Before Jane and Linford were married in June 1975, I arranged with Doris to rent a lower level basement bedroom from Dennis and Joyce Davenport. She was living and working at their beautiful home outside of Forest Lake on a few acres of property. Dennis and Joyce were traveling with the band on the road most of the time, so they were thrilled that Doris wouldn’t be there alone.

Before leaving Ladysmith I purchased my first car – a 1973 Toyota Celica manual shift with five speeds on the floor. Once situated in Forest Lake, I started job hunting. Each day I would read the want ad section in the daily paper. I accepted a typist position at State Farm Insurance district office in Roseville, Minnesota.

Because I tested as a fast typist with few mistakes, I was typing claim checks all day. It was an office factory. One large room with rows of desks, each desk had a couple drawers, an electric typewriter and an office chair. The daily pile of approved claims were provided to my desk and the checks forms had the tractor feed holes that I would place in the typewriter. I would type in the name, amount, then write on the claim form the date, my initials and the check number validating the check had been issued. It was all women working on this factory with the exception of our boss, who was a nervous young man. He was tasked with producing as much work as humanly possible. He sat in the back of the room at his desk, and constantly watched over all the production typists. He came by my desk and recommended that I use a different hand motion to turn over the completed claim form. He believed it would save a second of time and allow me to produce more work during my shift. If an error was made when typing the check, it had to be voided and retyped. He kept track of each voided check as a measure of my output.

He wasn’t a likeable fellow. One April Fool’s day, our boss had a phone message on his desk to call a number and speak to Mr. Fox about a claim. When he called the number, he reached the zoo, and before he actually listened to who answered the phone he asked for Mr. Fox. Apparently this is a common April Fool’s joke. He was so embarrassed and angry. We were all chuckling silently to ourselves. He spent the afternoon interviewing everyone trying to figure out who did the naughty deed, but everyone claimed ignorance.

Doris had made Christian friends in the area. We both attended House Of Praise, a small non-denominational charismatic ministry that was led by Steve Krube.  Steve was the brother of Dave Krube who was a member of the Lower Lights Quartet. Dave and Jim Houle had been best friends since their high school days.

The young people in the area would often carpool to Jesus People Church in Minneapolis. This ministry was a large community of young people from all walks of life. During this time I hung with two girlfriends, Karen and Sandy. We were close in age and had all grown up in Christian homes.  One day we were talking of challenges we faced and Karen confided to us she had been sexually abused during her childhood years by a family member. Sandy and I shared that we had both had similar experiences. It was the first time I realized I wasn’t the only one who had experienced this trauma.

I started dating Bob. He was a true romantic. He brought me flowers, cards, and penned romantic poems. We would attend Jesus People Church together sometimes, visit museums and go out to eat. He was very quiet, caring and kind. I guess I always knew I wasn’t actually in love with him, but he was fun to spend time with. After a few months, it became clear we weren’t on the same page. He was hoping for a long-term future with me, and I wasn’t willing to commit to that. One of the hardest things I ever did was break up with him.

The Lower Lights Quartet would be on the road for three or four weeks at a time, and then the big bus would drive into the yard where Dennis, Joyce, Doris and I all lived and there would be this flurry of chaos. Dennis and Joyce would settle in at home for a few days or maybe a week or two and then they would load up the bus and take off again. During the home times I would hang out with Jim Houle and the rest of the Jesus People gang. Jim was handsome and unattached, but all the young women were attracted to him and hoped to garner his attention. Jim knew I had been dating Bob as they were good friends. One night when Jim and I both ended up at the same gathering in Minneapolis, Jim needed a ride to his parents home in Forest Lake where he stayed when the band was not on the road. We drove back to Forest Lake together, and he asked if Bob and I were still together. When he learned Bob and I were no longer an item, he asked If I would go out with him to a movie. I had been secretly smitten with Jim for some time.

Our first date was in February 1976. He had a great sense of humor, was easy to talk to, and had a very resourceful can-do approach to life. Jim had grown up in a family with financial resources, but he was living independently and his only income was the small amount of money earned with the gospel band. We ended the evening with a long hug.

When Jim went back on the road with the band the next day, I wondered if he would continue his interest in me or if he would forget about me when he was away. Jim started writing me letters when he was on the road. He told me he wanted to continue to get to know me better. He mentioned how lonely it was on the road. Traveling miles and miles with the band and each night a gospel concert in a different church. It was never possible to really get to know anyone.

In the gospel band Dennis and Joyce Davenport were a married couple. His friend Dave Krube who was also in the band had recently married Gerri, the piano player for the group. Dave and Gerri were planning to leave the band, as they wanted to settle down and start a family. We went out together each time he was home, and the first time we kissed on a winter evening under the moon was pure magic.

From my diary: Saturday, May 22, 1976 – Jim had to return a van the band had borrowed when the bus broke down in Sparta, Wisconsin. Jim asked me to follow him in my little Toyota Celica so he would have a way back home. We gassed up both rigs in Forest Lake and headed to Sparta. It was a perfect day for a drive – blue sky with big puffy clouds. I had music playing on the radio. We stopped to eat at Perkins in Black River Falls. I don’t remember much of the conversation, Jim was unusually quiet. We dropped off the van at the pastor’s house in Sparta who had loaned it to us. Jim asked him for directions to get to Grandad’s Bluff in LaCrosse. By the time we arrived it was late in the evening. The sun was low in the sky as we hiked out to the bluff. We stepped over a  fence and passed a sign that read “Dangerous – Do Not Enter.” Far below us we watched men playing golf. We stood in silence for a long time with our arms around each other just enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. The sky turned red as the sun set and the breeze was getting chilly.

Jim turned towards me and pulled me closer and said, “I’ve come to realize how much you mean to me.” There was a long pause, then “How about us getting married?” I was so surprised I didn’t say anything. He explained further, “What I’m saying is, I’d like you to be my wife.” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and whispered, “I’d love to be. ”As we started back up the hill Jim breathed deep and muttered with finality, “There, I said it!” I hung onto him so tight I think he could hardly breathe. I was so excited I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry! We got in the car and started the four hour drive back to Forest Lake. We talked about when we would get married. We calculated how much money we would be making if I joined the group or if I kept working at State Farm – discussed rent, car payments, etc. We celebrated by stopping at a Dairy Queen and buying chocolate covered cones. I think that’s all the money he had!

It was after midnight when we got back to Jim’s parents’ place. No one was home, so we stood out under the stars with our arms wrapped around each other savoring every kiss. I asked him if we should wait awhile before we told anyone of our new plans. His answer was, “No! I want to tell the whole world!”

We began planning our future together. It was soon decided I would quit my job at State Farm and join the Lower Lights Quartet as the pianist. Jim was a good music teacher as he sat with me at the piano and charted out all the songs and chord changes I needed to memorize. I was replacing Gerri as pianist, and the group was also looking for someone to play lead guitar and sing bass. Jane’s brother-in-law, Johnny Stoll, had just graduated from high school and was eager to join the band.

During our time traveling together on the road in the gospel band, we had time to get to know each other. We took long walks holding hands in the afternoon before a church concert. We talked about future dreams and plans. We both wanted to have a family. Jim purchased a book, “Everything You Always wanted to Know about Sex (but were Afraid to Ask)” by Dr. David Reuben. We took turns reading the chapters and talking about them. We were not yet sexually active, as we planned to wait until after the wedding.

The wedding date was set for August 15, 1976 at the Church of Christ in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. The details for the wedding were all arranged and I could hardly wait to marry the love of my life.