Married Jay Hancock and had 1 son, Dion Hancock who has recently returned to McCook and entered into business with his father, Jay. Jay and I divorced in 1984 and I moved with Dion to Kansas where I was employed as a Driver License Examiner for 8 years. Dion and I returned to Hastings, Nebraska in 1993 where I worked as a Corrections Officer, Caseworker, and Chemical Dependency Counselor for the Nebraska Department of Corrections; met and married my current husband, Alex Dirks in 1996. In 1997, Rhet was born and in 2000 I had twin boys, Tristan and Trace. After the Hastings Correctional Center was closed in 2005, we relocated to Sterling, Nebraska where I worked as a Chemical Dependency Counselor II at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution until I obtained my Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling. I then became a dually credentialed therapist for the Child Guidance Center at the Lancaster County Youth Detention Center in 2008. In 2009, I returned to residential treatment counseling at Cornhusker Place of Lincoln and Lancaster County in which I am a dually licensed therapist. I counsel adult males with alcohol/substance dependence and mental health disorders. I am busy chasing my 3 youngest sons to sporting events...year round as well as traveling to McCook to visit Dion and his wife, Corie and my gorgeous grandson, Talyn Kole Hancock.

I would say my fondest memories of McCook are of working at Macs Drive Inn as a carhop beginning in 8th grade until age 16 when I began driving! Then I worked at the Fox and Bison Theatres until I graduated and married, Jay. Lots of fun times to be had while working with Jay, David Dyer, Karen Calvin Custer, and Jack. Those were the days of the Dusk til Dawn movies and of course...lots of beer!

The most ironic thing of all I remember is my close relationship with Mrs. Pat Janssen my french teacher. She became pregnant with twins and I thought...that will never happen to me...especially in my 30's...only for me to follow in her footsteps at 38...I guess she was more of a Mentor than I originally thought! Then of course to later laugh about it when at first...I cried for days!