Early Years
April 12, 2021
Our mother was born Roanna O’Neal on January 3, 1946 in Ashland, Ohio. She was the fourth of five children. Her parents, Glenn and Phoebe O’Neal, a pastor and homemaker, moved through several pastorates in Ohio and Santa Barbara, finally settling in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Inglewood in the early 1950’s. Roanna (Rannie)graduated from Brethren High School in 1963. She was an avid singer, and the “O’Neal Trio” was a sensation in churches throughout Southern California. These years were interspersed with summer trips to Washington state to visit the extended maternal Schilperoort and paternal O’Neal families. She spoke of these moments fondly, and her cousins remained close to her heart for life.