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Birth
DR was born in Cleveland, Ohio at Deaconess Hospital. He was an only child and lived in Cleveland with his parents growing up. -
High School Graduation
Age 17: DR graduated early and did not participate in the formal commencement ceremony. He says that to this day he wishes he would have walked in the ceremony because he feels that he missed a lot, especially since plans changed and he ended up not going to college. -
Enlisted in the Marine Corps
Age 17: Following graduation, DR felt a strong sense that he should enlist in the military and enlisted in the Marine Corps. He was supposed to go to computer training but Vietnam began and he became a machine gunner. -
Period: to
Marine Corps
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Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps
Age 20: DR was Honorably Discharged from the Marine Corps with Vietnam Era Service Connected Disability. To this day he receives his medical care through the VA. He still has medical issues that began during his time in the Marine Corps. -
Began Truck Driving
Age 21: DR began truck driving full time. He does not remember the exact date he started. He became interested while enlisted in the Marine Corps. Throughout his career he carried hazardous gas requiring police escorts and also required FBI and Homeland Security clearance for some of his routes. Most of his time was spent within the state of Ohio, often taking gases to Ohio University. -
Period: to
Truck Driving
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Married
Age 25: DR got married. He did not want to talk much about this. -
Daughter Born
Age 26: DR stated this was the happiest day of his life. He was nervous about becoming a father but he feels very blessed with his only daughter. -
Divorced
Age 35: DR got divorced. He said that it was a long time coming and he has had not desire to marry again because of the difficulties of the first marriage. DR remained in Cleveland while his newly ex-wife and daughter moved first to Georgia and then to Indiana. He said that not seeing his daughter consistently was very hard for him because her mom would often not allow her to call him so he could not even talk to her. -
Airgas LLC Driver of the Year
Age 60: DR was named the 2008 Airgas LLC Driver of the Year, selected out of approximately 4700 drivers with the company. He stated that this was an immense honor and he will forever be grateful for his time with the company. He does not remember the exact date he was selected. -
Retired
Age 67: DR retired from truck driving after more than 40 years in the industry. He loved his job but as the company was starting to reorganize he decided it was time to retire and spend time with family and friends. -
Moved to Indiana
Age 69: DR moved from his lifelong home of Cleveland to Indiana in order to be closer to his daughter and grandchildren. He said that it was a big decision and it was hard to make, but he felt that he needed to spend the rest of his life surrounded by family. -
Moved in with his Daughter's Family
Age 71: DR moved out of his apartment and in with his daughter and her family. It was a hard decision but it would allow him to save money and to have the care he needs as his health has begun to decline and he requires a total knee replacement.
