Let's Meet New Westsiders, Ana and Bill!

By Elizabeth Corbett, Programs & Membership Coordinator

I took a minute to talk with Ana and Bill for this column. They joined Westside a few weeks ago, and I hope you’ve met and welcomed them.

My conversation with Ana:

So tell me about coming to Westside. It’s been a long process, searching for a community of people. We were Catholic, brought up and raised, and Bill even studied to be a priest. That was “the true religion.” We decided as our kids were growing up that we wanted a more inclusive community. Catholic guilt is real! We didn’t want that for our kids. Our kids were raised in an open environment, and other denominations weren't the right fit. I discovered UUism by reading about Stephen King's daughter–she had joined the UUs. That family is very smart and open minded. So I read about it, and liked what I read. Lily and Ray wanted to get married, and I thought this probably might be a good place. I had a big long conversation with Brad [the Office Administrator] about all sorts of things. He invited us to a service, and so we started coming last summer. And here we are!

So we know Lily and Baz, but I think you have other children because you’re babysitting a granddaughter right now. Yes, Lily and Baz, and another daughter Rachel. She’s the middle child, and responsible for my gray hairs. Our children were born in New Jersey, and after Baz was declared in remission, we packed up and traveled to the Four Corners in Arizona. I worked as a nurse, as did Bill with the Dine people. Amazing year, but in that community, kids move away as they grow older because there are no opportunities around there, and we didn’t want our kids moving away. So then we moved to Florida and after several hurricanes, we decided it was not for us, so back we went to Arizona. That place really feels like home, I like the beliefs of the Native American people, and I worked with the Apache near Phoenix. I love it there, but Bill can’t stand the heat, so we headed to Colorado. But it did not go well. It snows in FEET! I can't do that. I loved the way the people think there–they’re open minded and progressive, and there are lots of hummingbirds and fun hiking trails. But I couldn't do the winters there--and it’s mostly winter! We had been to the Knoxville area a few times, and we had noticed entire families out together, and we liked that family mentality. We’ve been here ten years now. There are mountains, hummingbirds, and not much snow. I don't like the way of thinking, but hope is here.

And you're a nurse? Yes, I’ve been a nurse now for over 35 years, Bill for even longer. I started in pediatrics for 10 years, and now I’ve been doing OB for about 25 years. I do labor, delivery, recovery, and take care of moms post-partum. I absolutely love it. I did pediatrics in Arizona, and started training for a second area there. OB is a specialized area and nobody at that little hospital wanted to train for that long. In Florida I did pediatrics and OB, and I also trained in high-risk OB.

What’s your favorite book or movie? I read a lot. To pick out a favorite book, wow! Right now I’m deep in a book called Human Kind. It's a wonderful book about the evolution of human kindness throughout history and all the way to the present day. I enjoy a good mystery. I read a lot of Stephen King and old stuff like Agatha Christie. Any movie that will make me laugh is a favorite, like Space Quest. Forrest Gump for sure!

What’s a secret pleasure? it won’t be secret anymore! I absolutely love critters. Dogs, cats, pigs, but especially birds, the big birds! I do love to touch and handle them, Bill says, oh please, not another one! We don’t have birds now. We had to rehome Darwin, a big white cockatoo, and it broke my heart. He didn’t like Bill and he started going after Sebastian too, so that was a hard decision. But the right thing for Darwin. We have a 9-year-old labradoodle named Louie, a Siamese cat named Merlin, and I just adopted a boxer-mastiff mix from the Newport Humane Society after Helene. Sammy’s the pup. He was all by himself with these big sad eyes. In Arizona, we had three birds, three dogs, and five horses!

Any last words? Well, I absolutely love our community of UUs. I found my home.

My conversation with Bill:

I know a little of your background because of my conversation with Ana, but I’d like to know more about your nursing career. I started as a hospital corpsman in the Navy in the early 80’s in behavioral health. When I got out of the Navy, I got my nursing degree because with all our moving around the country, I found there’s not always opportunities for behavioral health. I also did surgical nursing, and nursing in correctional facilities. I have a broad experience. Now I'm retired! I sustained many injuries in 1985 as a corpsman and they got to be too much with the physical demands of nursing. So now I enjoy retirement.

I think you have a varied religious life. In high school, I took all AP classes and actually decided to drop out of high school. I thought I’d become a scientist, but then I decided to pursue my religious aspirations. I lived in a monastery, a Capuchin-Franciscan monastery in northern New Jersey. I was into it for most of those three years, but then I began to question things more than other students. I also had a philosophical bent, and I asked myself what I was doing. I had a deep feeling that I was meant to spend my life with someone and not in an isolated community. That was about the time when Top Gun first came out, and I wanted to have that adventure! That’s why I joined the Navy.

So I noticed that you had a lot of flight simulation stuff in Westside’s Auction. How did you acquire all those things? My computer hobby started about the time I meant Ana–I worked on her brother's computer. Microsoft’s flight simulator came out about that time, and I never realized that I had a love of flying. On my 28th birthday, Ana got me flying lessons, I started flying a Cessna, and it was like driving a noisy car in the sky– not very interesting! Near where we lived, there was an ultralight airport, and I enrolled in flying lessons there. These are more primitive. It’s like an aluminum chair in the air, with cloth wings hanging out from the sides. After two years of flying those types of planes, one time when I was up in the air the fuel tube fell off, and I landed in this mound of mud. That was the end of my flying. But I was cleaning out the closets before the auction and all these were never used because as I got older, I developed vertigo. All these toys, never used!

What’s your favorite book? Lord of the Rings, then Dune. I fell in love with Lord of the Rings as a teen. The movie was good too.

Any last words? I can say that Ana and I have searched many years for a spiritual community that we can feel engaged with and resonate with. Finally after being married 37 years, we found that community here. I've engaged with religion all my life, to the point where I was living a very different type of lifestyle in the monastery. I’ve always had a spiritual inclination, and thought about how what we do impacts the world and vice versa. We finally feel like we're part of a family here. Westside is a group of people who are accepting, loving and loveable. Everyone here is a good person and means to do well. I can say that in the brief time I’ve been here, I feel as if I’ve become a better person. I am learning how I can make the world a better place. I’m thankful for everyone for allowing me to be a part of it.