Reunion book Bio (300 word limit)
After high school, I went to college, business college, worked and was a homemaker.
I married William Melbye in 1964 and became the mother of twins, Eric and Jennifer.
Years later I married Benjamin Stephani and moved from St.Paul to Red wing. We blended our families and built a home in the country. We have six children, 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. We enjoy spending time with them all and during the Christmas holiday get together at a resort in Cancun.
We established the Hay Creek Christmas Tree Farm and Gift Shop, opening our retail business in 1990 in an old remodeled barn. We sold precut and cut your own trees as well as a large selection of wreaths and greenery. The gift shop was stocked with many ornaments and Christmas crafts, and apple cider and ginger cookies were given away. Our business was indeed a holiday experience for many families who made their visit to our farm an annual tradition. We had a sleigh with Santa Claus riding along singing, and also we had a nativity scene which housed a beautiful statue of the holy family plus live animals which we rented from local farmers.
I began living in the slower lane in 1992 with the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. I had to hire additional help in the gift shop because the disease progressed rapidly. Fortunately, a new experimental procedure called "deep brain stimulation" became available and my life was radically changed for the better ! After having the surgery in Kansas city, where it was first pioneered, I was able to regain many of the functions I had lost. Electrodes were placed in my brain by surgeons drilling a hole in my skull, and instantly the symptoms of the disease were arrested, but the disease was not cured. The first surgery was 12 years ago, and today I am able to function fairly well but not as good as post-surgery. We closed our business in 2005 when we depleted our stock of trees, and now we are just two old retired persons enjoying life.
We live a very peaceful life in the country in Red Wing. A trout stream runs through our front yard. I have many hobbies including computerized embroidery and computer related crafts.
Anyone who would like to visit - please give a call. We love to have company, and Red Wing is beautiful in the fall with the leaves turning color.
