She left the entertainment industry in the late 1950s and entered the convent of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dubuque, IA, and became a nun. In 1962 she became a teacher. In 1986 she left the religious life, married and moved to Sierra Vista, AZ, where she became a teacher in the local public school. In 1997 she was selected as the Arizona Biology Teacher of the Year.