Linda DeBenedittis:
CLASS OF 1970
Granite City High SchoolClass of 1970
Granite city, IL
Southern Illinois UniversityClass of 1974
Edwardsville, IL
Linda's Story
I went to SIU-E after graduating in January of 1970. In March 1974 I then graduated from SIU-E with a BS in Nursing. Until I got my State Board results and my RN in August 1970, I stayed in the Granite City area and worked. Then I moved to Colorado where I worked the next three years for the VA Hospital on a Medical Surgical unit. In 1975 I met my husband, who was a US Air Force Officer; and then on January 1, 1977 we were married. Shortly after that the Air Force reassigned my husband to Italy, and we moved to Aviano Air Base, Italy for the next three plus years. It was definitely an experience of a Lifetime to live in Europe and travel as we did. And we definitely traveled a lot, sometimes on Leaves, and sometimes because the Air Force sent my husband. My husband is first generation Italian/ American and spoke Italian fluently, and he was often the translator when working jointly with Italians in joint Military Ventures. We also were able to visit much of his family who still lived in Italy and had not immigrated when his Parents did just before WW II.
When we were finally returned to the US, we were assigned to a Base in Oklahoma City. There we ended up adopting two sons. The first was 13 months old when we adopted him and had been born in Oklahoma; he had special needs due to developmental delays.The second was a two year old from Seoul, So. Korea who had been left abandoned by his mother to the streets of Seoul! He had some physical injuries as well as emotional, mostly from being abandoned and left to forge for food on the streets at such a very young age. I am happy to relay, though, that now both are Adults in their 30's and doing pretty well. The oldest still lives at home (probably always will because of his disabilities) but is a huge help for my husband and I who are now Both Retired! The youngest went on and graduated from University of Missouri - St. Louis with a degree in Finance. In 2006 he returned to So. Korea and began teaching English. He is still living in Seoul, where he teaches English in a Korean University. We have been to Seoul and visited with him there, and he tries to come home every year to 18 months.
In August 2009, I retired after 35+ years in Nursing, and after having three major joint replacements from Arthritis. I still suffer with osteoarthritis of the Spine that has become pretty debilitating. My husband retired from the Military in December of 2009 as well, so we now both enjoy our freedom from work; though we are very involved with a number of Volunteer organizations from both our Parish and the Military Base (Peterson AFB) near us. We moved when we retired from Evergreen, Colorado (where we lived in a house at 9000 ft above sea level) to Falcon, Colorado (a small town just NE of Col...Expand for more
orado Springs) just off the Colorado HWY 24. It is at 7,200 ft above sea level, so we like this lower altitude much better. Now instead of 4 feet plus of snow to deal with most of the winter, we only have 2 feet!!! Also our winters went from August to June in Evergreen, whereas here in Falcon, they are more typical of the October to early May the lower elevations in Colorado experience, which is a huge improvement!
I still return to Granite City about once a year or every other year to visit with my siblings that still remain in the area, as well as a few other family members. Both of my parents have died now (my Dad in 1999 and my Mom in 2009), and my next sibling, my younger brother, lives up in Chicago and is a full Law Professor at University of Chicago, where he is the head of one of the Depts. within the Law school. My next younger brother is a Registered Nurse and a CPA, though he remains practicing as an RN in Dialysis in the St. Louis area. My sister is in St. Louis and worked for MacDonald Douglas (Boeing) as an Aeronautical Engineer, but has retired now for Medical reasons as well. All 4 of us were Granite City High School graduates, and born and grew up in Granite City. We started at Maryville Grade School (I actually started Kindergarden and first grade at Frohart Grade School until Maryville Grade School was built). My father worked all his life at the Steel Mill (Granite City Steel) in the "Chemistry Analysis" Dept. as a Chemist. My Mom was a RN, but was a stay at home Mom for most of her life. My Grandparents on my Mom's side owned the old "W and W Store" on Maryville Road that is now the "Hit 'n Run". My paternal Grandparents lived and worked in Granite as well, my Grandfather was a General Steel employee, and my Grandmother was the Nurse in the infirmary at General Steel.
I was last back to Granite in September 20013 for a Family Reunion. I am always amazed at all that has changed over the years, and the biggest change I saw this time was the change to the Nameoki Road and Pontoon Road intersection. I was so glad the train tracks are no longer such a huge problem, but t took me a couple trips that way to figure out how to go off Pontoon to Nameoki headed toward the High School area. I grew up living on the other end of Pontoon Road before you reach the train tracks and cross into Pontoon Beach, and those Train Tracks could be problems at times back when I lived there. They do not seem to be as active now days.
An update to my last entry, I am now a Grandmother! My oldest son and his ex-wife have returned together and he has adopted her 4 year old daughter, Savannah. She is definitely the light of my life these days and we spend a lot of time with all of them. They live here in Falcon, Colorado as well.
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