 Rebecca
grew up as something of a tomboy, spending much time outdoors, swimming
in the community pool and and roaming with her girlfriends in the woods
near the neighborhood. She
took up horseback riding at a very early age, a pursuit that continues to this
day. From the very first,
she loved animals and always had a pet, whether hamster, gerbil, cat,
dog or tropical fish – or, eventually, a horse of her own.
Caring for the needs of a horse taught responsibility in a way that mere
words never could.
During the early years, our family spent much time at the
Spotsylvania farm of Susan’s grandparents, Mema and Papa, where Rebecca
often played with Susan’s younger cousins and swam in Mema and Papa’s
pond. For Rebecca, growing
up was filled with many happy family times.
 She
was a quick student in school, (almost) always posting top marks.
One year she came home with a bad grade in algebra for the final
six weeks of the school term. The
family discussed the situation, and it was decided that the
remedial solution would be that her father would would give her his
college trigonometry book as a summer self-study course, complete with
daily problems, weekly tests, and a final exam at the end.
It turned out to be a wonderful experience for both -- and a
life-influencing experience for her.
Her father would quiz her on trig identities as father, mother
and daughter drove along on vacation trips and she would fire back the
answers. The result was
development of a confidence in her ability to overcome obstacles on her
own that has endured ever since.
 One
thing that always characterized her was a stubborn determination to do
what she set out to do. For her
undergraduate work, she won a
full PhD fellowship to graduate school.
The weekend before she was scheduled to leave for a summer pre-admission
field trip associated with her graduate work we went to Woodbridge
to look at cars for her. She
had never before driven a car with manual transmission . However, the
one she liked had a manual shift. Nevertheless, she got in and
drove it cautiously around the parking lot, bucking and sputtering a bit
when letting out the clutch. Finally, she got out and said without
hesitation, “I want this one."
Despite her father's unspoken misgivings the car was bought.
Dad should have known better.
The next day she left on her field trip and never looked back.
 Rebecca
met her husband-to-be, Michael, after she had been teaching high school
science for several years. Since
their wedding, they have made their home in Hanover County.
In 2012, they moved into a new, larger home in the rural part of the
county.
 Michael
is a licensed real-estate agent. In addition, he
is a problem solver, willing to spend hours worrying a problem until he
figures it out. He is an inveterate coupon-clipper and bargain hunter,
and one might even say say one of his hobbies is finding great on-line
deals! Both he and Rebecca enjoy landscaping and flower gardening,
something that Rebecca shares with her mother, and they often exchange
plants with each other. However, mother is quite envious that daughter is able to grow orchids whereas mother is not!
Their son, Michael Wesley, born 13 October 2010, is a joy to the entire
extended family. From a very
early age Michael Wesley has displayed a keen curiosity about the world
around him. For more about Michael Wesley, visit his
personal page.
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