December 8, 1953.
In a Catholic Church in a small town in rural Minnesota, my parents were married. Dad was 23, mom was 20.
Dads' family were ranchers and farmers, moms' dad worked as a railroad depot agent for the Great Northern Railroad. The best way to describe it was think 'Coal Miners' Daughter' and 'The Waltons.'
It's hard to imagine these days but they came from a time and place where if you didn't hunt, you didn't eat. Fortunately game was plenty to supplement the table. Things were apparently so bad my Grandfather told my Dad and his brothers once old enough to have mastered hunting that he better have a piece of game for every bullet used or a damn good excuse as to why you missed!
Mom did have her LPN license and Dad worked farm labor, at one time picking potatos for .90 an hour.
A year later they had a son, my brother.
In 1958 they decided to move West. They packed everything they had in the car, a 4 year old, a few hundred bucks and Moms' nursing license and moved here to Phoenix. Neither of them had a job waiting, or knew anyone here.
Mom eventually got her RN license, Dad got his GED (since he dropped out in the 6th grade) and learned a trade. Dad became a heavy-duty mechanic (repairing those huge construction trucks, cement mixers, haulers, etc.), and a union man I might add - which benefited us greatly. The family had moved up a bit in the world.
Eventually I came around in 1965.
Today, my folks are somewhat comfortably retired after a lifetime of work. My brother and I both completed high school. He works parts for a trucking company here, married, divorced and gave my folks a lovely grandaughter.
They're luckily still in pretty good health, keeping themselves somewhat active.
Very proud of them and what they've accomplished.
Thanks folks for everything, all my love.
