Christy Gillette:  

Though I attended Fruitland, Park and KHS for a total of almost 11 years, I didn't graduate from KHS. I left in 1964 to attend a private school in Walla Walla and then graduated high school in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1965. Since then I've received a degree in Medical Business, worked as a translator, a teacher, a daycare owner/operator and a drug & alcohol counselor in Washington State from 1965 through 1996. I married Paul Garst in 1966 in Kennewick. We were married 16 years until his death on the Tri-Cities Blue Bridge on Easter Eve 1982. We had 3 children - Jennifer, Jeff and Joel. I remarried a year later and was blessed to have 2 more little girls - Gabrielle and Katie. They were born with cystic fibrosis, a terminal genetic illness. But they were also born with a dream. They were both consummate performers and when they were invited by a talent agent to come to Los Angeles, they felt it was the culmination of that dream. Fortunately, the 'transplanting' of our lives was successful and the girls had a wonderful experience doing what they loved best. Katie passed away at the age of 14 on the cusp of a successful singing career. While we were still living in Washington State, Katie used to watch a young singing sensation on TV named Blake Ewing and she would always say, "Mommy, some day I'm going to sing with him and I'm also going to sing at the Crystal Cathedral." She ended up recording with Blake a year or so after we moved to L.A. and performed at the Crystal Cathedral a couple of months before she died in 2001. Gabrielle is still doing great at 23. She was able to do a number of films and a considerable amount of work for television but has now put acting on hold while she pursues her degree as a nurse practitioner. Jenny, the family comedienne, is a manager for Hampton Inns and has a gorgeous daughter - now 18- named Paula; Joel is a bartender and is married to a stunning beauty named Brittany. They are blessed with a delightfully darling little 3-year-old named Jocelyn and an oh-my-goodness precious little boy named Jacob. Sadly, Jeff passed away in 1999 at the age of 24 from juvenile diabetes. We had always thought of 'Jeffy B.' as our hero but at his funeral, we learned that he was a hero to many more than just us. And he left us 2 beautiful sons - Brennan (15) and Taylor (12) - as a consolation prize. Though Joel had a very rough time dealing with the death of his older brother and little sister, he has ably filled Jeff's shoes in the hero department. Since our move to Los Angeles in 1997, I have been working as a screenwriter/script editor and own my own business called Performers House (you can check us out on MySpace) where I house and manage young adults from all over the world who want to make it in show business. In February of 2007, I was in a local Intensive Care Unit and my children were told they'd be lucky if I made it through the night....but God had other plans. I had open-heart surgery and now have a new lease on life....which I intend to maximize. I've heard it said that "Every day is a gift, that's why it's called the present." With that I wholeheartedly concur. P.S. The Classmates.com Story Wizard says I must answe...Expand for more