Charlene Cosenza:
CLASS OF 1971
Boyce High SchoolClass of 1971
Boyce, LA
Charlene's Story
Life
I have been married to Tony Cosenza for 34 years. We are currently living in the old Thompson home in Boyce and also have a camp on Toledo Bend. We have two daughters, Erica and Michelle.
Erica is married to Jerry Basco and they live in Flatwoods. They have two daughters - Haley, age 9, 3rd grade at Northwood High School and Ella, age 5, Kindergarten at Northwood High School.
Michelle is single and currently also living in Boyce but has her own trailer. She graduated from Northwestern State University in May 2007 with a degree in Psychology. She has worked full time since graduating from high school and has also completed her college degree through night and internet courses. She is currently Branch Manager at the Department of Corrections Credit Union located in Pineville, LA.
I spend the majority of my free time doing things with my daughters and granddaughters who are the highlight of my life. We enjoy shopping, eating out, movies occasionally and just hanging out. The Christmas tree at my house stays up all year long and is decorated for numerous occasions such as Christmas, Mardi Gras, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween and Fall. My daughters and granddaughters help me re-decorate the tree from season to season as well as the outside decorations in my yard.
My mother passed away in June 2006 at the age of 92 have a long battle with Alkezimers. She had lived in a house in Boyce several blocks from me up until May 2004. Her condition was worsening by that time and she needed more assistance with daily routine. Since I was still working full time moving her in with me was not the answer so we moved her to Flatwoods in the apartment next to my oldest daughter who was at home all the time and able to check on her all through the ...Expand for more
day. Then in February 2005 we eventually had to put her in a nursing home in Alexandria. She remained in the nursing home up until her death but her condition continued to worsen and from the end of January 2006 until she died in June 2006 she was in the hospital 4 times. During these times in the hospital, I could not have made it without the assistance of my daughters and Tony. They were all an extremely valuable help with my mom because someone had to stay with her around the clock in the hospital.
Tony continues working offshore - currently working 14/14. He has done this all of our married life and we aren't sure if we could actually stay in the same house together all the time if he were working a 5 day/week job at home - LOL. He spends a great deal of time at our camp in Toledo Bend as he is an avid bass fisherman. He also enjoys deer hunting - especially in Texas.
Workplace
I retired from the Office of Youth Development on July 15, 2007 after having worked there for over 11 years as a Juvenile Probation and Parole Officer. At the time of my retirement in July I had completed a total of 33 years employment with the State of Louisiana which included 3 years in DROP. I loved my job, love the people in my office and love working with the youth. I did not retire because of health issues or anything like that - I was just tired of the system - we couldn't work with the youth who need us because of the extreme demands from the overall system. I really miss the people in my office, the people in the court system and law enforcement, the people in the group homes and most of all the youth we served. I plan to relax and enjoy retirement for a while and then try to find something part time where I can continue working with needy youth.
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