A.V. BROUGHT COUPLE TOGETHER.

Byline: BETTIE RENCORET

LANCASTER - In 1918, when Ralph Cissell was 5 years old, he moved with his mother, father and brothers from Ocean Beach, near San Diego, to an alfalfa and chicken ranch at 70th Street East and Avenue G in Lancaster.

Emmett Louis and Maude Cissell had migrated earlier from Missouri. They lived their first year in the Antelope Valley with their children in a bunk house on property owned by Emmett's brother, until they could get situated on their own ranch, right next door.

``On any given day but Saturday, you could shoot a cannon off in any direction and not hit a thing,'' Cissell said. ``And there were jackrabbits by the thousands.''

He and his four brothers worked on the ranch growing up and made a good showing for many years in the Rural Olympics at the Antelope Valley Fair.

A machinist by trade, Cissell worked for Union Oil Company for 10 years before switching to the National Space and Aeronautics Administration. He earned commendations for his workmanship on the X-15, the space shuttle, the Lunar Landing Craft and others.

He worked on jobs in Alaska, Colorado and at Edwards Air Force Base before retiring from NASA in 1979 after 27 years.

In 1960, Ralph married his wife, Mae, who had moved that year to Lancaster with her young daughter after her first marriage ended.

Mae was born in San Francisco and educated in Carson City, Nev. Her daughter, Jackie Breuer, is now director of the Lancaster United Methodist Church preschool.

As her daughter was growing up, Mae was involved with the Parent-Teachers Association and 4-H Club. She is also a member of Beta Sigma Phi, the business sorority, in which she has filled many offices. Mae does crewelwork and loves to read.

``I love a good book,'' she said, ``mostly Reader's Digest condensations and mystery novels. My friends and I trade and exchange books all the time.''

She has worked for several years in a local gift shop and loves her job. Although she has cut down her hours to two days a week, Mae has no plans to quit entirely in the near future.

The couple has traveled extensively not only in the United States but through Alaska and Canada.

``We were gone for four months on one trip. We did a lot of fishing and had a lot of fun,'' she said. ``We went in our camper, which we still have . . . and another couple went with us. That made the trip twice as enjoyable.''

LANCASTER - The next Antelope Valley Committee on Aging breakfast will be held from 8 a.m. to noon at the Antelope Valley Senior Center, 777 W. Jackman St.

The menu includes not only buttermilk pancakes with fruit, but biscuits with country gravy.

Tickets are $2.50, and are available at all of the senior nutrition sites or at the door. For information, call [phone].

LANCASTER - Menus for the week at the senior life nutrition sites in Lancaster, Palmdale and Pearblossom have been announced. All meals include bread, margarine and coffee, tea or milk.

Monday: Beef Parmesan, oven-browned potatoes, green beans, pea salad, ice cream.

Tuesday: Chicken chop suey, rice, broccoli, tossed salad, Jell-O with pears.

Wednesday: Hot turkey sandwich, mashed potatoes, beets, carrot salad, banana.

Thursday: Pizza, spinach, tossed salad, pineapple tidbits.

Friday: Juice, baked chicken, rice, butternut squash, coleslaw, cake.

MEMO: This column is devoted to activities and news of interest to all senior citizens. Those with any information pertaining to that age group are invited to contact Bettie Rencoret, [phone] or leave messages at the Antelope Valley Bureau Daily News offices, [phone].

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Photo: Ralph and Mae Cissell married in 1960 when they met in Lancas ter.

Bettie Rencoret/Special to the Daily News