MONROE - Annette Holmstrom has faced both good times and bad in her life, but she has always turned to the grace of God and the steadfast support of neighbors and friends for strength. Today, she enjoys the happiness that a lifetime of teaching and raising children in Monroe has brought her way, and she says that volunteering and being a part of the community has also brought her joy.

She was born in Ohio but grew up in a suburb of Baltimore. It was the early 1950s and she walked to school with her brothers. By the time high school came, Holmstrom said, she enjoyed heading to the beach for summertime fun and recalls her mother packing up a lunch for the family to enjoy the water. She was a cheerleader, active in several clubs and was a very social person, she recalls.

But as a junior in high school, her father was transferred to Chicago for work and the family moved to Lombard, Illinois, where she graduated from high school in 1963. The teenager wasn't at all afraid for the move - instead, she took it in stride.

"When you're faced with moving, you can choose to be negative or positive. I saw it as an opportunity to meet lots of people," Holmstrom said. "It was fun. It was easy to meet people. I got on student council - I remember it as a very interesting year-and-a-half."

She said for as long as she can remember, her dream was always to become a teacher.

"And I was able to do that," she said with a smile, thinking back to her years of teaching. "I was really lucky."

Holmstrom headed for Macomb, Illinois, where she attended Western Illinois University, taking the train to and from school during breaks. She graduated in 3-and-a-half years, attending school in the summertime, and met her first husband, Lyle Whitehead, there.

The couple started a family and welcomed twins, when an old roommate wrote to Holmstrom to let her know there was an opening for an art teacher in Monroe, a job for Whitehead.

Holmstrom was a stay-at-home mom, but her first husband suffered a heart attack around 1976, and the couple decided it would be good for her to work full-time again, instead of just subbing. It was a good decision, because five years later, Whitehead passed away and Holmstrom suddenly became a single parent.

"I was well supported," Holmstrom said. The mother of four sought her father's advice, who encouraged her to take a year off from working to earn her master's degree so she could better support her family. She said the school board was wonderful about letting her leave and welcomed her back when she finished.

Eventually she married Pat Holmstrom, a farmer with three children. Holmstrom was back to teaching and although she taught remedial math and third grade, the position she held most and loved dearest was kindergarten.

"I really loved all of my jobs, and the people have been so nice," she said. "But my real love is kindergarten and the younger children."

She taught at Abraham Lincoln elementary school and said she has wonderful memories there of both the children and her co-workers.

"It was such a fabulous place to teach," she said. "It's been so fun seeing the cycle of kids - we don't always touch base; they change in looks, but it's really cool to run into them."

She often called in Pat to help with the egg hatching in the classroom and to talk to her students about plants and animals, which was a favorite for many. She said his support was wonderful for her and her students.

"I liked working with the children," Holmstrom said. "I liked learning with them. When you teach, you learn things, too. And I loved the field trips."

At just over age 61, Holmstrom decided to retire. However, that fall, she truly missed her students and began subbing. The following year, she took a long-term substitute position in 4K and then took on a part-time opening teaching 4K at Noah's Ark daycare, a position she would hold for several years.

Then, at age 69, Holmstrom decided once again that she was too old to teach. "I just said "you can't be 70 and still teach,'" she laughed. "But I miss it still. They made teaching so fun."

Retirement has been enjoyable for Holmstrom, and much of it is because of the people around her. She isn't one to sit at home, and she almost immediately began volunteering for the ADRC at the Senior Center Cafe. She also fills in for Meals on Wheels and said the seniors have helped her through retirement.

"I think volunteering is so important," she said. "I have a strong faith and I think that's important to keep you on even keel. Strength comes from someplace and I believe it comes from God." Holmstrom is a member of the Monroe United Methodist Church.

Four years ago, Holmstrom and her husband acquired bees, and although the original plan was only to have one hive, that soon turned into 24 hives.

Her son, a firefighter/paramedic in Wausau, told Holmstrom about his and the other firefighters' struggle to keep their hands comfortable from all of the water. Soon, they had created a recipe from honey and goat's milk to make a lotion the firefighters love. Holmstrom Honey is sold at the Monroe Farmers Market, and they also sell their lotion, homemade jelly and other homegrown and homemade items.

Holmstrom loves to cook for anyone and enjoys making jelly, a popular market item. They have a huge garden and have enjoyed sharing their bounty and visiting with people on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings for nearly three years.

Mostly, Holmstrom enjoys her family. She loves to sew and quilt, enjoys reading, stamping and making cards - all things she also enjoys doing alongside her 13 grandchildren and the great-grandchildren.

"No life is perfect. Nobody has a life that goes straight - there are a lot of ups and downs, and some hills are higher than others," Holmstrom said.

"That's where faith comes in and when there's a problem, there's always someone there that will listen. It's important to try to keep in touch."