Fleharty family keeps busy with work, studies, hobbies
By RYAN CHRISTNER
The term "busy as a bee" might be due for a change.
The way one Hays family operates, it could be amended to "busy as a Fle" (pronounced "flea") as in Chris and Donna Fleharty.
The couple, who recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary, and their two daughters, Renee, 22, and Kristen, 19, lead active, family-oriented lives.
Chris is a 30-year Dillons employee, having worked at both Hays locations, and serves as manager of the meat market at the 27th Street and Hall site.
Donna works at home as a medical transcriptionist. She once filled a similar position at Hays Medical Center, but now gets to "walk to work" every day, she jokes.
Donna also is a practicing massage therapist, a job her family does not mind helping her practice for, as they all agree she has gifted hands.
Renee is a senior at Fort Hays State University and is studying psychology.
"It took me a while to decide (what to study)," she said, but an interest in the subject in high school convinced her to adopt it as a major.
Outside of school, she works at U-Save Pharmacy as a technician.
The youngest Fleharty daughter, Kristen, graduated from Hays High last year and now is a freshman at FHSU after accepting a track scholarship.
Donna's massage business has been given a boost from her daughter's track interest, as she has acquired a large pool of customers who need loosening up before an event or recuperating afterward.
Kristen is studying biology, something her mother said could be "in the genes," as Kristen's grandfather, Eugene, is a retired FHSU biology professor.
As a campus operator for the Tiger Info call center at FHSU, she provides directory assistance and general information on various school topics.
In other words, she gets to "watch movies and answer the phone every once in a while," her sister said jokingly.
Donna and Renee study karate three nights a week at the Karate Fitness School of Martial Arts and Self Defense, where their roles get reversed.
Renee has been studying karate for almost nine years and is a second-degree black belt, while her mother began in January.
Donna said her daughter often helps teach classes and is relied upon by the instructor for assistance.
"Inside the dojo, she's 'Miss Fleharty, black belt,' and I'm just a student," Donna said.
Further crowding the calendar for Donna is Bunco, a dice game she plays with a group of local women.
Donna said the group puts together an annual Buncofest to raise money for charities. She said more than $1,300 was raised last year for First Call for Help.
Chris enjoys fishing with his father and hunting, and the other Flehartys appreciate the frequent pheasant dinners supplied by his trips.
Together, the family enjoys watching Cornhusker football (Chris was born in Lincoln, Neb.) and taking family vacations -- last year, it was South Padre Island, Texas.
"The price of things, we don't get to do that as much," Chris said.
While vacations might not be able to happen that often, at least the Flehartys have each other. Donna said she feels blessed to be able to live in the same town as their extended family and that both her children go to school locally and can live at home.