Get to Know Your Neighbor – Ms. C from Outer Sunset

Ms. C was born in 1935 and is a native San Franciscan of Irish, German & Spanish decent. For a 74 year old, she has a very young spirit.

She married a serviceman who she divorced after 14 years of marriage. His position in the Navy took the family many places for his tour of duty. They had two children a daughter who currently lives in Pacifica with three teenage daughters and a son who is unfortunately mentally ill.

He lives in a boarding home South of Market, which provides him with a room, food and dispenses his medication. She often has lunch with her son, taking public transportation to visit and bring him extra spending money. She joined the National Association for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) where she learns about the different mental illnesses that affect her son and what medications are best in aiding his symptoms.

Ms. C comes from a family of five siblings, two brothers and two sisters. One brother passed away and she was the caregiver to one of her sisters before she passed. The home Rebuilding Together San Francisco will be working on was inherited from her sister.

Just before Thanksgiving of 2008, Ms. C suffered a debilitating arthritis attack that left her paralyzed on one side of her upper body. She has had to retrain herself to do simply tasks such as getting dress and combing her hair. It has been a slow road, but fortunately with she is determined to fully recover the use of all body parts and is well on her way.

Ms. C was multifaceted when it came to her career. She worked in the brokerage field, banking and was with at the telephone company for 30 years. Now she enjoys embroidering, sewing and getting out and just talking with people. She thinks that has something to do with working at the phone company.

Although Ms. C is no longer married to her ex-husband, she celebrates holidays with him and his current wife. She told me that she really enjoys her ex-husband’s wife, she just can’t stand her husband, which she said tongue in cheek.