I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the eldest in a family of five girls. I attended one elementary school, one junior high, high school -- but college all over the US and in Germany. After graduation from high school, I spent a year at Wisconsin State College-Milwaukee, then worked for a year. In 1957 I was hired by United Airlines as a stewardess. While training in Cheyenne, Wyoming, I met Ed Hansen, an Air Force lieutenant who had graduated from USNA, Annapolis. It was love at first sight, fortunately a mutual attraction. In spite of all the reasons we shouldn't have, we married. Ed was off to Korea for a year on an unaccompanied assignment, and (since at the time one couldn't be both married and a stewardess) I resigned, returned to my former job in Milwaukee, and waited out the year. In 1958 I joined Ed in Japan, where we spent the next three years. Daughter Joy was born there. From 1961-5 we lived in Maryland outside Washington DC; daughter Julie was born there. Next came three years (1965-68) in France and Germany with a lot of traveling.

During our six years in Ohio (1968-74) I finally finished a BS, MSEd, and taught 7th grade for three years. We moved to Utah (where I still live) in 1974; Ed retired from the AF the following year. I taught four years in public schools and two years at Weber State University, teaching elementary teachers. I finished an EdD at the U of Utah in Ed Admin and was appointed as an elementary school principal in 1983; I retired in 1998 after sixteen very good years. I have been the president of the Utah Elementary Principals, Phi Delta Kappa, and our local United Way.

In 1991 my darling husband died unexpectedly.

Over the years I have accumulated seven grandchildren and gained and lost assorted sons-in-law. In 1993 I went looking for and found a daughter to whom I'd given birth in 1956 and had given up for adoption. Marcie was happy to be found and now lives in Utah. Three years ago the court gave me custody of my great-granddaughter Savhannah, so now my daughter Joy and I are raising a nine-year-old. For over five years I enjoyed (note past tense) a commuting relationship with an old friend in England and traveled extensively.

In my spare time I am trying to archive family history and photos. I create scrapbooks, wrote one book about my father's family, and have much more planned. I like to ski and walk and read and continue to be a very social person. One of my favorite sayings is, ‘God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things, and at the moment I'm so far behind I'll never die.' I created this website for myself.

Of course, the foregoing is just the bare bones of the past 67 years. Who is Dolores today? I am happy to report that I am basically a happy, secure, productive woman – spiritual but not religious, getting more left-wing every day, grateful for good relationships and relatively decent health, and someone who doesn't need to know all the answers to life's persistent questions right now.

Update May 2005: Most of my adventures are chronicled in photos and scrapbooks on this website. Life continues to be good and to provide both challenges and rewards.

Update June 2008: The past few years have been eventful, challenging, rewarding -- a true roller-coaster. In winter 2005 I accompanied Carl Nelson to India and began a wonderful phase of my life. We were married in April 2006, and I moved to his home in California.

Joy and Savhannah continued living in my Utah house, and about a year later Joy left for parts unknown, and Savhannah went to live with her grandfather, Darrell Carpenter. Daughter Julie lives in my house now. Daughter Marcie does not communicate with any of us, so having only one of my three daughters is a huge sadness.

In marrying Carl, I gained three daughters and six grandchildren, all of whom live in California.

Carl and I live peacefully and enjoy friends and family who live here and who visit this lovely spot.

Return to Home Page