Kathy Newlen:
CLASS OF 1968
Riverdale High SchoolClass of 1968
Riverdale, CA
Kathy's Story
Life
Hi:
I am Kathy Elaine Fischer Newlen.
Graduated from Westside Elementary 1964
Graduated from Riverdale Joint Union High School 1968
Went to West Hills in Coalinga from 1968 to 1970
Graduated from Cal Poly University in 1973 and received my Teaching credential in 1974.
I did not get into teaching right away. I worked in a Backpack shop as a seamstress for tents and backpacks. Later I worked with the Designer and helped with new prototypes.
I married in 1975 to Steven Michael Newlen from Fresno.
Substituted with the City of Fresno School District. I signed up with Fresno County School District and later ended up at My old Elementary school Teaching 8th grade reading and Home Economics as a long term substitute while a teacher was out on Maternity Leave.
The fall of 1978 I accepted the offer to teach at the Westside Elementary school as a 8th grade teacher for reading, PE and 7th and 8th for Home Economics. Until my Husband took a new job in 1983. I completed the last of my 51/2 yrs from in January 1984 at the school. I then moved ( my husband had already been in Southern California since fall of 1983)to join him.
I again began substituing and tried to obtain a new teaching position. At that time they were not doing much highing. Eventaully I took a teaching position at a pre-school as a Kindergarten teacher. I was there about 2 years. I did not like the preschool atmosphere. Well, at least that one. I took a course in Loan processing and took a position a Jr loan processer. I worked over the years for differnt mortgage companies.
We first lived in Buena Park, later moved to City of Orange. While living in Orange, we purchased a house in Fontana, CA. This was in San Bernardino County. We purchased in and moved in one week prior to Christmas in 1989. We lived there Until Mar 1997. In 1996 my life changed dramatically from my Husband being the Main Income person to me being the primary wage earner. He was in a severe auto accident with a jack knifed rig on the 605 freeway. He had a Traumatic Brain injury. His whole life changed on how he could do things. He looks normal with a bluish scare on his forehead. He was in the computer field and had to relearn how to type, use a keyboard. It a bunch of little things. He eventaully had some tests done and it was determined he definitely suffered a mild Brain Injury. He was told that he would not lon...Expand for more
ger be able to learn the way he did before. He needed accept and move on and deal with new ways to remember things. Things have improved over the years.
1997 we moved to Santa Ana and rented out the house in Fontana. We rented a house in Santa Ana so he could be closer to his job in Long Beach and this shortened his commute time. But,after a year relocated the Rancho Santa Margarita in a very small apartment because we were unable to locate anything better. We lived there for about 3 yrs and then moved to Laguna Hills where we currently reside. We have been here now for 3 yrs going on 4. But again we are renting. I have talked about moving back to our Fontana home and commuting to work. But not for a while.
I and my husband currently work for the same company, Secured Funding Corporation. This is not always a good idea. But, Steven has been looking for a new job. He is supervisor of the Secondary Lock Desk. I was recently promoted to manage an internal sub-escrow department. This all occurred about 2 months ago.
I was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer after we returned from a one week vacation celebraing our 30th wedding Anniversary. I had the Biopsy on May 31st, Surgery July 11th (Lumpectomy), surgery the 15th to insert balloon for new radiation procedure, began localized treatments for 1 wk and had the balloon removed 7/22. I have been home re-cooperating and will return to work 8/1.
In 2004 my Father died in February. The rest of my immediate family, brother, sister and mother are doing well in Hanford.
Since my last post: We moved back to Fontana in July 2007. Times has been hard. We worked on the Census gathering data starting one year before the census verifying property addresses. Then we also walked a route assigned to gather census info about each family assigned in a specific area in 2010. I and other were assigned to locate homeless people so they can be added to the census records. We did what we could to survive. My Husband is on a VA disability and SS and I am on SS for income. I am the caretaker of my mother who is in stage 4 of Alzhiemers. I reside with her in Hanford. Last summer 2013 found out about a class reunion for all of Westside
Elementary classmates for all years. At the last minute My sister and I went and had a great time and saw many of my classmates from Westside that were also my Riverdale Classmates.
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