Our family first met Duane in Fort Bidwell where we were herding sheep. We had recently left Mexico in the hunt for a better life. Our daughter Aurora was 6 weeks old when Duane ran into us. He started our family’s social life. Before we knew it, we were invited to the Sunday BBQ gatherings of the local community.
We have kept in touch with Duane for over 30+ years and have always remained very good friends. We have visited each other many times. This summer, Duane is visiting us with a 12-year old student from the Czech Republic.
Duane has always been very encouraging of our family member’s successes; our three children have Master’s Degrees.
Updated 29 April 2024
Our three kids graduated from college: our two sons have master’s degrees in education, and our daughter has a master’s in health management. They are all married: Jimmy and Jenell have 4 boys and 2 girls, Aurora and Eric have 2 boys, and Felipe and Emily have 6 boys. God has blessed us with a wonderful family. We adore every single one of our grandkids; they give us so much joy and happiness.
Jaime decided to go back to college and got his certification in counseling for addictions, anger management, etc. He graduated from COCC in Bend, Oregon, in 2007.
We lived for 28 years in Mitchell, Oregon, a small town where we made our home and where people received us like family. I ( Naty) worked in a school for 21 years as a mentor/ counselor for troubled teens until the school closed in 2009. After that, in 2011, we moved to McMinnville to be closer to our daughter and her family.
Jaime continued working as a counselor until he retired at the age of 72, and I am still working; since we have a coffee shop that we bought in 2014, I still don’t know when I will be retiring.