In the Spotlight!

With her very busy schedule of golfing, bowling, swimming, and volunteering with HOPE, Dee Anna still manages to fit in 3 classes a week (exercise and 2 tap) – and we’re sooo glad. And she almost always manages to be available for performances and parties. Even with her recent broken wrist, she only missed a few classes. Energy is Dee Anna’s middle (third?) name. If you would like to know more about Dee Anna, please read her bio below.

I was born at Pomona Valley Hospital in 1950.  My first 22 years were spent in South Pomona. I started tap dancing lessons at age 3 and continued until age 9 when I got rheumatic fever and had to spend a whole summer in bed.  Fortunately, I recovered with no heart damage but, for reasons I don’t know, did not continue tapping.

At 16, I got my first job as a tray girl in the kitchen at Pomona Valley Hospital and worked there until I got accepted into the radiology training program there.  After 2 years, I passed my tests and received my license to be an xray technician in 1971 and worked for 45 years in that capacity.

I married my first husband, Jerry in 1981 and we had our daughter, Lee in 1984. In 1989, he left and 2 years later, I got reacquainted with Tyler at our 20^th high school reunion and we vacationed with my daughter in Australia/New Zealand. I figured if he could put up with us 24/7 for a month, he was probably a keeper. So I asked him to marry me and he said, “tell me when and where”, and there you have it.

When my daughter turned 16 and got her drivers license and I didn’t have to drive her everywhere, I felt I had so much extra time, so I started looking for things to do and found a belly dancing class at the senior center along with a knitting class.  Then I found a dog agility class in Chino and signed my dog and I up for that.  Then came volunteering with a pet rescue group in Upland called HOPE (special thanks to all the tappers for their support of our fundraisers), and lastly found a masters synchronized swimming club in the City of Industry.

Early in 2013, my daughter was having twins, so I chose to retire so I could be of help if she needed me.  Even with all these activities, I noted that on Mondays I didn’t have anything to do, so I ducked my head in on Suellen’s intermediate tap class and asked if I could watch. After class she said, “get some tap shoes, come back next week and we’ll see how it goes”.  Thank you, Suellen for letting me stay and keeping us all together having fun! They say getting old is not for sissies, but I have found that if you surround yourself with wonderful, wacky and supportive friends, it’s not too bad.  A little dog on your lap, a good book and a glass of wine doesn’t hurt either.  So bottom line, LIFE IS GOOD!