Kathy Before Ron
Kathy values her privacy. I will share only what she has made public, allowing her to decide how much of her story to tell and to modify it later if she wishes.
Kathy began playing the flute in elementary school and quickly became an accomplished musician. Although her parents couldn't afford private lessons, she excelled and performed in music groups worldwide until her 70s (which has yet to happen). Arthritis eventually made practice impossible, and she deeply misses this part of her life.
Kathy's grandmother was a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ensuring each grandchild received a birth record through a blessing at Church. In contrast, Kathy's mother, Pat, chose a different path, raising her children with strong values but without the Church as their central influence. When Kathy was eight, Mae Town, a local Church leader, invited Kathy and her brother Ron to be baptized. Pat agreed, as long as it was their choice. After taking missionary lessons, they felt baptism was right and later became leaders in the Church and community, inspiring others in their faith.
Kathy fondly recalls her friends from elementary and high school who helped her have fun and develop good values. One time, she and her friends toilet-papered Mr. Glasser's house after getting his address from her mom's school district address book. They decorated the yard and took pictures, but on Monday, Mr. Glasser announced a 10,000-word essay requirement for those responsible. They confessed and submitted the essay with pictures, but faced consequences at home for using her mom's address book.
Kathy was 5'4" in her freshman year of high school but grew to 6'1" by her sophomore year, becoming uncoordinated enough to trip over painted lines in the street. Mr. Bland, the boys' varsity basketball coach, noticed and suggested she practice with the boys' team. Her mother agreed, and Kathy developed coordination and a love for basketball. She disliked the girls' team because they "played like girls'. She did not play college ball due to limited opportunities in that era. However, she played whenever possible, even competing with sixth-grade boys as a principal, or surprising me with her skills on the court shortly after we married.
Kathy was initially timid, which worried her mother about her college success. After starting at Cerritos Community College, she transferred to BYU, where she quickly made friends. Caught in a prank of soaping car windows, she and her group were punished by preparing dinners for the guys for the rest of the year. (The guys furnished the food.) Kathy joined the award-winning BYU Marching Band and performed nationwide. She graduated with a major in elementary education and a minor in music, hoping to teach music. Instead, she returned home to teach at 122nd Street School in Watts. She also returned home unmarried, of course waiting to meet the future love of her life.