Biography
I was born in the U.S. heartland, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. My parents were raised on farms and that work ethic was instilled in me as a child. My father was a truck driver and my mother took great pride in providing a home where God and education were top priorities. I have always been interested in music and drama as avocations while becoming an RN as my first vocation. In the almost 40 years as an RN, I had many wonderful, diverse experiences in various types of critical care units and in hospice care. In hospice, I began as a patient care nurse in a team with social workers, medical aides, and chaplains. I was promoted to the patient care coordinator and ended the last 2 years as an educator of staff and volunteers. I am a strong advocate of hospice and palliative care!
I am now retired from nursing and enjoying almost 25 years of marriage to an awesome man, Henry Neufeld, teacher, author, and publisher. We have three children: Janet and her husband, Chris Lister, are working in ministry in the Charlotte, NC area, John Webb has retired from baseball and has joined in a partnership at the Blue Agave Mexican Cantina Restaurant in Phoenix, AZ, and James Webb, who loved to lead praise and worship and his work in marching band. James was 12-years-old when he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. He died at 17 and is now home with Jesus. We have seven grandchildren: Alex (serving in the U.S. Army), Anna, Jaxon, Jamie, Ashton, Bowen, and Trinity. We are also blessed with ‘heart’ children: Amy Bergh Smith, Brett and Shauna Ralston (an RN serving abroad in the U.S. Navy), and Erin and Kyle McClellan, who live near us in Pensacola, FL.
I have written five books: