Retired
Spouse: Dale
3 Children-1 deceased
Information update: 5/10/11

I grew up in a family that didn't have much money for extras. Most of my after school time was spent working at different jobs. Thanks to Mr. Garvue, Bookkeeping Instructor, I landed a few jobs. I worked at Kelly furniture store in downtown Duluth for a while until they closed. After that job, I got on to a civil service job with the Milk Marketing Administration which lasted a few years until I became pregnant and they didn't feel it was appropriate for a married pregnant woman to be working.

I got married November 1962 to Dale Van Den Boom who was stationed at Duluth Air Force Base. We traveled around to several different bases, Loring Air Force Base in Maine, Chanute Air Base in Illinois, Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California, Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, and George Air Force Base in Victorville, Ca. My husband retired from the Air Force in 1981 and we settled in Merced, California. We had three children born during our travels. We lost our middle child Greg in 1988 a few weeks before he would be 20 years old. Anyone who has ever lost a child knows the terrible pain a family goes through.

I worked at several jobs, a few years doing vending for companies who had their products at military base exchange stores, worked at a home improvement store in Oklahoma, I only got that job because the boss was from Wisconsin and he wanted another Yankee to work with even if it was Minnesota. Loved that job and became quite good at it. Worked as assistant Manager on the weekends so I learned a lot about different departments, even did the bookkeeping when the bookkeeper was out ill. We got transferred so had to say bye- bye to Oklahoma. My next job was in California after my husband retired, working for the City of Merced City School District as a secretary/scheduling secretary in a middle school. I retired in 2002 due to medical problems. I was diagnosed with Lupus back in 1995 but it is now in remission.

We travel a little but mostly go back to Minnesota because my family is there and my husband's family is in southern Minnesota. One time we went back to Duluth and we went to the Chinese Lantern for Dinner, (loved that place and the food) looked up and there was Telly Savales " Kojack" sitting near by. I was coerced into taking a Tootsie Roll Pop over to him and he was so congenial. A photographer from the Duluth News Tribune came over and took a shot of him and me for the newspaper. We made the front page the next day. It's funny how I had to come to Minnesota to see and talk to a movie star!