My Family

In 1999 Carrie and I on balcony overlooking Waikiki Beach, Hawaii

FAMILY HISTORY

We met in 1968 while attending Everett Community College in Everett, Washington. I (Bob) was studying Sociology and Carrie was studying Photography. We also worked together that year as Group Workers at the Charles Denny Juvenile Detention Center in Everett. We were married on June 27, 1969 in a small private ceremony in my Marysville Washington.

In August of 1969 we moved to Mount Vernon, Washington. I enrolled at Western Washington State College in Bellingham, Washington. In 1970, we moved to Bellingham, Washington where I continued my education at a leisurely pace. 1970 was also the year our son, A'eron, was born. While living in Bellingham, we worshipped at Victory Baptist Church. It was during our Bellingham years that we both renewed our commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. During that period, I had the privilege of working at the Lighthouse Mission (a rescue mission in downtown Bellingham).

In 1974, I finally graduated from Western Washington State College (now Western Washington State University) with a BA in Sociology/anthropology. We moved to Lynden, Washington where we built a home. On our fifth anniversary we were remarried, renewing our vows at Victory Baptist Church in Bellingham. We also adopted a six week old daughter, Sarah, that same year. That same year, we started Friendship Baptist Church in our home. I was ordained to the Gospel ministry on February 28, 1976.

In 1978, we left Lynden and moved to Mill Valley, California where I attended Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary for one year.

After a year of seminary, we moved to Lakeside, Oregon where I pastored Lakeside Baptist Chapel, a tiny mission church that met in the elementary school. While in Lakeside we helped the church purchase property and obtain their own building. We adopted our daughter, Sophia, a six year old from Colombia, in 1980. In 1982 we built a home on the hill overlooking our church. Carrie started and ran a Christian preschool at the church. During our time in Lakeside, I served on the City Counsel for seven years (1979-1986). In 1984, Carrie went to work for the Coos County Education Services District. She learned Braille and sign language and worked primarily with students that were either blind or deaf. It was also during this period that I developed an interest in writing and took creative writing classes at Southwestern Oregon Community College.

In 1986, I became the Associate Pastor of Administration at Harbor Baptist Church in Winchester Bay, Oregon. In 1988 we moved to Reedsport, Oregon, four miles north of the church and Carrie went to work for the Reedsport School District. Harbor Baptist Church began a Christian School in 1994 and I became the School Administrator. We celebrated or 25th anniversary by renewing our marriage vows and finally taking our honeymoon, a Carnival Cruise to the Mexican Riviera.

A poor economy caused School District layoffs in 1996 and Carrie went to work for Harbor Christian School. In 1998, she left HCS and went to work for the Reedsport Flower Shop. HCS started a Homeschool division and I became the Homeschool Administrator/Supervisor. In 2000, Carrie was rehired by the Reedsport School District where she currently works with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. I retired in 2000 and  spent  four years writing a science fiction novel about Christians in the 22nd century. 2000 was also the year we adopted Ann Latty into our family and made her children our grandchildren.

  OUR CHILDREN