I graduated from Methodist-Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester, a traditional hospital-based nursing program. For a year I was employed at Hennepin General Hospital in Minneapolis and then returned to the Mayo Clinic for graduate work in nurse anesthesia. There I met my future husband, Robert, who was completing his residency.

After we were married, Robert spent two years in the Army Medical Corps, first at Ft. Dix, N.J. and then in Pusan, South Korea. I was with him on both tours. Upon our return from Korea, we settled in Denver where Robert built his surgical practice. We have two grown children and six grandchildren. Once our children were raised, I returned to nursing and worked as a coordinator in clinical drug trials, most recently on breast and prostate cancer prevention as sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health.

When Robert retired in 2002, we returned to Minnesota and found the kind of people I remembered — strong, independent, generous, and honest. Since coming to Grand Rapids, it is my privilege to encourage a commitment to protecting life both through a faith-based educational organization and a caring pregnancy center. It is my hope that I can contribute to this community and the surrounding area in a positive way so when it is our turn to pass our legacy on, we know that we left this world in better condition for the generation that will follow.