and we were all reunited after a whole year.

Next came Great Lakes Naval Station. Jim was stationed there for a few years (there were lots of Viet Nam protestors at that time). I believe he taught electronics when not being on riot duty. We lived in Waukegan, Illinois and I worked at a close by grocery store before getting a really wonderful job with Amer. Hospital Supply Corp. as a secretary in the Executive offices. Life was fun there, but Jim wanted to move back to MN to be closer to our families. I transferred with AHS to the Mpls. branch, but after 6 months quit to welcome our second son, Eric. We bought our first home north of Blaine off Hwy 65...our mailing address for the next 15 years was Cedar, MN; there we raised our kids and put down roots. Jim worked at 3M in St. Paul. We had 3 acres that I groomed; we transformed the house over the years; I had a wonderful garden and the kids played baseball (their Dad coached). We also made many close friendships...everything was just great; then 3M transferred Jim's whole group to Atlanta.POW! We sold the house and moved again...what a total change! I was in a depression for a couple of years, but life went on. We live in a 3-story log home on 3 acres of Georgia soil. It looks more like Minnesota than MN, especially when it snows which is rare. I've never gotten used to the heat or air quality, but there's lots to see and do down here. It's been 25