Sometime I wish I knew half as much now as I did at graduation from good old PBHS. Those were the days when we knew it all (or at least some of us thought so).
Graduation time and off I went to Michigan to work for a friend of the family who owned a window manufacturing company. A year later Marcia Duggan (class of 57) graduated and we were married. What a great time. Marcia and I were happy, I had worked my way up to production foreman making good money and of all things, got the mumps and in the hospital for ten days. Shortly thereafter we moved back to Florida and eventually bought a house in Wilton Manor and had two beautiful children, Jim and Cindy. My older brother and I owned a custom woodworking business in Oakland Park and again all was well, or so I thought. We eventually sold the business and shortly thereafter Marcia and I divorced after thirteen years.
I met and married my second wife in Florida and with the exception of another beautiful daughter, Robyn, wife number two was by far my biggest mistake. Initially she seemed to be perfect but in time I realized my assessment was only partially right. She was �perfect�; a perfect looney. Could it be I drive women crazy?
During this time a construction supervisor �friend� approached me about moving to Houston and setting up a construction company. He knew some investors with �deep pockets� that wanted to �invest� in Houston and he and I would run the operation. Wow! The old saying, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. The only thing he didn�t mention until we had settled in Houston was that the �deep pockets� belonged to the mafia. So long Houston.
My parents had moved to Oregon years before and when I finally had a chance to go there, I loved it. From Houston we were half way there so why not, so we continued on to Grants Pass. I started a general contracting business building homes, some commercial buildings and eventually developed a small sub-division. Divorce number two after sixteen years (hay, I�m gaining; twelve to sixteen years).>br>
This time I decided I was not going to jump into another marriage so I waited five years to try again and as they say, �the third time is the charm�. However, it has not been smooth sailing as Sharon�s lovely seventeen year old daughter was killed in a car accident in 1990 and just two weeks prior to that my oldest brother Roy was killed in a small plane accident. Talk about a rough time, that was it.
Currently Sharon and I are retired and living in Reedsport, Oregon which is on the south central coast. We own a 36� sail boat which we have sailed up the Oregon and Washington coast twice to Puget Sound, WA. and into Canada. We have been as far north as Desolation Sound which is above Vancouver. Current plans to continue sailing north to Alaska are on hold as Sharon and I have been doing battle with her Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the tonsils and a lymph node. Her tonsils were removed and after chemo and radiation all of her lymph nodes were removed from her neck. We were told the biopsy showed �no detectable cancer� and we were �fat, dumb and happy�. Wrong! Less that a year later the cancer had metastases into both lungs and the Oncologist gave her �six months� which, thank God, was over a year ago.
After the shock wore off we decided you either give in or fight. Need I tell you what we decided? Through prayer and our friends here in Reedsport we started receiving a lot of prayers and some really great information on alternative cancer treatments. Today, she is gaining on the cancer and is continuing to improve every day. We hope to one day continue our plans to sail the Inland Passage to Alaska.
All things considered, life has been good. I have three wonderful children along with five grandchildren, and a step son. My son Jim lives in Grants Pass, OR. Oldest daughter Cindy and husband Mike live in S. Carolina and adopted a gorgeous little Chinese girl several years ago; My youngest, Robin and husband Sean and family recently moved to Edinburgh, Scotland due to hubby excepting a position with The Royal Bank of Scotland.
Reedsport is a small town not unlike Pompano many years ago. I guess that was one of the attractive things about it as I have always been a country boy at heart. The high school kids are polite with a minimal amount of dangling things from their extremities and drugs are not a major problem. I can drive from one end of town to the other in about five minutes or be at our sailboat in less than ten minutes. We have found a wonderful Church and the support we have received for Sharon has been tremendous. Fortunately my health has been good and I have stayed active. Sailing does that and since we both thoroughly love it, I consider myself extremely fortunate.
We have all had our trials and tribulations, but I feel the foundations we developed at PBHS through our friends and teachers were the best. How fortunate we were and are!
Also, if any of you head out this way be sure and look me up. Of course we might be off sailing in the summer or in Arizona for the winter, but try any way. Would love to see you!
P.S. If anyone is interested in alternative cancer treatment, we can help.