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Carol Spiegel Ramey

Carol Spiegel
Spouse/Partner: Bud
Comments:

I've been married twice. The first time was when I was in college, so I guess it's no surprise that it didn't work out. The only good thing about that one was that I had three great sons. My second husband, Bud, and I have been together 36 years, and by the time of the reunion, we'll have celebrated our 33rd anniversary. He was an Illinois State Trooper for 30 years, and then was a Sheriffs Deputy for 5 years. He had 4 kids from his first marriage, and all 7 kids were very close in age and all think of themselves as biological siblings. WE were the Brady Bunch plus 1. Luckily, all the kids, except my oldest, live within 90 miles from us. Tom, the one who moved, was a victim of the recession, so while trying to line something up, he decided to leave the Illinois winters behind. He now lives in Palm Springs, CA.
We have 7 grandchildren - one boy, age 22, and 6 girls who range in age from 13 years to 11 months. Our grandson graduates from U. of Illinois this weekend (May 14) and will be commissioned in the Navy 2 days later. After a year of training, he'll be an officer on a nuclear submarine. Our youngest 5 girls are all into the princess thing- that's a lot of tiaras and princess parties. The older granddaughter is at that obnoxious jr. high age -she's definitely too cool for any of us.
Life after Burroughs
I went to Washington U. and graduated with a B.S. in Sociology. When my kids were little, I had a number of forgettable jobs. The worst was as a substitute Rural Route Mail Carrier. For the most part, I was a substitute teacher, K through12. For one season, I was the assistant High School Girls Basketball coach. That was the most fun!!
After finally staying put in one place, I was able to start in my "chosen'" career as a social worker. I worked for Lutheran Social Services for 5 years, and for the State Illinois for 21+ years. I was with the Department Children and Family Services, my job title was Child Welfare Specialist--I worked with neglected and sexually & physically abused kids and their families. My proudest accomplishment is helping kids and adults when they were at a very low point. I've been retired since 2003. Since then, 1 do Child Custody evaluations for the Courts in 2 counties.
3I’ve lived in 11 different places (not including college) since 1961. My first husband must have had gypsy blood because we were always on the move. In the 12 year since?1964, we lived in 5 places in the St. Louis area; Columbia, MO; Miami FL; St. Charles, IL; and Wheaton, IL. Things got more stable after Bud came in our lives. We lived in?Mt. Carroll, IL for 29 years, and we've been in Galena, IL for the last 5 years.
In addition to Custody Evaluations (business has been really crummy for the last few years due to the horrible economy), I'm on the county Board of Health and I run a federally funded emergency food program for low-income county residents. I also enjoy attending summer-stock theater with friends. The cause I'm most committed to is animal welfare. I'm into pet rescue and I volunteer at a no-kill cat shelter. I could easily turn into one of those "cat ladies" you hear about.
We have a home in Mesa, AZ, and spend about 6 months a year there. We love the mountains and the warm weather - we don't miss IL winters in the least. Interesting destination - Alaska. Prettiest spot - Lake Louise, Canada.
I'm constantly surprised (and pleased) by how great things have turned out.
I'd love to have a great-grandchild. On a totally different note, I'd also love to spend several months exploring the eastern seaboard - we've always traveled west. A few years ago* I would have said I 'd like to go to Egypt - it doesn't seem like such, a good idea any more.
I have to say that I don't think I learned any "life lessons" at JBS and what 17 yr old would really recognize a life lesson if it hit them in the face? I was too worried about the important stuff like who I was going out with and what I was going to wear. Life skills? I learned a lot. Life lessons? I don't think so.
Fondest memories - being with friends and of course GRADUATION





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