I met Peggy in 1968. I was eighteen and working my first job right out of high school. We were both working at Colonial Supply Company. I was hired as a secretary but I was also in training to learn how to become a comptometer (an ancient calculator) operator and an IBM keypunch operator.
Peggy and I in 1990
Peggy was so sweet and so much fun to be around and we became friends very quickly. She was still living at home with her parents and her three little sisters. Since I had just moved into my first apartment with E.J., Peggy would come over often and visit. We had some really great times together and Peggy was one to never worry about things.
I also got to know her family quite well. In fact, one weekend when I went up to Lake Erie with Peggy and her family, I came home to find that E.J. had moved out and taken almost everything with her. When Peggy’s parents found out, they invited me to move in with them. There were already six of them living in a small house but they still took me in and treated me like a daughter. To this day I am still grateful for the kindness that they showered upon me.
Peggy and I still remain friends to this day, forty one years later. Peggy is happily married to Mike and they have two wonderful children. I don’t get to see her very often because they live in Pittsburgh, but we still keep in touch.
Hi, my name is Billie Walter. I knew that one day I would write the stories of my life. In fact, I was offered a book deal when I was twenty years old but I decided to wait until I was a little older and had a few more life experiences. Since then I've had 5 different name changes, more than 20 different careers and more than 225 different jobs. I've also had a lot more life experiences so I've decided to set up a site where I can share my stories with friends, family and anyone else who is interested in reading them. I hope you enjoy them because they're all true.