I was born and raised in Southern California.  I lived in many cities/towns, mostly in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas.  My family moved frequently, so I attended 8 different elementary schools and 5 high schools.  My home town is San Pedro. where I graduated high school and junior college.  I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in the early ’70s with my first husband.  In addition to Utah, I have lived in Katy, Texas, and moved to Colorado with my second husband.  I was raised with two brothers; one who passed away a year ago, and one who has mental health issues, resulting in not much contact between us.  I have an adopted daughter and a natural son as well as a step-daughter and step-son.  We have 13 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren, ranging in age from 33 years old to 11 months old twins.

I graduated from a 3-year program at Los Angeles Harbor College to become a Registered Nurse and have worked in many settings: hospital, long term care, offices, clinics, health departments, and school nursing.  I returned to school in Colorado and graduated with a BSN at Loretto Heights College.

I became a member of Prairie UU at the end of 2012.  I had finally come to the conclusion that I was not a Christian, and was looking for a home.  My family was not religious and I only attended a few churches with my friends as a child and was not impressed with their dogma.

As a member of Prairie, I have served as Secretary and member at large on the Board; served as co-chair of Hospitality; served as an Associate member and co-leader of Caring Circle and Candles of Community; served as a co-leader for the Death Café; and served on the COSM team for the past year.   Theologically I tend to be agnostic with an emphasis on Nature.

In many ways, I feel closer to our church community during this pandemic because we are making more effort to stay connected.  This time gives us an opportunity to re-think everything so that when we are back together in the future, we can plan accordingly.

Optimism is my main attribute, which has helped me through numerous challenges over the years.  My favorite songs are “I Can See Clearly Now” and “The Impossible Dream.” I love to read (mostly mysteries), work on crafty projects and have been in community choirs for more than 20 years.  I also enjoy family genealogy and am a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  And, of course, I LOVE animals!