URS Retirees Share Their Stories | Luci Transtrum
From Tears of Worry to Tears of Joy
She went from struggling single mom to self-sufficient and thriving with URS by her side.
“URS didn’t just give me a pension, they looked out for me — like family.”
Luci Transtrum walked into her HR office in tears. At age 42, a recent divorce left her bankrupt and raising three kids alone. She didn’t even have a car. Her financial future seemed bleak.
“I just didn’t know how my life was going to be,” she recalled. “I was scared I’d end up living with my kids because I wouldn’t be able to afford anything else.”
Her HR rep explained something Luci didn’t realize: During her years as a staff assistant for Ogden School District, the seeds for something incredibly valuable were quietly growing.
Luci already had almost 15 years of service credit. And, her HR rep explained, in about another 15 years, she’ll qualify for a URS pension benefit. He estimated how much Luci could get in lifetime monthly pension payments, showed her the dollar figure, and Luci’s jaw dropped.
“And I just cried again,” she said. “But this time with relief. I walked out of there feeling better about my future. He told me, ‘Luci, you’ll be OK, you won’t have to live with your children, you can take care of yourself.”
Time, Freedom, and Financial Ability
Fast-forward more than 20 years, and thanks to her URS pension, Luci enjoys the kind of financial freedom today that once felt hopelessly out of reach. She retired from Ogden School District in 2022 at age 62 with 27 years of service credit, and now her days are rich with family, friends, and activities.
There are water aerobics classes in the morning, craft nights with friends, themed staycations with her grandchildren (“We’re going to Italy!” she’ll announce before taking them out for pasta and gelato), and actual trips around the world to places like Thailand, Italy, and Spain. She’s won blue ribbons at the Utah State Fair for her crochets.
“I wrote a list after my divorce,” she said. “Plays I’d never seen. Places I’d never been. Things I’d never done. Retirement gave me the time and freedom, and my pension gives me the financial ability to start checking them off.”
‘I Don’t Need to Rely on Anyone’
But it’s not just about the fun—it’s about financial peace of mind. “I don’t need to rely on anyone,” she said. “I don’t have to marry for financial help. I don’t have to live with my kids. I take care of me.”
But not just herself — also her kids and grandkids. “They know they can come to me,” Luci said. “If one of my grandkids needs help with school, or a little extra for a trip, I can say yes. That’s what my pension allows me to do...URS didn’t just give me a pension, they looked out for me — like family.”
