"Not a significantly different story than is that of thousands of others, but my mom was widowed when she was 42 years old with three children. I was the youngest at 9 years old and I had two older sisters, 12 and 15. My mom had never worked a day in her life and my Dad had been a very successful business guy, but, he had never made any plans 'in the event of'. My mother went out, got a job, kept her family together, worked hard, rose up and elevated herself as a government employee in the US Treasury Department and she made an exceptional example for her kids. She was tough and determined. Perhaps to her detriment, she did not ask for help and she was stubbornly determined to do it on her own. Nonetheless, she succeeded...granted in her own way, but I surely benefited from her efforts and I will always be grateful. She was exemplary and inspirational. I served in the US Marine Corps and I had my own very successful business, employing over 200 people at one time. I have recently retired and my life, even today, is the result of the lessons and examples handed down to me by my mother. Now, that is my story."
