Michelle Abramson was born in Redlands, CA and is the oldest of five children born to her parents. Her mom passed at age 90 and her father is still alive at 98 years of age! Michelle's father was a pilot in the Air Force, flying in WWII, the Korean War and in Vietnam. Michelle and her siblings lived internationally as a result of her father's position with the USAF. When she was five, Michelle's family moved to Japan for three years. They then moved stateside to Tacoma, Wash., then to Germany. Later it was off to Michigan and then back to Tacoma. As a child, Michelle said she was very quiet and yet confident. She loved being in the outdoors and was mischievous. Michelle attended all four years of college at Western Washington Univ. in Bellingham, WA., earning her Bachelor's degree in English and minoring in Art. College was a positive experience for her and she made lifelong friends. Upon graduation, Michelle began teaching on an Indian Reservation near Yakima, WA. After teaching for a year, she then taught Art and English on the high school level in Oregon for two years. The next stop was teaching for four years in Germany for the Dept. of Defense at a high school where she again taught both English and Art. Michelle and Al Abramson had been platonic friends for ten years and when Michelle moved back to the states from Germany, love blossomed in Boston! Michelle went back to school at Boston Univ. to get Master's degree in English and her and Al married in Boston in 1972. Together they moved to Mississippi for a year where Al was a ship fitter and Michelle taught Art. After Mississippi, they moved to Portland where Michelle again taught Art and English at Roosevelt High School. Each and every summer they commercial fished in Alaska. When son Gunnar was born, he was born three months premature. He was well loved and cared for! Gunnar was a quiet child who started writing at age seven and would read whenever possible. He also loved target shooting, cars and military history. He is currently in Japan, looking to teach English. During his growing up years, he also went to Alaska with his folks each summer. When Gunnar was 13, they sold their fishing business. Al and Michelle not only went to Alaska with Gunnar, but also to Australia, India, Europe and all over the Western U.S.. In 1990, they moved to Corbett, wanting to get out of an increasingly busy Portland. Michelle taught nine years at Mt. Hood Community College after moving to Corbett, then suffered a bout with cancer. As she was recovering, both she and Al became involved at the Corbett Grange and the Helping Hands program. They also became involved with the Corbett Historical Society and the Columbian Garden Club. Michelle has always loved the rural aspect of Corbett, living just "close enough" to town! Al passed on his birthday in 2017 at the age of 74. Michelle continues to live in Corbett and has no plans to move anywhere else. Having lived and traveled the world, this is HOME.
