SANDRA RUCH NAGY



Wow, how to relate my life since 1964 to 2016!  That is a tall order.  I will do my best to tell the story of Sandra Ruch Nagy as briefly as I can.

When I was a child growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, I basically wanted nothing more than to get married and have children of my own.  I was the youngest of 4 children and kind of a whole different generation than my siblings.  I was an aunt at the age of 8 years and I grew up babysitting for my nieces and nephews and loved taking care of them, hence looking forward to having my own children.  Being of a different generation, it wasn’t as easy balancing the home, children, and a job, along with having a marriage, as my siblings, so I ended up with a divorce and two children still at home.  One in college, and the other in high school.

I had worked off and on, whenever we needed more money coming into the house, but, never anything career challenging.  I had basically worked as a clerk in stores throughout the Lehigh Valley.  I was once a Tupperware Dealer/Manager, which I truly enjoyed.  I enjoyed being with people and I really liked the product and I was good at demonstrating the product.  I became pregnant with my youngest and decided it was too much to keep working.  I was later hired at Allentown Record Company, which was actually a blessing in disguise.  I started out as a Payroll Processor, which at the time, I knew nothing about, and advanced myself to assistant to the General Manager.  I found out, if I was told I couldn’t do something, I strived until I succeeded.  

I started taking night college courses at Northampton County Community College.  I found that I liked working with numbers, so I pursued a degree in accounting.  I went on to a better position at Exide, which was a battery production facility.  I worked there for 9 years in Payroll.  I wanted more, so I went on to a new company across from the LVAP, called Alcom, which was a company made up of 3 printing facilities:  Lehigh  Litho, Havertown, and Telecomp.  I was the whole Payroll Department and continued with courses they provided and became HR and Payroll.  I was with the company for 28 years, before retiring on May 23 of this year.  I also took a course with H&R Block, which was very helpful. I worked with H&R Block for only a month, after I completed the course, when I was hired by a CPA that I used to babysit for in my teens.  I worked with him for 9 years, till he retired.  I was never able to finish my college quest, because my one son went to college, so I left school to work a 2nd job and never went back.

As I think back through the years, I believe, if I had not been in such a hurry to find the right man and get married, I would have liked to join the Air Force and travel.  I always thought of being an airline hostess.  We know that didn’t happen.  I never regretted any of the decisions I made in the past.  My ex and I are friends and our children our very important to us.  My parents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brother were all married more than 50 years and I didn’t make it!  That is a regret of mine, but, also a sign of the times.  It’s unfortunate, but, I feel most people find it just too hard to try to make a marriage work and it is made too easy just to walk away from a relationship.

Sandra Ruch Nagy and her father William



Sandra's grandchildren and great-grandson