This was a very touching memoir-esque story and enjoyable read, @mrenglish. It gave a wonderful insight into your life. The piece flowed nicely, ticking so many boxes, despite a few issues with mixed tenses (past and present). For a #CNF, it could have done with some dialogue. This is a key aspect of fiction writing to be considered when writing Creative Non-Fiction to ensure its inclusion in a balanced manner.
You can find information about what we are looking for in creative nonfiction stories in this post.