Darlene McElroy:
CLASS OF 1981
Boone Valley High SchoolClass of 1981
Renwick, IA
Eagle Grove High SchoolClass of 1981
Eagle grove, IA
Eagle Grove Junior High SchoolClass of 1977
Eagle grove, IA
Darlene's Story
I would really like my old friends to just remember that we were friends.
I always wanted to be a surgeon when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a great idea. As it turns out, they were wrong.
My favorite ways to relax (even though my family & friends say I don't know how) are reading and playing on the computer.
The wildest thing I ever did in school - I don't think there was anything, unless you count the attempted suicide on my 18th birthday after I was raped.
If I'm going to work somewhere, I need to have my cell phone, my IPAQ, and my pens to be able to deal with the day-to-day.
My heroes are my children. All three of them have been born prematurely. The oldest two have a multitude of disabilities and they concentrate on their abilities so they have accomplished a lot. My son died July 20, 2010 at age 24 and it has been hard to go on from there.
Where have I lived: Wooster Oh - moved from there when I joined the Army; Ft Jackson for Basic training; Ft Gordon for Advanced training; Ft Lewis for 2 years; Germany for 3 years; Ft Knox for 6 years; during that 6 years I was also sent to Ft Sill for awhile, Ft Gordon, and Ft Leonard Wood; from Ft Knox I moved to Ft Gordon and I retired here.
The people that I would like to see again from my past are the ones that I graduated high school with and the ones that I went to Jr High with at Eagle Grove. I saw some of the ones from BV at our 25th year reunion but I had a lot of medical issues and had gained a lot of weight. I would really like to see everyone again, now that I am doing better and most of the weight is gone.
My obsessions: I guess that would be my computer. I like to watch NCIS, House, and Criminal Minds. However if I miss them I don't freak out. If my computer goes down, that is another story.
I have had several surprises during my life as it has NOT turned out the way I expected it to. I did not go to medical school, I joined the Army and retired from it. I was in the communications/electronics field. I then entered the personnel field after that ...Expand for more
for 6 years and now I am job hunting. I have been married 3 times, all 3 were soldiers, and I have 3 children all 3 premature.
If I could improve my home, I'd remodel my bedroom and add on a covered wrap-around deck. My dream home would be in the country, have 4 or 5 bedrooms.
I have learned from my kids that there is no such thing as "normal". I have learned to be a very good advocate. I have learned to be patient. I was abused as a child and in marriage, my children are not abused. I have stopped that cycle.
If I won $100 million, I'd give $2 million of it to Canine Assistants; $2 million to Give Kids the World; $2 million to Make a Wish Foundation; $2 million to Children's Miracle Network, then spend the rest on my kids, my best friends and my husband & I.
I had a very stressful job until Dec 29 2008. Now I am job hunting. My career aspirations are high as I have been mid-level management for several years now. I have had two other government contract positions since then and I am once again job hunting.
My best friend would tell you I'm outgoing, very organized and a great listener, but people who don't know me very well would probably describe me as an introvert.
The weirdest job I've ever had was when I was an instructor at Ft Knox and the commander pulled me to assist in the office area because they were short-handed.
If I had one thing in my life that I could do differently - not have left home the day after graduation.
In 10 years, I hope to be better off financially. I'm going to get there by getting a better job.
My first job was at Friendship Haven in Fort Dodge my senior year as a CNA after I attended the training the summer before my senior year. What I remember most about it was the times I pulled double shifts and studying for tests on my breaks, then driving home in the snow.
A childhood memory I will never forget is one that is actually funny. I remember being little and a tornado coming through. We lived in Thor and my slide was thrown over the clothesline. I still have a picture of that somewhere.
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