Stella Andes:  

Gil and I were introduced by Kathy Larsen ('69) and married seven dates later on 05FEB1969. I attended Yuma High School for a month or two. I finally earned my high school diploma via International Correspondence School. Gil and I have lived in nine states since we got married. It took us until May of 1973 to begin having our babies. We had six in ten years. Gil was in the army, and we lived in Yuma, Arizona for five months. We moved to Colorado Springs, where we lived for a year, and then he went to South Korea. While there, he joined the same church I belong to, the LDS Church). When he returned 13 months later, we moved to Lawton, Oklahoma. He left the army in 1973, and we lived in Cincinnati, Ohio and then in Westminster again for a while. In 1975 Gil re-enlisted, and we went to Fayetteville, North Carolina. We were there for a year and a half before transferring to Fort Stewart, Georgia. He left active duty in 1978, and we moved to Cincinnati again. Then we moved to Westminster again, and later to nearby areas. We left California and moved to Cincinnati again, and then to Dayton, Ohio. We lived in Dayton for over 8 years. Then we moved to Miami, Florida. We later moved from Miami to Orem, Utah. We came to earn degrees with the notion that we would go wherever the Lord sent us after that. I have bachelors degrees from Brigham Young University (family sciences) and University of Utah (psychology). I started a masters degree a couple of times, but did not complete it. I worked for a local school district for a school year, and then started with Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). In 2002 we moved to Orlando, Florida, where I worked for Department of Children and Families. We returned to Utah just under a year later, and I returned to DCFS. I'm still working at DCFS and can retire any time now. Gil has had a variety of jobs, and he has a BS and MA from University of Phoenix. In 2010 he had a stroke and hadn't worked for over four years till recently. He's bounced back a lot. Our kids: Of our six children, one was born in Orange, California, two in Anaheim, California, two in Dayton, Ohio, and one in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Valerie is married and has three children, Alex, Elisa, and Sabrina. Valerie has a bachelors degree in biotechnology from Utah Valley University; she also had enough credits to be awarded another bachelors degree in Spanish from Brigham Young University. Alex is an LDS missionary in Japan, Elisa is a great singer, and Sabrina is a talented artist and writer. Sheri lives with us and is currently unemployed. She earned a BA in sociology from University of Utah. She does all the cooking because I am working. She works hard at being the favorite aunt, and some would say she is to their children. Sheri sews a lot of projec...Expand for more