Fifty years! Seems like I blinked and here it is already.
My husband and I had retired to Florida in 2018, which turned out to be short-lived. In December of 2019 he was diagnosed with ALS (aka Lou Gehrig’s disease). Hideous disease. We moved back to Iowa in 2020 to be near family and better medical care. He passed away January 2022 at the age of 66. So, I’m adjusting to widowhood but miss him so much everyday.
I have a son and daughter living nearby, and two spunky grandchildren who bring me so much joy. We all just returned from a family vacation to Colorado. (see recent photo at Garden of the Gods)
Besides raising a family, I returned to college and got my BA in Communications/Public Relations with a minor in Psychology. I retired from my career in this field in 2018. Over the years we enjoyed many outdoor activities- boating, fishing, camping- and traveled all across this beautiful land of ours. Our final trip together was to Yellowstone, despite the progression of Ron’s illness. Our motto was “Keep making memories” and I’m doing my best to continue this tradition. I also am active in our church, serving on the Women’s Prayer Ministry and with Bible studies. Met a wonderful group of recent widows and we get together regularly. We lean on each other as needed, but mostly have fun with lots of laughter. We even talked one of their sons to provide us a private cruise on his small yacht this summer. That will be a crazy time for sure!
Hope you all have a fun time together this weekend. Can’t wait for the photos!! And a huge thanks to our webmaster who keeps us connected, and to the planning committee.
—Nancy (Masbruch) Olinger
Addendum added 24 June 2023 in the AM
You might be wondering, since I live so close, why I’m not there today. For years I’ve volunteered for a human trafficking awareness organization (Chains Interrupted) as a youth presenter at schools and churches. We call ourselves Chain Breakers. Today, after months of planning, is one of our biggest fundraisers… Freedom Ride 2023. Primarily motorcyclists, but anything on wheels can participate in the 100-mile route. Yes, it’s happening here and where you live too. Educate your children and grandchildren to the dangers… especially with social media. They also prey heavily on kids who seem abandoned by their families. Let’s band together to break those chains!
