Meet your neighbors

As I contemplate writing this "Meet Your Neighbors" column, my thoughts go back six months to when my husband James and I first moved to Odessa and how we felt, and still feel, the warmth and love of the way all you Odessa people welcomed us with open arms. We are all still in awe of this marvelous place and all the people who make it what it is. Thank you, Odessa!

And now I would like to introduce you to Kathy Ashe, a recent transplant from Salisbury, Mo. She was born in Sigourney, Iowa and grew up in St. Charles, Ill., where she eventually married and raised her family of six children. She has five sons and one daughter, three of them living in Illinois, one in Montana, one in Maine and one in Nevada. She also has 10 grandchildren. As a young wife and mother, she homeschooled her children.

After 25 years of marriage ended in divorce, she went to work for Willow Creek Community church where she served on a team that organized leadership conferences and also as a copyright administrator for the church's publishing website. After a time she realized that the work was taking too much time away from her children. She left that job and did some part-time housekeeping while at the same time going to college to become a paralegal. Over the next 20 years she worked for attorneys until her retirement at age 62.

One of her dreams was to be a caretaker in England where she could enjoy the beautiful gardens that country is famous for. She never made it to England, but she was able to do some caretaking jobs in Sun Prairie, Wis., Fort Collins, Colo. and then last summer in Spokane. After being in eastern Washington a while, she scouted the area and decided she wanted to settle down in here. In her searching, she happened upon Odessa, and it was love at first sight. She purchased a house here and is settling in. In the meantime, her house in Missouri was sold.

She enjoys the fact that she can do all of her shopping on foot. She also enjoys the senior meals and the fellowship she has found there. Kathy says she finds the people of Odessa very friendly and very welcoming. One of the joys for her is to be a volunteer. She also avidly pursues crocheting as a hobby. If you get a chance to visit her in her home, you will see her beautiful work. Or if you happen to be at the local quilt shop on some Wednesday afternoon, you might find her there having a good time sitting around the table where some of the women of the community are gathered together and enjoying one another's company while working on their projects.

Until next time, enjoy life!