"We both came from an environment of poverty. At first, the goal of independence, home ownership, and making full use of our talents was reward enough and we both enjoyed the work and were proud. We were not couch potatoes. We both had easy jobs and had reserves of energy for making our home -- a slow process. But you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear... etc. Somehow or other, the whole thing turned out a blazing success. (perhaps referring to the children, whom Bob says were the important outcome of their marriage)"

Jef remembers that Don Lynch was also staying there. Don had a seat at the LA Stock Exchange, and Bob recalls that Ruth was Don's secretary for a while. It is now clear that Don and Ruth had started a long lasting business relationship at or before this time. The two also became good friends, as they were kindred spirits. Ruth grew up in a poor neighborhood with parents that failed to provide a happy environment for their kids. Don was orphaned at a young age, and wound up living in an aunt's closet during part of his childhood. Both were seeking a better life. Ruth was being seduced by this material world, and was determined to stay there for a while. The two may have been planning a joint venture at this time, as they did form a new company in the near future.

Ruth was probing many avenues to enhance her career around this time. She managed to make many friends. She may have worked several jobs at the same time. Elsa remembers that she worked as a housekeeper for movie star June Lockart. This may explain how she had connections with other people in the movie business that showed up later in the decade. Also, she worked a homecare job, taking care of a crippled, but well-off lady in Beverly Hills. A very young Elsa remembers meeting this lady, who offered to buy her any toy she wanted. All of her experiences were showing her there was a whole new world out there, and she wanted to see it!

At some point, probably this year, she opened her first checking account. Jef recalls it was the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank. Bob recalls how Ruth was able to buy a house almost immediately. As the divorce was amicable (according to Bob, they agreed before the marriage that any divorce would be uncontested), he took out a loan on their house from Coast Federal Savings (the only loan he's ever had), and paid Ruth half its value. This was enough for Ruth to pay cash for a house on Boylston Street -- a split level house overlooking Chavez Ravine just as Dodger Stadium was under construction, and downtown LA with its many jobs only a few miles away. The children were given the option of living with either parent. Ruth's daughters elected to stay with her, and Jef, not knowing what was going on, decided to stay put, with his father. But that was not a problem, as the 2 houses were only a few miles apart.

In November, Bob was a passenger in a car going over the mountains to give a presentation for a water system the county was planning to install in the Antelope Valley. The driver was a bad driver, according to Bob, and was tailgating a big truck going slowly up the hill. Another bad driver was in a hurry coming down the highway. He thought he'd see if there was an opening behind the big truck, and pulled into the other lane for a look-see. This pickup truck hit Bob's car head on, ripped the roof off (along with the driver's head), went off a cliff and burst into flame. Both men in the truck and Bob's driver were killed. Bob was knocked out, but probably saved by his lap belt. He woke up in the hospital a few days later with casts on both feet and bandages on his head. He remembers 3 children trying to get in to see him, but they were turned away -- no visitors. Ruth had brought her kids down to see him. Bob complained he'd rather be in a hospital closer to home, so they moved him to the Good Samaritan Hospital. This hospital was only staffed by nurses on weekends, and during the next weekend, Bob had a pulmonary embolism, and the nurses ignored it. He was in excruciating pain until the doctor came in on Monday, and regrets ever having asked that he be moved.

Daughter Elsa recalls that Ruth believed, that Bob was, surprisingly, more cheerful after this. The above story was "re-remembered" by Bob on 2/15/18:

As employees of L. A. County, Bob Shonlau and I were delegated to meet with the directors of a small Antelope Valley Mutual Water Company whose only water well had gone dry. So on a Saturday afternoon in the Fall of 1961 I picked up a Ford sedan at the County car pool and my boss Shonlau at his home in San Fernando and he chose to drive.

At where the two lane winding Mint Canyon Road enters Tick Canyon, Bob was following an 18 wheeler Truck and as we were talking about our meeting, a Ford pickup truck towing a tar-pot trailer returning after a day's work, coming the other way was following another 18 wheeler. Those roofers must have been tired and impatient, so the pickup driver elected on a road curve to pull out into our lane to see if passing their 18 wheeler was possible. The pickup hit our sedan on the drivers side head-on. It climbed over the hood of our Ford, ripping off its hood, crushing down the roof and continuing off the road into the canyon bottom, in flames (other drivers following us witnessed this and the story was reported in local news).

Bob (Shonlau) was killed at his wheel and I was lucky to be pried out of the wreck by the jaws-of-life. The pickup driver and his passenger were badly burned but lingered long enough come to my bedside in the Newhall hospital and to make their apology to me before they both died. I was unconscious for two days except I remember being questioned about medical insurance. A doctor explained that, upon arrival to the hospital, they had awakened me with 'truth serum' for that questioning. The above information, of which I have no memory, I have learned from people I have questioned or from reading reports.