West Linn High Class of 1960: Patti Wenc- Fisher-Hughes

July 22, 2010

Hello fellow classmates of 1960!

Sorry I can not be there to see and re-connect with all of you this year, the 50th
reunion of our 1960 graduation. Has it really been that long? Seems like just yesterday.

Scott asked that those not attending write a bio of their life since graduation.
I will say that I have gone from Pat Wenc, to Patti Fisher upon marring Gary Fisher from Lake Oswego in 1961. I spent one year in Karlsruhe, Germany as a military (Army) wife and divorced in 1968. I am now Patti Fisher-Hughes, having met David Hughes in 1979 and married him in 1993. We currently reside in Monterey, California.

I have worn several hats since graduation: Mommy, dental assistant, executive secretary, step-mommy and installer of Atlas Tracks… NO….I wasn’t on the job when West Linn’s track caught on fire, but my husband was! I will say that the mommy and step-mommy hats have given me most pleasure and pride.

My son Doug Fisher attended West Linn and excelled in field & track and gymnastics.
He joined the Army Rangers after graduation in ’82. Retiring after 20 years, he continued as a Tactical Trainer and Advisor for U.S. Forces and Foreign troops in Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. I am thankful that he completed his tours of duty safely and is now a Project Leader for the Power Surety Task Force under the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He is now living in Oregon City with his lovely wife Jan and a fuzzy four legged Corgi named Hanna.

I have two beautiful grand-daughters ages 17 and 18 who live with their mother in Tennessee. Don’t see or hear from them as often as I would like, but then remember what we were doing at ages 17 and 18 !
Our son Brendan Hughes is a free lance computer programmer and lives in the Multnomah area of Portland.
Our daughter Shannon lives in Seattle in the Greenlake area with her husband Peter Krause. Shannon is an executive at Weyerhaeuser and Peter is a free lance writer.

In 1995 David and I took a temporary leave from our home in the Multnomah area of Portland and our positions at Atlas Track & Tennis. We moved to his home town of Monterey, California to take care of his mother stricken with Alzheimer’s. We’ve been here ever since.

I miss the weather, the snow and watching the seasonal changes of Portland but find it very pleasant having a built-in-air-conditioner…..the coastal fog….when temperatures soar around us. Although semi-retired, we are employed as caretakers and property managers.

We now own David’s old family five bedroom home which we rent on VRBO for vacations and special occasions. All of this keeps me pretty occupied, trying to keep everyone else busy, trying to work smarter not harder….that wasn’t something we learned in school.

I love to cook, trying new recipes, gardening in spare time. I remain active, but have hung up my skis to pick up a shovel or golf club now and then, taking life one day at a time.

So in closing, I wish you all a wonderful time getting together. I look forward to watching the class reunion DVD showing all of you in action once again. Wish you love, the best of luck and blessings to you and yours.

Patti Fisher-Hughes