Laurie Duane

March 2011: Just started a new job as cook for the Charlotte County jail. Am also waiting to start to work as library assistant for Mecklenburg County. Still living in my little single wide with goats and dogs in the backyard - my landlords'. Both new jobs are part-time and will allow me to enjoy kayaking when the weather warms. Love the part-time gigs as they permit me time off to travel and spend with the family.
Sept 2010: Finally an update. Broke my right ankle in Feb and couldn't afford to live in Amelia. Moved to Red Oak to live in a single wide owned by my friend's son. At long last have returned to my roots - trailer trash. Anyway, still in VA helping daughter with her and her kids but I am so wanting to begin my retirement plan of traveling the country. Am waiting to see what the man upstairs has in mind for me. Hope it's something I like.
July 2009: It's been a long and winding road - some ups, some downs, but the scenery has been beautiful along the way.
I have had the pleasure of living in Virginia, now for the third time; New York, North Carolina and Florida. I hope to retire somewhere warm in about 7 or 8 years. I have three beautiful daughters, 5 handsome grandsons, 3 beautiful granddaughters, 2 great sons-in-law, 2 ex-sons in law (from the same daughter) and two faithful, loving toy poodles with whom I spend most of my time.
I love to kayak in my ocean kayak which I have never taken in the ocean, but have had in the intracoastal waterway and other waterways in Florida. I have found a few good spots close to home to go and go as often as my work schedule and time with my family allows.
In June of 2009, I moved back to Midlothian, VA to help my oldest daughter with childcare and emotional support. (She is the one with the two ex-husbands. That says it all.) I left my job with Hometown News in Melbourne, FL where I was the news clerk and wrote a weekly entertainment column. I worked for Panera bread in Midlothian, VA as catering coordinator for a year.
I was lucky to spend some time with my high school pals (you all know who you are) in 1996-97 when I was evacuated from a hurricane on Topsail Island, NC and returned to Akron for several months. When the island opened up, I heeded the call of the sea and returned to oceanfront living until Jan. 2006 when I moved to Florida to spend the last 3 months of my sister Judy's life with her. She died in March and I stayed in her town 3 more years, enjoying the city she loved so much.

I moved to Copley High in my freshman year. My first friends were Sharon Abraham and Marguerite Mazzola, soon followed by Colleen Thomas, Marlene Sombati, Susan Reese, Chrissie Shaeffer, Elena Sardone, Yvonne Becker, Helen Tanaska, Sandy Hrubek and a few others. My sister Judy and I hung out with some of her friends, too. Some of the things I remember most include: having slumber parties and toilet papering Tim Pendleton's house every chance we could;working with Colleen at Mammy's Kitchen and throwing snowballs at Paul Fox's house after leaving work due to a snowstorm; flirting with the football players while waiting for the second run of busses to take us home; getting housework done on Saturdays and going to the mall; lying to my mother about Jeff Nelson driving us to football games - we told her it was his dad; harassing Doug Harwich and Mike Miller on the bus; Marguerite pretending to be my mother on the
phone and calling me out of school sick during senior week so I could skip school; telling Miss Dumm that Susan Reese was sick and needed me to help her walk home - when, in fact, we went to her house to drink beer.
There are more memories but too many to list here. We'll chat at the reunion. See ya' then.