Dear Grandma Esther,

I’m not even sure how to begin this letter. I guess the first thing I would say is when my father told me about you a few weeks ago I have found myself thinking about you continuously. I also wasn’t sure how to greet you. I hope you do not mind that I addressed you as Grandma.

I’m not real sure how much Dad has told you so I will try to hit some major points so you will know a little bit about me and my family. I am Lou’s youngest child from his first marriage. My mother (Melba) was a North Dakota farm girl of Norwegian descent. I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota July 29, 1960. After moving around when I was young we finally settled down in a town called North Boston, NY (which is south of Buffalo).

North Boston did not have a high school so we went to school in a neighboring town called Hamburg (which is about 5 miles from North Boston). I did the normal guy things while in high school, played football and soccer etc. I graduated in 1978 with a NY state Regents diploma.

During the summers my brother (Stuart) and I would go visit Dad, he and mom got divorced when I was in about 5th grade. It made for some real fun summers as we got the opportunity to see places in Kansas and South Carolina that we would have never seen otherwise.

When dad got remarried to Carol it gave us another instant family. I found myself being a middle child instead of the baby. My three sisters (Kim, Wendy who would be step sisters, and Pollyanna who would be my half sister) were great and I can only remember getting along with them when we visited. Carol was fantastic too. I imagine it was tough for her when we visited but she always treated us like we were one of her own. All in all I would have to say I have been very lucky!

After high school I went to college in Moorhead, MN at a private school called Concordia College which is a liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I majored in Art and Communications and graduated with a GPA of 2.997.

I stayed in the area after graduation and worked for a carpenter until I got a job managing a small shopping center. That job was temporary while the owner was working on bonding so he could turn the building into an apartment complex.

From there I went onto manage blackjack and pull-tab casinos for a charity called North Dakota Association for the Disabled. This job brought me up to the city of Grand Forks, ND. After several years of doing this I got tired of working in bars (which is where the casinos were located) so I ventured out and took a job managing with Speedway SuperAmerica which is a convenience store/gas station.

I worked for this company for 13 years. During my time with them I was transferred 20 miles away to a town called Crookston, MN. This is where I currently live. After 13 years SuperAmerica sold the store I was managing so I found myself job hunting again. I had several other jobs before I ended up at my current job working as a Supervisor in seller support for Amazon.com. Amazon.com is an internet retailer.

When I moved to Crookston I met a very wonderful woman who would later become my wife. Therese was a divorced mother of 3. About six months after we met we married and became a family. At the age of 35 I had become a husband and a father of 3 overnight. This is my first marriage and Therese’s second.

When I met Therese she was going to nursing school, which she later decided to give up of so we could have a child. Not that I regret the choice she made but I do feel guilty that she gave up her dreams for me. Her three children are Peter, Amanda, and Nicole. We were married in Crookston in September of 1995. We had our child July 31, 1996. They induced her to deliver about a month early because every time she had a contraction they would lose his heartbeat on the monitor.

Therese is quite the lady she has been a floral designer and has made some incredible arrangements. Most recently she started working at the Altru Clinic as a medical records clerk has now been transferred to work in the Lab. She also spoils me. She must be a saint because I don’t think I am the easiest person to live with.

Peter is the oldest. He has graduated from high school and went to Illinois to a tech school to learn auto mechanics. He now is living at home and working at an auto dealership in Grand Forks.

Next in line is Amanda. Amanda is a peach. She is a junior in high school and is a straight A student. She is very active in sports and has college scouts that have been asking her basketball coach about her. She has also participated in the Miss Teen USA pageant.

Nicole just started high school this year. She also is active in sports. She plays volleyball and figure skates. Nicole is not as outgoing as Amanda. Nicole likes to read a lot and also plays in the school band.

Taylor is the youngest. He is in third grade this year. Tay is an excellent student as well as athlete. He has been skating since he was three years old and playing hockey since he has been four. This year he has been asked to play on a team called the Northern Wings which is a select team consisting of 11 players. The 11 players are selected from all the players in the north half of Minnesota.

Minnesota is an interesting place to live, but to enjoy it a person has to like winter. It is not uncommon where we live to see temperatures in the 20 – 30 below zero range during December and January. Generally in the summer we have lots of mosquitoes, but it doesn’t stop us from spending time at the lakes which are abundant here.

I’m not really sure how to wrap up this letter. I do know that I feel better knowing that I have introduced myself and my family to you and that I have found out a little more about my heredity. I have included some pictures of my family as they have grown up hopefully you will enjoy them.

I’m really glad that you and Dad had a chance to get together and to find out that I have a Grandma Galmiche!


Love,




Bruce, Therese, Peter, Amanda, Nicole, and Taylor