Neighbors Spotlight: Lisa Hepola

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Lisa Hepola and her family show off the Christmas tree. Her family includes children Darby, Sam and Vincent and husband Jim (or as he's better known Hepp.)

Age: 48

Family: My immediate family consists of one husband, Jim (or “Hepp”), daughter, Darby, 13, two sons, Sam, 11, and Vincent, 9. I ask for a wife every Christmas, but I have yet to find her under my tree, ready to jump in and cook something.

Groups: Most of my activities are connected to my children. I am the VP for the Girls’ Softball program at the Canfield Baseball Club, and chair the yearbook committee for the yearbook at C.H. Campbell. My kids all play in the Phantoms Youth Hockey League, and my husband coaches one of the Squirt teams. So we are at the Ice Zone four to seven days a week. My kids also participate in Musical Theater, All Boys Hip-Hop, and tumbling classes at Stage Left Academy in Canfield. I love to shop in the wee hours of the night on Craig’s List, and family outtings always include trips to thrift stores and the Goodwills.

Education: I went to school at Moorhead Senior High, Moorhead, MN class of 1979. I also went to Concordia College. Ten years and three schools later, I have a Mass Communications/English degree.

Q. What do you like best about living in your town?

A. I love the small town Norman Rockwellish feeling of Canfield with it’s Village Green. I also love that there are two major cities and what they have to offer, within an hour’s drive in each direction.

Q. What one thing would you add to your town if money was not an issue?

A. A sidewalk on both sides of every street, in every neighborhood leading a path to every house, so kids and adults can get outside, reach out to their neighbors and build bonds of friendship and commradary that extend out into the community.

Q. Describe the last community event you went to:

A. I went to the Canfield 5th & 6th grade band concert last night. Need I say more? I was amazed at the difference a year with an instrument makes.

Q. If there was a store or business to add to your town, which would you like it to be, and why?

A. I would like to see a business come into this community that brought good paying jobs and lots of them.

Q. If you could name a street after someone, who would it be and why?

A. A street is not big enough for my husband, Hepp. I would name a highway after him. Everyday I am in awe of him and his dedication to our family. He is one of the most centered people I know. People who know him will agree that he is not a man of many words, but his quiet actions speak loud and clear. He does it all; business owner, dad, coach, and friend.

Q. Where is your favorite place in town to go for a little hide-away time or bite to eat, and why?

A. My hideaway is my home. Not that the food is any good there, but it is my favorite place to escape, and hang out with my family where we love to play games.