Patricia Janett Belgum

She lived a life that saw the Great Depression, World War II, a change in the United States from a rural society to a corporate entity and later a world of technology.

She experienced many transformations ˗ from college student, to young bride to mother. She was a bon vivant who loved to laugh, drink and tell stories.

Her biggest challenge came when her husband, Sandy, died when she was 45 years old, leaving her with four children, between the ages of eight and 21. She was floored by this event but stepped up to raise children by herself, under what she called "shaky leadership." She rose to the occasion and will be remembered as someone who liked to see the fun in life.

Patricia was born on July 3, 1926, in Summerset, Iowa, to Bernice (Patterson) Schooler, a piano teacher, and Ray Schooler, the owner of a small general store. The family soon moved to Carlisle, Iowa, near Des Moines, where her grandfather was the town marshal.

Most of her youth was marked by the Great Depression that made people wonder how they were going to pay for their next meal. Her father often lent credit to needy customers.

She and her brother, Owen Schooler, attended Carlisle High School. Patricia graduated a year ahead of her class and in 1943 set out on her first adventure, taking a train to San Diego with her best friend Barbara Goode, who had relatives in the California seaside city.

World War II was being fought overseas, and the dearth of workers helped the two quickly find jobs in an aircraft factory where they had the early morning shift in the secretarial pool. Their early work day left them plenty of time to go to the Del Mar Race Track in the afternoons to bet on horses during the racing season or go to Tijuana, Mexico, to buy cigarettes and stockings.

Once World War II ended, soldiers came home and their jobs disappeared. They returned to Iowa where Patricia enrolled in Simpson College, a liberal arts college in Indianola.

Her life changed when she and some good friends took the train to Estes Park, Colo., to find summer jobs. While working as a waitress at the Stanley Hotel, she met her husband, Delaine “Sandy” Belgum, who also had come to Estes Park with fellow University of Nebraska friends to find summer employment.

Before you know it, Patricia was transferring to the University of Nebraska and marrying Sandy when he graduated in 1949 with a business degree. He immediately found a job with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, where he worked until he passed away in 1971.