Valerie Ann Gladden came into this world on September 19,1963. She was born to Charley Wayne Gladden and Sandra Lee Blakeman. This event happened at St. Jo's Hopsital in Tucson, Az. Daddy was in the Air Force and stationed at Davis Monthan Base in Tucson, Mama was a housewife. Val was born in a civilian hospital because Mama;s pregnancies were always high risk and they placed me on what they referred to as Medicare. Meaning I went to private Drs specilizing in High risk pregnancy and to civilian hospitals also. The governement paid the tab. I suffered with Toxima so badly before she was born that my face was so swollen my nose didn't stick out from my face lol what a site. Had to wear Wayne's bathrobe and large slippers because my feel and fingers looked like bananas on the stem. Quite attractive, I was scared to death my little girl would be swollen like a baloon, but she was perfect. She joined older sibling Scott Wade Gladden.


We lived in Tucson until Valerie was 2and 1/2 years old when Wayne mustered out of the Air Force.  We went to live up in Ray, Az where Daddy went to work in the mine. Mama was again pregnant with the next sibling. Ray is no longer a town , during the time we lived there they were moving all the people out and we were moved to Kearney, Az. Younger sibling Tania Sue Gladden was born while we were still in Ray. Although she also was borin Tucson as I was still under care of the specialists. My goodness, they both thought she was wonderful, Val Ann thought I'd brought her a real doll to play with. Wayne worked night shift quite often and from the back porch of our house we could see right into the pitt. Wayne drove big Ute and it was amazing at night when all else was dark and quiet to sit and watch the work in the pitt with only the mine lights. They looked from a distance like a bunch of busy ants working hard. The kids loved to try to guess which was their Daddy working down there.