lLife moves on

My employment over the years has been varied. By trade I am a seamstress and most of the time I have done a lot of sewing for my family and others. The first job I had in Seattle was as a helper for a lovely lady who had her business in her home. I knew that she really was satisfied with my work when she took a two week vacation and left me in charge. I worked for Mrs. Zerung for 3 years. A job at the University of Washington was presented and I took that job in 1963. Worked there for 2 years. At a whopping $185.00 a month. After paying income tax, SS, and Washington

State retirement there was not much left. I met many students from all over the world. the 2nd year I was employed there a job opened to be the supervisor on one of the serving lines. I got on well with the students. An occasion happened that helped put me in hot water--I might add again-these things just seem to come my way. Several of my favorite students came when I was cleaning up my serving station after lunch one day and ask if they could have 2 empty milk dispensers that we used in the dinning room. I was busy and just "sure help yourself" did not give it another thought. They took the milk cartons, cleaned them out very well and then took them and had them filled with draft beer.

One of the boys was a server on my side of the dinning rm serving line. He always lifted the full milk cartons up into the dispenser for me as when full they weighed 40-45lbs. At lunch time He got the beer filled cartons into the machine and I remember wondering why he had 4 cartons instead of two on his cart. WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWell it was not long before a long line was winging its way around the serving hall. The next thing I am aware of is the kitchen manger is yelling my name. I was removed from duty that day and had to go before the general mgr of all the kitchens in the system several days later. In the meantime a group of students formed a boycott of the food lines until I was re-enstated. When I look back on it now I understand what a mess was caused by some clean fun. Several years later I took a job in the Shoreline Schools. and finally at the Washington Plaza Hotel in down town Seattle, Washington.

Bob had left the insurance business. The company he was working for had sold out to American States Insurance Company. Home office in the state of Indiana. As a family we did not want to leave the Pacific Northwest. As mentioned previously Bob took a job with a mobile home business as a repairman. It did not take the powers that be long to realize that he had more to offer the company. He was hired to be the Service Manager out of the plant in McMinnvile, Oregon. Susie and I stayed in Seattle while she finished her high school years and began going to beauty school. An opportunity to go to Los Angeles to work from the LA office was offered and Bob and I left our home behind and our daughter to finish beauty school and setup house keeping in an apartment in Cerrotis, California. before the year was up we had moved to Redondo Beach, California to a 2 bedroom apt. and Susie joined us there. She had to return to beauty school for three months and take their state boards for her license to be able to work in California. Our son John, his wife Chris and son Peter moved into the house. John had just returned home from the Marine Corps. He had spent a year in Vietnam. finishing out his tour of duty here in the states.

I became a stay at home wife. Catching up on some sewing and quilt making I wanted to do. We had friends in the general area. Chuck Shields and family. Bob had been in the Navy with Chuck. Also Betty wright and her family. Bob and Betty had attended grade school together in Omaha, Nebraska. When the war began Betty's father relocated to Los Angeles for the better employment.

We settled into a routine that worked well for us. After Susie finished beauty school in California and passed her state boards she found work and purchased her first brand new car. A cute little yellow Honda. Her Daddy told her she looked like a roller skate going down the road. She used to barrel that little car all over. Earlier in this narrative I told you about the death of my father. His ship had pulled in to San Pedro harbor which became the large shipping harbor in Long Beach it is today. The large steam ships had to be unloaded on to barges and then towed into the docks. When the men had shore leave they had a Captains Gig type boat to take them ashore and return to the ship. One afternoon a shipmate of my father who was from Norway had gone ashore to drown his feelings in booze. His country had just been invaded by Germany. He carried a gun and had been reported many times but nothing had been done to remove it from him while on board. He came back on board drunker then all get out. He stumbled as a shipmate reached out to help him he pulled the gun and shot him in cold blood. Crazed he began running. He passed my father's cabin who was resting before going on duty. Stuck his head in the door and said" Bill I'm going to shoot you" The bullets lodged in my father's liver. Before he could be gotten to shore and the hospital he bleed a lot and during the surgery to removed the bullets he died. At the age of 37 on December 9, 1940. On December 9, 1948 our son was born. The Lord taketh and then he giveth. When the Lord closes a door he also opens a window. Now our Son is almost 61 years old. I knew my father had died in the month of December but not the actual date until Susie and I went to the Newspaper office and looked up all the old articles. The man who killed my father was heart broken when he sobered up. He was convicted and sent to prison. In 1957 he was sent back to Norway. My Uncle who was my God Father sued the shipping company on behalf of my brother and I. My Mother invested the money in a sav- ings account and it was that money that helped me go to Omaha, Nebraska and attend school and there by I met my husband of 62 yrs.

Boise Cascade closed its Mobile home business on the West coast it was time for Bob to find another job. We returned to Seattle and Bob went to work for the Airstream RV Trailer dealer in Kirkland, Washington. There began a whole new adventure for us. Nothing has ever been dull in our lives.<

While working for Boise Cascade, in 1973 because of the illness of one of the top salesman in the company, we were offered a trip to Tahiti that he had won because of a great many sales. Bob called about 3PM that afternoon to tell me were going to have our photos taken for passports that evening. When he arrived home he told me what it was for and the first words out of my mouth was" I can not go. I don't have a thing to wear. Susie had just arrived home and she marched down to our bedroom and came out with her hands and arms draped with clothes. Her words to me were "you are going". I did.