I married my high school sweetheart, Shirley Joan Thomas in 1960: we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary (January) and continue to be each other’s biggest fan. God has blessed us with two children – son, Steven and daughter, Stacey (Underwood) Rueb; granddaughter, Megahn-Elizabeth and a grandson, Zachary. I could go on about how extraordinarily good looking, talented, and intelligent they are but, I don’t want to bore you.
I retired from the Kern County Fire Department in 1998 after serving 28 years; Shirley retired the same year from Kern County Waste Management. We have traveled throughout the united States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, and China. One especially memorable trip was in 1993. My sister, Sandy and her husband Steve Arvizu, Shirley and I flew to Puerto Rico, then on to Tortola Island in the British Virgin Islands, rented a forty-two foot Catalina sailboat and sailed throughout the islands for 12 day; we visited: Virgin Gorda, Yost Van Dyke, St Thomas, St. John, Anegada, and other islands whose names we don’t remember. It’s been great to have Steve and Sandy as our traveling companions! We have shared many adventures together. We had planned a trip to Paris last April to commemorate our 5oth with a cruise down the River Seine that included a tour of the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, however, the Icelandic volcano with the unpronounceable name changed that (perhaps next year).
We have attended RiverLakes Community Church, formerly Fruitvale Community Church since 1967. Shirley and I have bee active in lay ministries for over 40 years, leading home Bible studies and various services at church. Many former Arvin High \School friends and classmates also Attend RiverLakes. It’s good to see each other regularly.
I am thankful to be a American! God bless America! See you in October.
