Jackie was not in attendance.  Previous information below

Address:  P.O. Box 806, Bristow, OK 74010

Previous submission 2009

It doesn’t really seem possible that I have survived life for 64 years and am now at the threshold of retirement.

Where I am at today is just where I want to be, but how I got here has been not been a ‘straight shot’.

Fresh out of High School, I attended Dana College for two years.  To make a long story short, my personality got in the way (too submissive, not a leader) and I ended up pregnant in March of my Sophomore year.  Determined to face my bad-decision making dilemma all on my own, I began work in Omaha, did not go back to school in September, made a weak-but-accepted excuse for why I couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving and had a beautiful baby boy on December 10^th, 1964 at the age of 20.  The hardest part was going home for Christmas without my little guy, Russell Dean, and telling my folks, hoping against hope that they would accept my decision to become a single mother.  Their reaction??  My Mom looked at Dad, he silently nodded to her, and then Mom turned to me and said, ”We don’t give grandbabies away in this family, go get your son.”  One of my greatest blessings has been my parents. 

Another 4 blessings in my life has been my four children, Russell in 1964, John in 1966, Michael in 1967 and Jose in 1970. Without my boys, I am afraid that I would have lost all direction in life.  Somehow my children brought out the best in me.  Although John and Michael were not in our lives for 15 years (when I divorced their father, he took them and ran( to Arizona), we all got back together in 1990,after many years of searching. My ex-husband had passed away in his forties and the youngest boy, Michael, began to doubt the stories he had been told about his ‘no-good, druggie mother’.

In 1982 David and I met and we were married in 1992 after we managed to get his 3 boys and 1 girl and my 4 boys all independent and happily on their own.  Blending the families together was a challenge but every one of us are the better for it, we all taught each other some lessons in life.

David has taught me to be more light-hearted, and I have taught him to be more responsible.  Our kids have taught us too many things to list here, some good, some bad, and our grandkids are the ones we turn to when we need to program the remote or set-up the cell phone, etc.  They are all such ‘technies’ but none of them would know how to use a rotary phone or play ‘shoot the moon’ or ‘spoons’.

 I can tell you, truthfully, that our monthly family get-togethers are a ‘blast’, there are so many in-laws and out-laws and grandkids.  Although not everyone is able to come every time, the family night does keep us a close and loving family.

One big annual event is the Family Halloween party every year.  That is a whole story by itself, I will save it for later.

Grandkids (22 and counting plus one great-grandchild):

My son Rusty and Elfi have Marissa, age 10, live two blocks from us in Sand Springs.  Rusty is Plant Manager at a manufacturing plant.

My son John and his wife Melody have her 3 children, Trevor and twins Destiny and Keanan by previous marriage.  John is a brick mason in Omaha.

My son Michael is unmarried, and is a psych nurse in San Francisco.

My son Jose and his wife Rebecca have 3 children, Kyle 22, Connor 13, Miranda 11 and they live in Tulsa.

My step-son Travis is divorced and raising his little boy Joe age 6 months by himself in Sand Springs.

My step-son Chris and wife Jackie have Chris 20, Christine 17, Heather 15, Taylor 12, T.J. 10.  They live in Sand Springs.

My step-daughter Michelle and husband Derek have Skye 13, Nolan 10, Lucas 4.  They live in Owasso 35 miles away.

My step-son Josh and his wife Jacque have her three 3 children, Doug and his wife Jessica (who have made us great-grandparents, Madison is 6 months old), Delaney who is off to Okla. State as a Freshman next week and Dalton 13. Josh and Jacque live in Sand Springs.

  Josh also has Jessica 18 and Dustin 20, who came to us to raise about 5 years ago when blending his family wasn’t going too smoothly.  All is fine now, we survived, and everyone is one is on the same level about family working together to succeed in life.  Dustin lives California, and Jessica is off to Tulsa Community College this fall.

After being a stay-at-home Mom from 1970 thru 1981, I went back to school, got an AA in Computer Science and have worked at Rockwell, sold to Boeing, sold to new company Spirit AeroSystems, never changed desks, just somebody else signing my paycheck for 27 years.  I can’t let go- I’m still working.

David was working in the steel shop as a welder when I met him in 1981, but eventually he went to work for his brother who has his own Masonry business.  It’s a lot healthier type of work and David has a creative eye, as does his brother.  They do quality work and over the years David has built some brick projects around the house and at our two rent houses.

After purchasing 5 acres and a home in Bristow about 40 miles from our Sand Springs home, we have been very busy, lots of DIY projects are going on.  The kids sometimes help us, they think we are going too old to do some things.  Little do they know we are just getting started!  We still live in S.S. but may move within the year.

David loves golf (he is a 3 handicapper) and every other kind of sport.

We both love Archery and something you may be surprised to know is that I was a regional IBO champion in the compound fingers (no release for me) division about 15 years ago.  I did not take up archery until I was 44 years old. Work responsibilities got in the way of my week-end fun.  But I hope to resume my hobby after retirement.  I will probably be the worst of the bunch, you know, the keen eye-sight is gone, the steady stance is gone and all you have left is the will to compete.  Oh well, everyone treats me like Grandma at work and at home, I might as well take on the whole archery club, too.

You all have given me such enjoyment reading your life stories. I hope I haven’t been so wordy and it’s been boring to read.  As Sherry can tell you, I don’t write often but, in her words, I write good and long.

We all have stories to tell, I wonder what a team effort to write a book would accomplish.  Could we all get rich from the profits or would we end up with some good combustible product for the fireplace? 

Last but not least, I consider another one of the blessings in my life is my list of friends, old and new, that I have accumulated as I rolled thru 64 years of life.  I hope the future holds many more reunions and get-togethers for us all.  I gained so much satisfaction from the reunion. 

My husband also enjoyed the reunion and he absolutely loves one of my old girl-friends, whom he thinks is witty, and kind and just a great lady.  Can you guess which one he thinks so highly of????  Oops, Mrs Squires or Mrs Smith would not be happy with me for ending a sentence with a preposition. 

I better shut up before you all fall asleep. 

I think of you all often,

Jackie        

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Donna M. Doll 1918 ~ 2012

 Last Update   03/13/09