I was born in Brooklyn, NY and my family moved to the mid-Hudson Valley, Cornwall, in 1956 during the grand migration to leave the city behind. I met Denny on a blind date, while in an RN nursing program, and we married a week after he graduated West Point. My sister also met her husband on a blind date at WP, although he was on an exchange week from the Naval Academy. Made for tense family moments during those fateful football games in December. We raised our two children moving from “pillar to post” for 20 years, followed by civilian life in northern Virginia. A property became available in Virginia Beach in 2000, near the ocean, which we purchased thinking this would be an excellent place to retire. Renovations were begun and we moved there in 2001. After working in several medical specialties, ending in gastroenterology (no pun intended), I retired in 2013. We remain there surrounded by many wonderful friends and neighbors.
We were blessed with the availability to travel extensively in the past and hope to do more in the future. I enjoy entertaining friends, family and anyone passing through our area—cooking goes along with that as well. One of my favorite things to do is create quilts for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at one of our local hospitals. They brighten the room and help to soundproof the isolettes allowing those struggling little ones to rest and mature. The parents can take the quilt home with them when their baby is discharged. When not in my “happy place” (that’s what Denny calls my sewing room), we can be found walking the trails behind our place in the State Park in winter with our yellow Lab, Abbie, or tossing a baton in the ocean for her in warmer weather. She is getting older (not like us 😊) so sometimes with the last toss, Denny is the retriever.
- The Good Life…until 9-11-2001
by Pat Wance A job change had us returning to northern Virginia from New Jersey in the early 90s and by the late 90s, we started to think about where we would like to retire…New… Read more: The Good Life…until 9-11-2001 - What West Point Means to Me
When I began to think about “What West Point Means to Me”, for some strange reason I had a flashback of that songs by the Animals, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place.” I know that… Read more: What West Point Means to Me - Hey, I Could Really Use a Ride – 1971
Timing is everything and I’m certain that West Point has ingrained that principle in the minds of all its graduates along with so many other important aspects of military life. As a supporting wife, I tried… Read more: Hey, I Could Really Use a Ride – 1971