Andrea & Jim Habing
Coming Home
Written By J. Chris Mickartz
Virginia & Fred Wood
A
ndrea Habing, with her husband
Jim, defy the old adage that “you
can’t go home again.” After living
in a number of homes throughout the
community over the years, they decided
to remodel the former Gilroy home of
Andrea’s deceased parents, Fred and
Virgina Wood. Then Andrea and Jim
moved back home!
Fred and Virginia Wood had purchased
the ranch style home back in 1962, before
54
it was completed. The road in front of the
home was not yet a reality and it faced a
vacant lot, but somehow they knew that it
was the place where they wanted to raise
their three daughters, Loni, Angel and
Andrea. Fred had just accepted a position
with the City of Gilroy as the City
Administrator, a job he held for 15 years
before retiring. Purchased basically with a
handshake, the 2,382 square foot home,
built by Morton and Fortino Contractors,
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
cost them $24,000.
Fast forward to today, Andrea and Jim
Habing, are enjoying life in the family-
home, having remodeled it from top to
bottom. Her journey home has taken
many turns, although all within the con-
fines of her home town, Gilroy – except
for her time in college. It was in college
that she asked a fellow Gilroyan to her
college graduation party, which led to a
proposal and in July of 1984 she married
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