That's me in my Kindergarten picture in 1954.

I live in the high desert of San Bernardino County, CA and am married. I have two adult children, Annalisa and Keith and three grandchildren, Mark Jr., Mary and Molly Mae. Mark Jr. is the father my 4 of great-grandchildren LilyAnn, Barrett, Willow and Cecilia (They named her after me!) My granddaughter Mary is the mother of Ellie and Madelyn, my other great granddaughters. I'm truly blessed.

I've always been interested in the past. I bought my first antique, a little china dog, when I was about 11.

In 1977, I started doing genealogical research. I acquired lots of information about my family before putting it aside and going to work. (My children were then in school) My research was relegated to a trunk in the garage for about 27 years.

I had to stop work due to back problems in 2006 so I started my research again. Oreo, my keyboard-hopping, monitor-obscuring cat, helps (or hinders) me.

During my research, I've found an illegitimate half-brother I never knew existed, (who was abandoned by his teenage mother) my grandmother's 3 million dollar inheritance that she and her second husband squandered, a conspiracy to defraud my grandfather's estate in exchange for ownership of a house, an elopement with the stable boy, the suicide of my uncle, who played trumpet in Phil Harris's band in Los Angeles in the 1930's, a kidnapping and my 4th great grandfather, who owned a tavern in Philadelphia in 1776, where it is said that part of the Declaration of Independence was written. One more thing...I just found out that after WWII, the husband of my 3rd cousin 1 times removed took a Nazi's brain from a body in the morgue at Nuremburg and helped smuggle it out to the United States for research. Betcha can't top that!

The stories that are uncovered in genealogical research are truly amazing!

My goal is to complete an Obenland family tree tying all members in the United States together, plus their ancestors in Germany. At the same time, I'm building memorials here on Find A Grave.

Anyone out there having info on any Obenlands, (or families derived from the Obenlands) please email me. And if you have pictures, all the better!!!!

I'm also looking for info on other lines in my family, such as Huston (from Maysville, KY), Bachmann (from Franklin County, IN), Lee (from New Jersey and Pennsylvania) and last, but not least, Malarkey. (also spelled Malarky, Mullarkey, etc) from Girardville, PA and Ireland.)

PICTURES: If you would like to use any pictures, etc. that I have added to Find A Grave, you MUST also include the caption. Please do not remove it! If the item doesn't have a caption, please do not copy it. I have spent many years and lots of money to acquire what I have put on this site. (Not to mention the effort it has taken.) Others have also contributed and I have credited them as I would like to be credited.

The rule is: Caption - Yes; No Caption - NO.

Also, if you need an edit, please DO NOT send it to me in a message. Sent it via the "Edit" button on the memorial itself. It's much, much easier that way. All I have to do it click on the person's name the memorial is for and that takes me directly to the memorial in question. Also, if the memorial does indeed need to be corrected, all I have to do is click "Accept." on my list of suggested edits.

Thank you.

P.S. Oreo went to kitty heaven in 2020. Now I'm having to deal with my new cats, Trixie and Dixie. (Sounds like a puppet show!) Both seem to want to stand between me and my monitor. Trixie also has an extreme fascination with pens and pencils, which makes taking notes very hard. Update 25 Mar 2025. Trixie is THE most annoying cat in the entire world.

PS.S. I once got my car stuck on top of a fire hydrant. Kinda scary, huh?