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I went to Blinn Jr Coll for a semester before getting out into the work force and getting married. Married in 1968 to Mark Hill who I met in summer school the summer before my senior year. My first "real" job was working for a mail order life insurance company. After that I went to work for an Attorney who had an office in the Montrose area, before it had anything associated with the name. Then I went into the banking industry for about 8 years. By then we had moved to south Montgomery County. I've been out in The Woodlands/Spring area since 1974. Started working for The Woodlands Fire Dept. in 1978 and have been there ever since. Dispatched for one year, was a firefighter for 13 years and have been in Inspections for new construction and licensured facilities for 17 years. Also, did community education for about 10 years, before the dept spun off that position. Mark and I were married until 1980. I now act as his caregiver and have for 3 years. In 2010 Mark had a major stroke and had to go into nursing care. In 2013, just a month shy of his 65th bd I brought him home to go to his Heavenly Father. When Mark and I moved up to south Montgomery County in 1974 he got involved with the local volunteer fire dept. where we lived. He went through EMT and Paramedic training and established the first MICU ambulance in south county. I followed in his footsteps a couple of years later getting my EMT and then my Paramedic certification. I started volunteering as well with the local fire dept. When I finally gave up commuting to Houston to work, Mark introduced me to the Fire Chief of The Woodlands Fire Dept. and I got hired as a swing shift dispatcher. I did that for about a year. At that time The Woodlands F D was preparing to host a recruit class for firefighters. I had expressed an interest in getting the training to become a better dispatcher, but, right before the class started we lost one employee who was a firefighter, so, Chief asked me if I would like to try being a firefighter. I said I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Who would have guessed I would still be there nearly 40 years later. I was fortunate to live close to where I worked and to my church, the two things that mean the most to me. My younger brother Edwin, who went by his middle name, Wayne, in school graduated in '69/'70. I think he was the last class that graduated mid semester. Ed was in southern Wisconsin for 8 years, then moved to New Mexico for a year and now resides in Tennessee and is still in the dog training business and also has an internet business. My younger sister, Marilyn, now Jones, graduated in '76 and was in the Guard. She and her family live out toward Katy. We grew up at Garden Oaks Baptist Church and so many of our friends at church were also at school. I am going to try to hold out till next year to retire, hopefully when I turn 66. I am getting impatient, though, and cannot say if I will be able to, I have so many things I would rather be doing. Well that didn’t happen. Worked till I was 68 and didn’t want to retire after all. Hoping to move to somewhere in the hill country. Since I was not blessed with children, I have always had dogs in my life. One time as many as six, but, now only 4. Change that to six again. One being a huge white Shepherd. The other two not nearly so big. A Rat Terrier and a Dachshund mix. They keep me happy. In 2017 my back decided I needed to retire in my 39th year with The Woodlands. I was not ready to retire and it has been a huge learning curve for me. The spring before I retired, God got me interested in roses and hydrangeas. Since I planned to be moving before now, I planted everything in pots. Then through different circumstances I acquired 3 more dogs. A Dorky(dachshund/yorky mix), an American bull terrier and a pointer/terrier mix. Back up to six, again. I also acquired a second cousin, who is mentally challenged(15 year old brain) after his divorce and planning to ‘live’ under a bridge. He helps with the property and works as a dishwasher at a local restaurant in the evenings. Quite the menagerie. Ha. Life is strange. You never know what to expect. Just be flexible and God will do the rest. Well, the last two dogs decided to return to where they came from, so, back to four again. Listed my place in August 2020 and sold in May’21. My cousin decided to stay in Spring at his brothers. Found a place in Castroville, Tx, up on a hill overlooking the town, just west of San Antonio. Finished moving in August. Still not unpacked, but, loving where I’m at. Meeting neighbors. Posting lots of pictures on Facebook.
