I continued to work at Skyline after graduation. During layoffs I also worked with Art Bockhaus pouring concrete. Oh so much concrete! I also did a lot of carpentry jobs on my own. After a couple of years I married and had two girls, Cheri and Candy. To make extra money I made wooden toys and sold them at art fairs. The girls were my “testing department.” When the girls were about seven and five, I became Mr. Mom. I had full custody of the girls for two years. Luckily they did survive although mostly on macaroni and cheese and hot dogs. After two years of being on my own with the girls, I met Helene Marcoux. We dated for a whole month before getting married and it’s been a great 37 years together. She had two kids, Trey and Kelli. They were just a little bit older than my two. The kids grew up, found partners, and had children. They wound up giving us ten grandkids and sixteen great-grandchildren at last count. Geez…stop that!
I’ve skipped over one big thing in my life. That was I never graduated from high school. I sat up high in the bleachers during graduation watching the rest of my classmates cross the stage to get their diplomas. Kind of a weird feeling going thirteen years with my classmates and then not walking. Of course it was all my fault. Helene had been a grade school and middle school teacher and earned a Master’s in Counseling. Of course she soon talked me into getting a GED at 33 years old and then following with a bachelor’s and teaching certification. I taught computers at Garden Plain Jr/Sr High School for four years. Helene then talked me into working on a Master’s in Technology and then a Doctorate in Education Administration. That led me to getting a faculty position at Washburn University where I taught Educational Technology for twenty years. Helene earned her Doctorate in Student Services at the same time I did. We always joked about how moving as a couple was the most stressful thing, but working on two degrees together is about the same!
I’ve been retired for two years now and am finally getting used to it. I do more cooking now as a hobby. I do want to fish more but haven’t done that yet. I’ve been thinking of doing some service work but haven’t decided on what yet. Helene and I just enjoy our time at home with our five dogs. We do plan to make a couple of train trips each year to places we haven’t been to.
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