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I am a motivational speaker and Christian entertainer with 30 years of performance experience. I also am a daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother.
I was born in Peoria, Illinois, into a military family. My father was in the Marine Corps, mother stayed at home with my older sister and me. Although my sister took dancing lessons, I at the age of 3 took the spot light when I performed the dancing for anyone who would watch. The passion for entertaining had begun.
SINGING
My parents moved to Orange, California to be near the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. The church was a big part of my family’s life and church music was a vital part of my introduction to music. I sang in the church choir as early as age 4, auditioned and performed in school choirs and small vocal groups, and as a soloist in both Jr. High and High school. It was in high school that I picked up a guitar and have never put it down since.
My professional singing career began at the Tale of the Whale nightclub in Newport Beach, CA. I performed on Monday nights accompanying myself on the guitar. For the next 15 years, I continued to sing in nightclubs throughout Southern California (Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Orange, San Diego, Counties) and recorded 25 commercial jingles, including the national Best Western theme song.
At one of the clubs my job was to perform the opening act for various well known groups. The Modern Ink Spots were one of the groups. Pico Payne of the Modern Ink Spots really like my style and voice. Pico, Marva and I became Coffee, Cream and Sugar which was the opening act for the Modern Ink Spots.
1984 was a memorable year. The San Diego District United Methodist Women invited me to led music at their annual retreat. For me, it was a life-changing experience. Since then I have served as musician, worship leader and speaker at many retreats for several denominations.
The retreat singing lead to working with The Order of Saint Luke healing services in San Diego and working for two years with San Diego’s Ecumenical Church Council singing on KGTV Sunday Focus program. Further, I was elected to serve as the Head Musician on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Walk to Emmaus, a 3-day retreat known throughout the world. I continue to support these retreats today.
When my church decided to start a Saturday night service, I agreed to provide the music for the first year and a half. During that same time period I also led an enthusiastic and exciting vocal group called “Praise Raisers.”
ACTING
Throughout my life, acting has been a constant desire in my heart. I felt that I was permanently changed after seeing Disney’s Fantasia as a child. The fairy sequence mesmerized me. It was for me, more than child’s play when I tied several of my mother’s scarves to my arms and flew around as a fairy.
In 6th grade I auditioned and won the part of Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore. I also played in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father in high school. I joined the Orange Country Performing Arts at Melodyland in Anaheim. There I worked with Queenie Smith, star of stage, television and film, who encouraged me to pursue an acting career. More recently, I performed a ten minute monolog portraying Mary Magdalene at Easter.
I returned to full time entertainment in 2003, and immediately began working in industrial commercials. In 2005, in Cox Cable’s television ad I was the mature lady in the neon blue running suit (complete with i-pod ) claiming, “Cox’s High Speed Internet rocks!”
My television acting debut was playing the part of Mr. Montana’s secretary in the “Cheatty Cheatty Bang Bang” episode on Veronica Mars in 2005.
DANCE
It was my sister who took the dance lessons, yet it was I who became the sight and sounds of the dance. Everyone liked to watch the little sister perform. When I was in 3rd grade my aunt who had lived in Hawaii, taught me a hula dance which I performed at my school’s talent show. In 6th grade I worked hard and earned my ballet toe shoes from Rosalia Holland Dance Studio. In high school a friend of mine and I found a teacher of Hawaiian Dance, Betty Castland. We took lessons for several years. A group of 6 girls from that class gave performances all over Southern California. Later, I taught hula to grade school children and arranged for their performances for them at retirement homes, social clubs and church events.
In 2000, with the doctor’s orders to exercise more, I began teaching hula again, but this time to adults. The class was called Hula for Health. Everyone had great fun and article about this class appeared in the local paper.
My desire to further my education started in 1986. My husband and I attended the United Methodist Church sponsored Walk to Emmaus. For the next five years, I worked closely with the San Diego Walk to Emmaus community. I served on the Board of Directors for three years and headed the music program. I served as Lay Director for the Women’s Walk in fall 1992. These close ties with the Christian community gave me a strong interest to learn more about Christian theology. I completed my college education at Christian Heritage College with a Bachelor of Science degree and continued graduate work for next two years at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena.
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