I married Jeff Nelson (class of '67) in 1969, so it will be 50 years of marriage next year. We have two married children – Jacob and Stacy, and each of them have two children – that makes four grandchildren – three boys and one granddaughter. They are ll the loves of my life.

We moved to Bemidji in 1972 and for the last 32 years have lived on Lake Beltrami. I retired from teaching in 2012. After a late start, I graduated from Bemidji State University in 1984, summa cum laude, in just under three years. I also received my Masters Degree from BSU.

We are a family of teachers. My husband retired after 43 years of teaching. Our son, Jacob, and his wife, Brenda, our daughter, Stacy, and her spouse, Peter, are all teachers. I taught third grade for most of my career.

Life has supplied so many great memories of family and friends, including those fond memories of high school.