Florence Matheny of Toddville, Iowa, comes west in 1945 to attend college at Seattle Pacific College (SPC) in Seattle, Washington. She hears that the famous Doolittle Flyer Jacob DeShazer will be attending SPC as well. The two of them meet at social events in the fall, but don't begin dating until the spring. They get engaged in June of 1946 and are married in August 1946. Their first child, son Paul, is born in 1947.
Florence supports Jacob’s goal of returning to Japan wholeheartedly, joining him in taking Japanese language and culture classes while at SPC. They both complete their degrees in 1948, graduating in the summer of that year. While finishing their degrees at SPC, the DeShazers apply to the Free Methodist Mission Board to be sent to Japan. Their request is granted and they, with little Paul, set sail for Japan in December 1948.
