Meet Your New Neighbors

Ed and Lisa Sanchez arrived in Tehachapi on Jan. 28. For Ed it was coming home. He was born and raised here but had not lived here since high school. Although living in beautiful San Diego, they were ready for a simpler, less expensive lifestyle for their family. With his 25 years in the mortgage lending business, he has been added to the staff of Dignified Home Loans in downtown Tehachapi.

Ed is the youngest of six children, three boys and three girls. One of his sisters still lives here and he has another in Bakersfield. His mother, Virginia, was well known in the community. His father worked at the Monolith cement plant while he was young and was one of the founding members of the Moose Lodge. Ed said that while he did attend Tehachapi High School and was on the track team, he graduated from Sanger High School.

One of his childhood memories is of riding the trains down to The Loop and back. In those days, the trains did not blow horns coming through town but had to slow down. Many of the box cars had open doors, so the kids would jump in, ride down to The Loop where the train had to slow down again, jump off and wait for a train coming the other direction to hitch a ride back. He said it was great fun.

Lisa was born in Cambridge, Mass. but grew up in Franklin. She has three brothers, two now in Florida and one in Washington. Her father worked for Boston Acoustics and was transferred to their plant in Tijuana, Mexico, so the family moved to San Diego. Lisa is an accomplished gymnast and competed at the Junior Olympics level. She went on to get her degree in psychology from the University of Las Vegas.

It was when Ed visited his sister Cecelia in San Diego that he met the young girl who lived next door. They married in Tehachapi in 1996. About 300 people attended the ceremony at the gazebo in Central Park and the reception held at the Moose Lodge. Ed’s family bought a quarter of a cow that they barbecued in a pit. The couple was transported in a horse drawn carriage. Lisa said those in attendance might remember her veil which was used to decorate the moose head much to the chagrin of the Moose members in attendance.

Their son Antonio was born in San Diego before the couple decided to try living on the east coast. Ed worked for a non-profit there as a home ownership counselor and Lisa taught gymnastics. Their daughter, Esmeralda was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. After five years they returned to San Diego where Lisa taught Special Ed in the Del Mar School District, taught gymnastics at the Boys and Girls Clubs and the YMCA.

Now in Tehachapi, Lisa is working as a paraprofessional in Special Ed at Tompkins and Ed is with Dignified. In his spare time, Ed says that he enjoys billiards and darts. Lisa still loves gymnastics and watching movies. Esmeralda is at Tompkins and Antonio is in the dual enrollment program with Cerro Coso College at Tehachapi High School. Their only pet at this time is Spike, a Bearded Dragon who loves to bask in the sun and watch the back yard.

A huge “welcome back” to the Sanchez family.

Karen Kash and Phil Harris came from San Diego but spent the last 19 months unhappily in the community of Lake Tweedy near Lake Hughes. Through a family business deal, they ended up in the 2500 acre hunting and fishing membership community that was less than welcoming. Darryl from Chimney Chokers told them about Tehachapi when he worked on their chimney so they came to visit and bought a house.

Phil was raised in Manhattan Beach. His family was in construction. As a result, he can fix anything. He said he went to more than 30 schools. He moved around Washington and Oregon where his stepfather and stepbrothers started the Red Lion Inns. He ended up in San Diego.

Karen lived in Minnesota until she was 18. She married and moved to Wisconsin where she raised her son and two daughters. Finally divorced she moved to San Diego as a caregiver for a radio announcer from Los Angeles. Before his death, she said that she did help him get his Purple Heart from the Vietnam War.

She then met Phil while moving into her new San Diego apartment. Moving in all her belongings on a dolly, she propped open her screen door. With the door wide open, it essentially locked Phil in his next door apartment. They have now been together for four years.

Karen says she loves to write and has been working on a children’s book called “A True Hummingbird Tale” about her adventures with a little bird she was able to catch with a red scarf.

They said that they are delighted to be in Tehachapi. Welcome Karen and Phil.

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call (661) 822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.