Sue Ross:
CLASS OF 1962
South Gate High SchoolClass of 1962
South gate, CA
California State University Class of 1968
Long beach, CA
Saint Matthias SchoolClass of 1958
Huntington park, CA
Sue's Story
Life
Hi,
April 18, 2021
I have been retired now after 49 years of teaching and subbing in Long Beach.
Rob , my son, teaches science at Garden Grove High School. He and his wife Christy have an nineteen year old daughter called Reagan. She goes to the University of Santa Cruz. Christy graduated from S.C. dental school and is now Dr. Ross DDS. She is practicing here in H. B. . Their second child, Charlotte, will be seventeen in in Oct. They also have Nathaniel who is eleven.. Charlotte plays soccer and rides bike in Irvine hills in competitions. this year three firsts and 1 second.
Second son, Tyson, is chief probation officer of probation dept. in Parker , Arizona. Stacie is an engineer for electric company. He and Stacie have a 20 year old son, Ty. He is on a full academic scholarship at the university of Flagstaff in Arizona. Taylor Ann was 16 in March. She runs track and plays volleyball, basketball and flag football in high school in Havasu, I They also have a 11 year old girl named Kaylee. . .
Amy has moved back to Lake Havasu. She was a dialysis tech in Havasu. She and Scott, her significant other, have a little girl named Annabel and she is eleven. They bought a new home.. Annabel plays club soccer and gets straight A's in school. Amy has been diagnosed with ALS. She can no longer walk and has an electric wheelchair. She does not have use of her hands and her speech is getting slurred. This breaks our hearts as you can imagine. She passed away August 23, 2022
I love to do art and crafts, eggery, knit, sew, photography and travel. I make scarves, purses and ponchos and sell them at boutiques and at the school I sub at. I have been working boutiques every month this past year so my hands have been really busy making things.
We do go to our River house and spend time with the kids and grandchildren.. In the past Karen (Trace) Verzani and hubby and Richard and Barbara Beard, Tod and Jan Wakefield, Karen and Joe Blaylock came to our river house.
May 2007 I had a right knee replacement and still feel the metal in there. Slow walking. Also a surprise, in the Fall of 2008, finding out I had breast cancer. It is not in the family history. In Oct. I had a double mastectomy. None found in lymph nodes. No chemo or radiation, just pills. Doctor said I was a very lucky woman. Two weeks ago I found out that my left knee is bone on bone. For now we are injecting gel in the knee. I really don't want to do another replacement if possible. Recently had vertigo and son took me to hospital. Pulse was 35. Found out my heart rhythm is messed up. Wearing a heart monitor till they figure it out. I decided my heart was tired of the same beat and wanted to change things up.. Result is that I don't need pacemaker. Yeah!
I go to shows and plays with my friends. That is my outside activity.
Still live in Huntington Beach, same house for 52 years.
. A few years back we went to Durango and then then went on to Leadville where my son, Rob, did the 100 mile Leadville invitational bike race. It started at 9,500 feet and went to 12,500 feet. He was disappointed, but we were proud of him, considering he lives at maybe 5 feet elevation, that alone was an achievement. It took him 9 hours and we worked the pit stops. In the 40 to 49 age group he came in 163 out of 551. Overall 403 out of 1,385. 300 dropped out....Expand for more
Temperature was over 100 degrees. What an experience for all of us.
II made the decision not to be on the reunion committee any longer. It was a hard one, but I feel it is time for others to take over..
If I could see my teachers again, I would pick two.
One would be Mr. Crutcher, the art teacher. He was funny and would tell stories all period while you were doing your work. Another would be Mr. Scoles. I learned a lot from him and went back to see him in college. He helped me with my bug collection for entomology.
I think people would be surprised to know that I was basically shy and afraid people wouldn't like me. I wanted to be in drama but was afraid to be in front of people. Yes, I know, how could I be a cheerleader. People were farther away and I couldn't see their faces if I didn't wear my glasses.
One of the weirdest jobs right out of high school was working for a temporary agency. They had me work as a bindary girl for the gas company. I had to glue the backs of pads all day. Then a reproduction girl for Lockheed. I used the big oscellite (sp.) machine reproducing papers for engineers and sales.
I also read IBM cards doing inventory for John Deere. I wondered how people could do these jobs every day for years. Thank goodness September rolled around and college started. I attended Long Beach State with a lot of friends from high school. Joined sorority Zeta Tau Alpha, with good friiends still today. A lot of South Gate boys joined Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and I became little sister and Dream Girl Princess for them. They sponsored me to run for Lotta Crabtree a saloon girl in 1849. I had to speak in front of college students and meet new people all over campus. No, I didn't win, but sure had fun. Met my husband at college in my last year. That is a story all by its self. He joined Phi Kappa Tau also.
My most favorite job was telling fairy tales on storybook land at Disneyland for three years. I also worked the matterhorn, space jets, Mr. Toads Wild Ride, Peter Pan and for a brief time was Snow White. I had to dye my hair black. Problem was they wanted me to cut it and I said no so they whipped me right off and back to storybook land.
These were all summer jobs and holidays to help support my college tuition.
Scariest job was working at Dolphin's Market in Seal Beach. I ran it during the day till my replacement came and then after classes, back at night. I closed and had to carry the money down the alley to my apartment and put it in the potato bin overnight and take it back the next day. After my dad found out that was the end of that job. I did meet a lot of interesting people.
I have written three books and have had them published. It was a lot of fun and hard work. They accepted my art work also.
My husband has been battling cancer for four years. He had his bladder removed and it is in the lymph nodes. the infusions for the lymph nodes has caused neuropathy so they took him off and we are waiting for a new treatment to come out. i have to have the faith that all will work out. God had his own plans and Jerry passed away May 5, 2022. Needless to say losing my husband and daughter a few months apart has been very tramatic. I believe God has his reasons. My two sons and family have been my rock. Take care and write me. Would love to hear from old classmates.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Reunions
Register for Free to view all events!
Photos
Register for Free to view all photos!