Where did you work before Farm Bureau?

I worked at a hospital, which I loved, but $300 a month was not worth the hard work. I worked in housekeeping, labor and delivery, and was also a trainer. I’d been there for three-and-a-half years when I got the call from Farm Bureau asking if I’d like to come and work for them. I quit the hospital and came to Farm Bureau. I loved that there were windows I could see out of when I came to work.

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Before working at the hospital, I was a kitchen manager in a grade school. I loved this job because of the children, but they wanted me to cook from a can. I just couldn’t do it. I had a reputation of being the best cook and I just couldn’t accept anything else but that.

 

What is your role at Farm Bureau?

I am a Customer Service Representative. My favorite part of the job is the people - the nice ones, the ones who like to talk. I see the people who are grumpy as a challenge. I try to bring them out of it and they usually end up as my favorites!

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What changes have you seen in your job?

The biggest changes I have seen in the 18 years I’ve been here are the things we do on computers and smart phones. I have seen when the fax was the coolest thing ever to get signatures, and now it’s almost a dinosaur. Email was cool, but the smart phone is just the cat’s meow to get a signature.

 

Tell us a little about yourself.

I was a goldminer’s wife for three-and-a-half years. He died of a viral heart infection when he was 25 years-old and I was 20. I know what it means to survive off the land, wash clothes on a washboard, carry your own water, face bears, go to bed without supper, cook and bake over a fire, and be so scared you freeze and can’t move or talk. And I wouldn’t have given it up for anything.

 

I love to backpack and hike. My dream would be to find a faraway place in the mountains and live there for the summer (like 30 months!) by myself, use my survival skills and turn mountain woman.

 

My favorite place to be is a place called Goat Lake. You go from 7,000 to 11,000 feet in elevation in seven miles. I go there every year. I carry a 40-pound backpack and stay for four days. The fishing is great. There are mountain goats and wolverines. There is a lake that has a glacier in it and it never melts. It is blue and crystal clear and I can’t help but jump in at least once. And of course get out before hypothermia sets in. I love swimming in the cold lakes that are so clear and refreshing. There’s nothing like a dip in the lake under a moonlit sky. Up that high the stars are so big and so plentiful. Picture yourself floating on your back in the cool refreshing water and looking up at the stars when everything is so quiet and peaceful. It is heaven on earth. Absolutely heaven on earth.

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One of the most wonderful things I did was go skydiving with my husband, daughter, and two son-in-laws. 60 seconds of free fall and seven minutes with a parachute. It was a tandem jump. I loved it so much. We plan on doing it every year now. It is by far the most exciting, thrilling thing I have ever done and everything I do now is dull.

 

What are some highlights from your Farm Bureau career?

One of the funniest things that happened to me was when an older man (about 75 years-old) came in carrying his front bumper. He looked like Charlie Chaplin shuffling in. He set his bumper on the counter and very seriously said, “I hit a tumble weed.” We just looked at him, astonished he could even carry it in. We told him we could fix it for him and got the details. Not once did his facial expression change. Afterward, he picked up his bumper and shuffled out. It was just so matter-of-fact and “that is my story and I’m sticking to it.” I guess you would have had to have been there!

 

What do you enjoy most about your job?

What I appreciate most about Farm Bureau are the people in the Home Office who are there for me at any time for anything. This job can be scary because you have to know so much and keep up with the changes. The people in the Home Office are a life saver and they are so good about helping me. I just wish I could do something to show them how much I appreciate them. Just saying “thanks” doesn’t cover it.

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EMPLOYEE PROFILES

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