Patricia Klinglesmith:
CLASS OF 1954
Rose Valley Elementary SchoolClass of 1954
Waynoka, OK
Waynoka High SchoolClass of 1958
Waynoka, OK
Patricia's Story
Life after graduation. I attended business school in Okla City. I met Jerry Klinglesmith, a young navy man going to tech school at Norman and we married in 1959. We started our life together in Washington, DC where I worked for the Navy Dept and the Bureau of the Budget. Twin girls joined our family a year later, making us four, in 1960.
Jerry was discharged from the Navy then signed on with the Air Force, attended Officer Training School in San Antonio, then Navigator training in Waco. We then traveled to Charleston, SC. We delivered another daughter in Paoli, OK, while dad was in South Carolina. One year later the Air Force sent us to Hawaii for four years (what a downer). It was difficult to leave paradise behind but we were privileged to return to Oklahoma and get reacquainted with our families and let them enjoy the girls.
Unfortunately, that only lasted a short time when the powers-that-be said they wanted my husband in Okinawa. Off we went to the South China Sea and another island. It wasn't quite the paradise as Hawaii, but it had its beauty as well. Times weren't as serene, however, as now Jerry wasn't flying in cargo aircraft, but the back seat of an F-4 fighter/bomber. Duty took him away from home for half of the 2.5 years we lived there. But we all survived. The awaiting assignment would be near Alamogordo, NM.
In New Mexico we became horse owners and the children thrived. Horses and girls make a positive combination. Not to mention that horses are a passion with me. The peaceful family circle came to an abrupt halt when once again, Air Force duty took away our main man. Off to Iceland for a year. We bought a small acreage outside Alamogordo, took our horses, and stayed connected with the base and their riding program. The year passed and soon we were traveling to Hill Air Force Base, Utah with three girls, two dogs, and two cats in tow.
We bought a beautiful acreage with a lovely home. Bought two more horses, this time Arabians (my favorite). Everything was tooling along smoothly when, you guessed it. We'r...Expand for more
e going to Aviano, Italy for four years. Leaving behind the horses and our friends in Utah was hard. We packed up the girls, the two cats and drove cross-country, visiting family in Okla. en-route to Delaware where the cats were shipped and we boarded the plane for another adventure. We rapidly adjusted to the European way of life. The girls attended an American school on the base, made life-long friends but sadly for mom and dad, they graduated and flew off to Edmond, Okla. to attend college.
Since we were having such a good time in Europe, we thought it would be fun to experience another country so we accepted an assignment to Zweibrucken, Germany. Folks Marching became our routine on weekends. Usually in Germany, sometimes in France. I must say, we felt like tourists on a seven-year vacation. While in Italy, I had brushed up on my stenography and tested for Civil Service once again. I worked as secretary to the Director of Operations there and after moving continued working in Germany for the Army then to the Air Base as secretary to the Wing Commander.
I loved being an Air Force wife. Because you have no family nearby, your friends become your family. We made wonderful friendships and shared moments of triumph and grief together.
In 1984 we returned to Okla. City and retirement from the Air Force. Both Jerry and I worked at Tinker AFB for several years. I worked for about 5 years for the AWAC Commander, before we moved for a short five years to Eureka Springs. Then we returned to Edmond and purchased another home.
All three daughters have married by now and we are the proud grandparents of four beautiful young people. The eldest is now 25, her sister is 21, and our grandson is 20...his younger sister is 12.
Sadly, after a long illness which we later learned was service related, my best friend passed away in April of 2006. I have remained in our home and continue enjoying my beautiful Arabian mare Taffy stabled nearby. I have three loving dogs to share my time and the children are nearby. Life is once again very good.
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