Each Grace staff member has chosen a question to answer that will help you get to know them better...
Who has shaped your faith? I would have to say, my parents, my aunt, and my husband.
My father was Catholic, born and raised. He was the youngest of 13 so they were classified as a “good Catholic family”. He was forced by my grandfather to go to a Catholic High School but rebelled. He got into trouble with the nuns and the principal many times. After just a few months, he told my grandfather that he was going to go to the town’s high school. My grandfather in return said that he would not pay for anything that he did at the town school. So, my dad began doing odd jobs to get money for his books, lunches, football uniform, etc. He remained Catholic but just not a strong Catholic.
My mom grew up Lutheran but when her parents moved to town, the only church there was a Methodist church. When she married my father, she became Catholic. After 60+ years of being Catholic, she became Lutheran again a few years ago and is now a part of Grace. She says that she has come full circle!
My Auntie Millie, my mother’s sister, was a devote ELCA. They went to a tiny church in Malmo, MN. She was a “church basement lady”. She volunteered for EVERYTHING! I loved the way that she would light up when she walked into her church and how everyone would greet her warmly.
My husband was baptized Catholic and confirmed Lutheran. The priest who married us called him a hybrid. He understood that it was important to me for the kids to be raised Catholic, but he never wholeheartedly participated in the mass. When our son got married outside of the church and our daughter was not interested in being married Catholic, he asked if it could be his turn to pick a church. So, after a month of Sundays looking for a church, God kept sending us back to Grace. I am so glad that He did!
I grew up in Bloomington, MN. I am the youngest of 6 children (4 girls and 2 boys). My husband and I lived in Superior, WI when we were first married. Then we moved to Kennesaw, GA where we lived for 4 years and had both of our kids there. We moved back to Minnesota in 1998 and bought our house in Coon Rapids in 1999. I went to MSU-Mankato and received a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management. I worked for many years in corporate healthcare. I started my own cleaning business in 2009 so that I could be home when my high schoolers came home from school. I also for 4 years owned a gift shop in Downtown Anoka with one of my sisters. My son is a graduate of Concordia College, married to his high school sweetheart, and they live about 4 miles from us. My daughter is a graduate of Dakota Wesleyan, going to graduate school, coaching basketball, works in receiving, and lives with us for now. My husband is a former MP in the Marine Corps, a veteran of Desert Storm, and loves to fish and hunt. We travel and go camping. My hobbies include quilting, painting, writing, and brown thumb gardening. We have a coon hound mix, an old grey tabby, a squeaky parakeet, and a few fish. We have two grand puppies, a bloodhound mix, and an old Boston bulldog.
