Anna Beebe:  

2022….50 years since graduating from High School. If everything goes as planned, I will be going to Nelsonville-York’s 1972 50 year reunion in June. As each year goes by, I realize how amazing and fragile life is. I thought a lot of my high school year’s and how the older I get, the more important these years become. I am very excited to see everyone. My mother passed away March 2021. I can’t explain this pain. The void in my heart is unbelievable. Christy Lanning (Newman) helped me so much when trying to pinpoint the feelings. Of why this was so different than anyone else that I have lost. She shared her Dad’s words to her when her Mother passed away explaining the lifeline your mother is to you. I think about her every day. My oldest son, Steve, is now living in Spokane, WA and has given me a new grandson Liam James. He is 2 1/2 . Steve is a Philosophy Professor there. I drove there from Ohio and it was one of the most scenic trips I have ever taken. We took 5 days to get there stopping to hike and explore every day. I love the restaurants and pubs in the city. His oldest son Biron is now 20. Just crazy. He is at the University of Illinois with his girlfriend. I am so proud of my oldest grandson. We closed our restaurant in Florida after I was in a serious car accident. My middle son, Scott, and his family moved back to Georgia and have established a great career. My granddaughters, Lana (14) and Khloe (13), are excelling in school. Lana is taking college courses and has straight A’s. Khloe is in theater and has straight A’s as well. My pocketbook gets a little smaller each quarter since Gramps and I promised them $50 each quarter for straight A’s. They have always had straight A’s since beginning school. Lol My youngest son Cody has taken a break from FGCU the last year mostly because of Covid. He is an assistant manager at Banana Republic and realizing why he needs to go back to college. Lol My youngest daughter, Jaime Lee Ann, is living in Athens. It is so different now that she has graduated from high school. Jaime has learning disabilities and for the last twenty years, she has been my focus. Beginning in kindergarten to when she graduated, I was volunteering, developing programs within the school system to advance programs for children with disabilities, raising money to keep the programs and championing programs for the children with disabilities from the State level when programs were being dropped. Jaime wanted to live full time in Athens. She is now in a disability residential program to help her become independent and hopefully have a place in society that she feels part of. I’m feeling a little lost .. I have to admit… now that she is living away from me. Well my husband and I are living in Fort Myers primarily, but we also purchased a home in Athens, OH. It’s great that we spend most summers and holidays in Athens. It helps me not be so homesick. Lol Well that pretty much catches me up. Hopefully, I’ll be able to add more in another 5 years! My whole life goes on below…. 2015….Well it's been 5 years since I wrote my story below. Wow has a lot happened. My oldest Steve has now received his doctorate in Philosophy. He is the first in my family to get his Doctorate. (Jimmy had his Juris Doctorate of Law). He is a Professor in Minnesota. My second son Scott and his wife, Amber, have followed their dream of opening a restaurant in Fort Myers, FL with my husband and I. We called it RoJo's (Roy and Jo) after my parents. It is so cute and has great made from scratch food. Now how did we get to Florida? Well, my husband and I had an opportunity to go to Brazil with his company for two years. Our two youngest children (Cody 15 and Jaime 14) were excited so we all moved to Brazil. After the venture was over, my husband and I looked at each other and questioned did we really want to go back to Chicago. We decided we did not, and retired in Florida. Scott and Amber followed with my grand-daughters and we all decided to go i...Expand for more