The image above is the view you see facing east from the deck at my sister's home in Baltimore, Maryland. Duane married Tom Bowling, III in 1967. They immediately bought the tiny house across the street from Tom's parents. Over the years they renovated, added on, renovated, added on again, built sheds and gazebos, and now have a beautiful riverfront home with a 180 degree view of the Gunpowder River. An interesting bit of information - across the river, in this view, is Edgewood Arsenal where in 1945 Duane was born in the military hospital.
The oldest of us four, Duane Sherman was born in Maryland where Daddy was stationed during WWII. She was three when the family moved to Missouri where she would spend the next 18 years. As a teenager she was interested in medicine and became an aide at the St. Francis Hospital in Marceline, Missouri. Farming and chores didn't allow Daddy the time to take her back and forth to work every day, so she boarded at a private home in Marceline during the summers, and on weekends during school days. Becoming disgruntled with college, in 1965 she moved back to Baltimore and lived with our Aunt Marjorie until getting married. She and Tom raised three children, Kelly, Jennifer and Tom, and now have six grandchildren. Tom worked for Maryland Bell Telephone (Verizon) until his retirement and Duane stayed at home until 1987. She then became a secretary in the Baltimore County School District from which she retired in 2007. Duane enjoys baking, crafting, gardening, reading, painting and puttering around the house. As a member of the VFW Auxiliary she volunteers at the local chapter where Tom is an officer. And she loves to spend time with her grand kids - two who are in the area, four who are in California.
So where did she get her name? The family lore is that Daddy had read of the name in a book and liked it, Sherman was mother's maiden name, and therefore, Duane Sherman Moxley it became. Her name has always been a problem for her. She received a Draft Registration letter and had to prove to them she was female. And when she was enrolled in college they assigned her to a boys' dorm. She always hated her name until at university she met a girl whose name was Homer. Growing up she got the nickname "Doodie," which we all still call her. But her friends in Maryland prefer "Dodie."