Elma Hoffner:
CLASS OF 1964
Pontiac Central High SchoolClass of 1964
Pontiac, MI
Elma's Story
Well, of course you know that I was a class member from 1960 to 1964.
After I graduated, I worked for a little while and then got married in Jan. 1965.
In Feb., 1966, my dad died from a heart attack at the age of 52. (awful young).
In 1967, April, I had my first son, Garry. He has been married for 15 years and has two sons, Dylan and Travis. Travis is Downs, but he is such a delight. He is the most loving child I know of. He is always glad to see any of his Aunts, Uncles, and of course GRANDMA. One day I was at my daugher-laws and the bus had come. I could see him run from the back of the bus to the front and he barely made it off because he was excited to see GRANDMA. That was so special. He threw his backpack on the ground and came running to the house at full tilt. Of course, mom had to pick up his backpack As soon as he got off the bus, he had to come and give me a hug. There are a lot of times when I have to leave, that he tells me to stay. I guess you can say he loves GRANDMA. So, there is a lot of love in this little boy and my daughter-in-law and son treat him no different than Dylan. He is made to mind and he gets punished when he doesn't Of course there is no physical punishment for either of the boys. Which I am glad. He has a lot of special needs, which is a challenge for the whole family, but we wouldn't give him up for the world. The Drs. told my son and daughter-in-law that they should abort, that he was going to have all kinds of health problems and not be able to go very far in life. But, to get rid of a child is the worse thing that anyone can do. They didn't do it, and we are so happy that Travis is here with us. He is thriving in everything. Their other son, Dylan is in Junior High in Grand Blanc, MI and is doing well with the adjustment. He went to his first football game (Homecoming, oh the memories from that. Everyone could probably write their own book on that.)
But, Dylan is enjoying school very much and he is a smart boy and is going to go far. He is 12. and was born on my birthday. (Proud Grandma?You bet I am. He is just proud to be born on my birthday, too.)
In 1970, I had my second son, Wayne. He is also a special needs person. He went all the way through school and graduated when he was 21 with a special certificate. He isn't working, now, but has in the past and we are going through New Passages in Flint, Mi. to see about doing this for him. Thank goodness there are places out there that helps people like him. He is a very loving person. He has lived in independent living in the past, but we had a bad experience with the people that was so supposed to watch out for their needs and we took him out of that situation for now. Eventually, he will be put back in that situation. He has never married and does not have any kids. Mom don't care, though and we do have our good times and bad times.
My third son, Jeff, was born in 1974. He has two sons, Joseph, who is 12 and Jonathan who is 9. Joseph is a very bright child also, He is earning B's in all of his classes. Proud Grandma, again? You bet I am. Jonathan is also in special ed. He just needs the extra help with his work because he has a hard time to comprehend things. But once he does, he remembers it. Jonathan is also doing very well in school. It seems that they are smarter than GRANDMA. LOL. I see my grandkids on a regular basis and talk to them over the phone all of the time.
I have been legally separated since 1995. Will file for divorce soon. Getting tired of him trying to control my life even after all of these years. We were married for 30 years when he decided to walk out. And I haven't looked back since. That was the best thing that could have happened to me.
I worked throughout my married life, but the best jobs I had was working in Day Care with kids. It was fun to see how they progressed and how different their personalities were. Some of them were...Expand for more
quite challenging and others were great. I worked til 2001, when my health started to go downhill, and everyone from the class of '64 knows what that is like. I had a heart attack in 2003 and had a stent put in my heart. But I have been doing great since. My mom died in 1999, also from a heart attack, so you can see, it runs int the family. I also have two brothers that have had heart attacks. My one brother just about didn't make it. He was put on a heart-lung machine for about two weeks, so his heart could heal enough to get off of it. He is not supposed to be alive. The Drs. said if he has another heart attack, that will be it for him, so we are trying to enjoy more time together and be with him as much as possible.
I have been in contact already with several of my old friends from high school, even an old boyfriend. LOL.
Gosh, there were so many memories from those days, that it is hard to say which was the best.
Right now in my life, I am living with a man that I met over the internet in 2005. We have been living together since December of 2006. He is from upper New York state and we try to go back there at least once a month to see his kids. They are 12 and 14. I really care about them and him a lot. He is the best thing that could have happened in my life. He was a former Deputy Sheriff in Jefferson County NY. (If you want to see some beautiful country, I would recomend to go there some time). He was shot in the head during a domestic dispute call and had to retire from there. It is lucky that he is alive. And I am glad he is. That line of work is so dangerous. He also worked as a volunteer firepolice for the township of LeRay out of Evans Mills, NY. He worked there for about 5 years when he went expempt to move out here with me. When I went out to get him, I drove through Canada by myself and was not afraid at all. It was a nine hour trip but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have never driven that far by myself and that was quite an experience and now I know that I can do it again, if need be.
Well, if I can think (the memory is going, too LOL) of anything else to put in here, I will.
My middle son is an alcoholic. We are trying to deal with that, which is very difficult. In July of this year, I had to go to court and get a court order to have him commited to the pshciatric unit at Hurley Hospital in Flint. The police picked him up that night at my son and daughter-in-laws. He had called me and said that he had a knife and that he was sharpening it. I asked him why he was sharpening it, and he said that he was just waiting for the police. I called 911 to let them know about the knife situation. They asked me if there was anyone else in the house, I said yes and they told me to tell them to "GET OUT". My daughter-in-law didn't want to leave, but the police convinced her that the whole family was endanger. We did not know what Jeff might do. They did get out and Jeff was picked up by the police after he started running. He DIDN'T have the knife in his hands when they caught him. He was lucky on that part because he could have been charged with a felony. He only stayed in the hospital for 3 or 4 days, and that makes me angry. He talked his way out of that, as all alcoholics can talk and lie their way out of everything. The Drs. didn't understand why he was there. He is suicidal and homicidal. He is now in couseling twice a week, and the family is trying to convince him that he needs to go to AA. I am going to try and find an AA support group for myself, because I can't stand to see my son like this and what he has done to the family. Well, that is where we are at this point. I hope I have given some insight and help to a lot of people that might be in this same situation. If you have any questions or concerns on these matters, you may contact me at Classmates.com
Hope to hear from someone. I could use anyones advice, also. Thanks
Elma
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