In September 1912, Katrina's father decided to continue his own education at the University of Nebraska where he got his master's degree and secured a teaching position in Salt Lake City, Utah at the local university.

Katrina attended her last year of high school at Palo Alto, California's Union High while her father took a year's leave of absence from the University of Utah to teach at Stanford University in 1924. She received her teaching degree from the University of Utah in 1928 and started her career by teaching the first grade at the Forest Elementary School in Salt Lake City for $100 per month, but soon lost her position. In those days of teacher gluts, only single women could teach and Katrina was secretly married as of June 24th of that year to James Nield Wilson.

Not even her parents knew of the marriage which proved a hardship for the newlywed, for shortly after her elopement, she and her family went on a month's vacation to Nebraska to visit relatives. Within four months, however, the parents became suspicious and when discovered, Katrina had to move out and properly join her husband. With her secret exposed, she informed the local school board which promptly fired her.

In April 1930, she and husband moved to Pocatello, Idaho where Jim was manager of Bennett's Paint Store, and while there, their first child, Elaine, was born. In 1936 they moved back to Salt Lake City where Jim became head of the wallpaper department for Bennett's Paint. They had their boss, Wallace F. Bennett (later to be United States Senator from Utah 1952-1974) out to their house a few times during this period.

With the outbreak of World War II, Katrina got a job at the Remington Arms Plant, then the Clearfield Naval Depot, but had to quit the job as it involved a lot of travel time to and from work. She was at the bus stop at 6:00 am and got home by 7:00 pm. It was at this time that marital problems occurred and shortly after her second child, Michael James, was born she got a divorce (1946). So that she wouldn't have to work while having a young child, she took in boarders for about 4 years to augment her alimony check and some assistance from her parents.

In 1952 she reaffiliated with the Order of the Eastern Star (women's auxiliary of the Masonic Order) and the following year was elected secretary of the Mizpah Chapter which she retained for ten years. From 1964 to 1966 she went through the administrative chairs of the organization and went on to be a Grand Representative of the Grand Chapter of Utah.

Received from Michael Wilson of Salt Lake City, Utah on 12 March 1997