By LINDA BUZGHEIA

COVID-19 struck and the world changed almost overnight. The news was very sobering. The virus was particularly devastating to people in senior living facilities. Mom had just moved into an assisted living facility in January and she was going to be 95 on her next birthday. Joining the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was on mom’s bucket list, and it couldn’t wait any longer.

My parents, Marjorie and Ted Juel, are a part of “The Greatest Generation” who believe strongly in family, duty, and love of country. My mother was the second-youngest of seven children. She enjoyed telling us stories about her family, growing up on a farm in Iowa. Her grandmother came to Iowa in a covered wagon and her grandfather was a drummer for the Union Army during the Civil War.

Mom and dad were high school sweethearts. Dad, a World War II Navy veteran, went to college on the GI Bill. They both graduated from Iowa State Teachers College. They married shortly after graduation. Mom directed school and church choirs and taught Vocal Music. Dad coached basketball and taught Math and History.

As teachers, they had summers off, so we took family vacations to National Parks and visited historic sites and museums along the way. Years later, mom and dad took my older daughters on the same kind of road trip. One of the car games they played involved memorizing The Preamble to the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address. Nadia and Vanessa were so proud to recite them when they returned home.

On behalf of my two sisters, Paula Juel Crabb and Teresa Juel Scott, and my three daughters, Vanessa, Nadia, and Sara Buzgheia, we are so happy and proud to join the Daughters of the American Revolution with our mother and grandmother, Marjorie Ann Henry Juel, as descendants of Revolutionary War veteran John Hayden.

La Cuesta Chapter, NSDAR is an active chapter honoring the ancestors who fought for their independence. The chapter will celebrate 70 years of service in SLO County on Jan. 19, 2021. La Cuesta Chapter, NSDAR, promotes historic preservation, education, and patriotism, through volunteer service in local communities.

To learn more about the work of DAR, visit www.DAR.org or connect with DAR on social media at facebook.com/TodaysDAR, twitter.com/TodaysDAR and youtube.com/TodaysDAR.