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Life began for me in Coldwater, Kansas on October 10, 1947 with the assistance of my father, Doyle C. Coles. I was named after my two grandfathers, Robert Tempel Coles and Charles L. England. I progressed through most of the aches and pains of childhood without major damage. Starting school in Vona, I was transferred to Wichita, Kansas in 1954 and returned to Stratton in 1959 and graduated there in 1965. Beginning college in 1965, I returned home the next summer and purchased a new to me 63 Chevrolet Impala and soon found just the girl to go with it, a Bethune cheerleader and my future bride, Linda Sue Schlichenmayer. Linda a native Coloradoan as were her parents, R.O. Schlichenmayer and Anna (Weiss) Schlichenmayer was born in Burlington, Colorado on 21 June, 1950. Over the next few years Linda was to see the hospital in Burlington several times as ruptured appendix and resulting complications kept Dr. R.C. Beethe busy with two surgeries and resulting care from age 10 through 12 years. A stormy off and on long distance courtship, while I continued, while I continued at CSU and Linda attended Pikes Peak Institute of Medical Technology, finally resulted in our marriage on 14 June 1969. Linda immediately went to work financing my last year and a half of schooling to my graduation with a B.S. in Education from Colorado State University in 1970. New jobs, with me teaching school, and Linda working as a medical secretary, resulted in our moving to Cheyenne Wells, CO. for the next two years. After two years of teaching, itchy feet led me to join the Army in 1972. The pay was better and there sure were lots of travel opportunities. My first stop was Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, followed by Ft. Bliss, Texas for radar school, where Linda joined me for 1 year. My next step was a big one to Wacherheim, Germany where Linda again joined me after a separation. This was a memorable trip for Linda traveling alone, on her first plane flight, while pregnant to a strange country to live in civilian quarters giving a lot of new eye openers. Along with traveling extensively in Germany and surrounding countries, Germany was memorable for the birth of our first daughter, Meriah Danielle Coles at Wiesbaden Air Force Hospital on 9 July, 1974. After 2-1/2 years a desire for change led us to a reinlistment and a change of job to L.P.N. The trip home was memorable for 3 reasons: first, a 15 month old daughter who didn't sleep in 18 hours, a Coors beer and McDonalds hamburger, the first in two years, and a blizzard that isolated us for 4 days the same night we got home. Our next stop was Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas followed by another year at Ft. Bliss. Another big change came when we were reassigned to Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey and our second daughter, Megan Kathleen, was born at West Long Branch, New Jersey. In 1979 we felt it was time for the kids to grow up in a small town so it was out of the Army and back to Stratton for a new job at Co-op. Building a house and new jobs for Linda, first as secretary and later as Director of CECAA followed by ad salesman and typist at the Stratton Spotlight occupied the next few years. I also changed jobs again and went to work for Mountain Bell as a loop technician, where I am still working today. |