Velma Alexander Weber was born on March 8, 1927 in Cranbrook, B.C.

She moved to Seattle in April 1962 with her husband, Gabe, son Dan, and daughter Leslie, (Babe).

Wanting a slower paced life, the family moved to Clinton in June 1966.

The following year they moved into the “Big House,” as the family called it, one of the first homes to be built on the hill above Sunlight Beach at Useless Bay.

Commuting by ferry to the Paine Field plant, Vel worked on the first Boeing 747, one of the many firsts that she would later accomplish during her lifetime.