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Please e-mail BOTH Wee Smith and
Kirk Greiner by clicking on the e-mail icon at the bottom of this page
with any news items that you think will be of interest to our class
mates. Kirk will insure that it is posted on our website and Wee will
insure that it is passed on to all of our classmates, including those
who do not have email capability. Click on photos to enlarge.
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Class News from the Alumni Bulletin and
the Class Newsletter published by our Secretary are now in the
Members Only section of this web site.
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| 1/7/2012 |
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L to R - Ed Nelson,
Dimpy Spatafora, Joyce Nelson, Wee Smith, Kirk Greiner, Jackie
Greiner, Betsy Ann Mathieu, Bud Mathieu and George Everett
attended the memorial service of Dick Donnelly held in the
Presbyterian Church, Bellevue WA.
Click on photo to
enlarge. |
| 12-30-2011 |
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Dick Donnelly lost his courageous battle with mesothelioma and
passed away December 29th at their winter home in LaQuinta, CA.
His funeral will be held at 3 PM
Saturday, January 7th, 2012 at
the Newport Presbyterian Church, 4010 120th Ave., SE, Bellevue,
WA. More to follow. |
| 12-16-2011 |
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See videos of Eagle on Links at bottom of home page. |
| 6-21-2011 |
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The 2012 mini-reunion will be held in San Diego. More later in
Reunion section. |
| 6-21-2011 |
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The photos of the Sarasota mini-reunion are still being worked on. |
| 6-21-2011 |
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Exciting photos of the launching our boat, the >>SHEARWATER<<
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| 7-2-2010 |
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A flashback. I recently recovered from my files some photos I took
at our 35th reunion. With the aid of Wee Smith, whose memory of
names amazes me, you can now see how much younger you were then.
Click on the "Reunions" tab above to see them. Members who have
photos of reunions not posted are encouraged to lend them to me
(Kirk) who will scan them and return them to you. I sure the class
would like to see them. |
| 6-10-2010 |
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Bill
Linn passed away
quite suddenly on Saturday, April 3. He began complaining about
shortness of breath and Dixie took
him to the emergency room at their local hospital the afternoon of
April 2. The doctors performed several tests and determined that
he had pneumonia and was experiencing renal failure. He had to be
sedated so the doctor could insert a breathing tube. He was never
conscious after that. Bill’s and Dixie’s son David and Dixie
stayed with him until he passed away less than a day later. Dixie
said that David was able to give Bill a beautiful blessing before
he left us. She added, “Our family is grateful that he left us
quickly as he would have hated to linger, in ill health”.
Bill's funeral was on Thursday April 8. Their son Richard
and his family drove from CA and their daughter Terri and her
family came from Rexburg. Dixie said “It was a beautiful
celebration of his life. All the grandchildren sang and one
granddaughter played a lovely piece on her violin. We laid him to
rest in our beautiful Salem cemetery, which is close by.”
Please keep Bill’s widow, Dixie, 3
N. Mahogany Way, Elk Ridge, UT, 84651 and their family in your
thoughts and prayers. |
| 5-14-2010 |
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We think that all of you who have been such loyal friends to Frank
deserve an update on his condition. Since the first of the year
Frank has changed dramatically. He has experienced a marked
increase in confusion and more hallucinations as you have probably
observed. Frank has suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for about
fifteen years now and is presently in what is considered the “end
stage”. Brighton Gardens, along with his doctor, has suggested
that we consider hospice care. Happily, it will give him
additional individual attention among which is twice weekly visits
by hospice RN’s and LPN’s, massage therapy, chaplain visits, and
counseling for our family. His quality of life has diminished so
much we are also considering changes to his present medications
hoping to clear his mind somewhat and help him with his agitation.
The downside of this could be that he has less control of the
shaking that is so typical of Parkinson's.
Thank you all for your loving concern!
Jan, Gretchen and Heidi |
| 3-16-2010 |
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I'm sad and sorry to report that Dave
Howland passed away peacefully around 3:40 a.m., yesterday (Sunday,March
15th) at the Bangor, ME Medical Center as a result of the stroke
he suffered on March 9th.
Dave remains were cremated and at his request there will be no
funeral or memorial service -- his burial will be private..
Please keep his widow, Nancy, 15 Crooked Rd., Bar Harbor, ME 04609
and his family in your thoughts and prayers. |
| 2-12-2010 |
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The funeral for Bud Grader, who
died on Fri., (2/12/10) will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, 2/19,
at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 26 Pleasant St., Marblehead,
MA. There will be a reception following the service at the Boston
Yacht Club in Marblehead. Bud will be buried in the Grader family
plot in the Marblehead Cemetery later in the spring. As Bud said
last year when he showed some of us the Grader family plot, "It
has the best view in town of the harbor".
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that contributions may be
made to Afghanaid, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street,
London, EC2A 4LT, U.K. or to the Central Asia Institute, Charles
Grader Fund for Afghan Schools, P.O. Box 7209, Bozeman, MT 59771.
For his obituary, please click>>
HERE<<
For online guest book or additional information , please visit
www.MurphyFuneralHome.com.
The address information for Bud's daughter, son, and his dear
long-time friend, Rita are:
His Daughter and Son-in-Law: Sarah and Rick Ayotte, 9 Little Point
St., Essex, CT 06426 - e-mail:
sarahayotte@msn.com
His Son: Moses Grader, 30 Doaks Lane, Marblehead, MA 01945 -
e-mail:
mgrader@tuckerbrook.com
His dear friend, Rita: Rita Mehos, 54 Nearwater Lane, Darien, CT
06820 06820 |
| 1-16-2010 |
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The
Fredericksburg Reunion scheduled for April 2010 is now posted
in the Reunion Section |
| 1/14/2010 |
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Gene
Trainor, 81, died Sunday, January 3rd, in Scituate, MA. after a
long and courageous struggle with multiple medical problems, that
included prostate cancer, cardiac problems, and failing memory.
Gene was originally in the Class of '52, but joined the Class of
'53 on 5/27/50 and graduated with us. He served for three years on
active duty after graduation and then transferred to the Coast
Guard Ready Reserve in 1956. He retired as a Captain in 1988. From
1956 to 2001, he worked in the nuclear industry for Bethlehem
Steel and General Dynamics in Quincy, MA, and was Vice President
of Quality Assurance of Stone and Webster Engineering Corp., Cygna
Energy Services, and Altran Corporation all in Boston, MA.
In 1959 he received his Master of Science in Management from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Always interested in
history, especially maritime history, he also returned to college
at the University of Massachusetts, Boston where he received a
Bachelor of Science in Anthropology in 1999. He had completed his
course work and thesis toward a second MS in archeology when he
became ill.
He also enjoyed woodcarving and sailing as hobbies and was an
active volunteer in the boat shop and on the Mayflower II at
Plimoth Plantation, the Hull Lifesaving Museum, the USS
Constitution inner-city youth program, as well as serving a term
on the board of the Scituate Historical Society.
Gene's first wife, Jean, died in 1998 from the rare neurological
Creutzfeldt Jacob disease, which is a human form of the English
Mad Cow disease.
In 2001, Gene attended his high school class of 1946's 55th reunion
where he re-met his high school classmate, Barbara Margeson-Keenan,
whom he hadn't seen in 55 years, even though she taught two of his
three daughters in school. Gene and Barbara were married in
October 2001. During their eight plus years of marriage, Barbara
steadfastly and lovingly dealt with Gene's serious medical
problems and his declining memory that eventuallyrequired him to
go to a nursing home. Barbara visited Gene almost daily in the
hospital and nursing home and during his last days, she was with
him around-the-clock.
Bob West, who Gene described as the "brother I never had", also
visited Gene regularly and often.
Gene's funeral wase held at 9:00 a.m., Thursday, January 7th from the
Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, 382 First Parish Rd., Scituate, MA
followed a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Mary of the Nativity
Church, Scituate at 10:00 a.m.. Interment will be in Blue Hills
Cemetery in Braintree, MA.
Gene is survived by his wife, Barbara (14 Wellesley Rd., Scituate,
MA 02066, Tel. 781-545-7942 781-545-7942, e-mail: btrain14@comcast.net);
his daughters Sheryl Trainor of Quechee, VT; Susanne Garvey of
Holdlen, MA; Melissa Trainor-Fondoulis of Scituate, MA; and his
stepchildren Gail Cona of Marshfield, MA; Richard Margeson of
Scituate, MA; Beth Kneib of Shoreline, WA; as well as 11
grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer's
Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011 or the
Huntington Disease Society of America, Massachusetts Chapeter, 80
Concord St., Boston, MA 02118. |
| 11/21/09 |
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Ted De Young, 78, died this past Saturday, November 21st in
Tucson, AZ.
He started complaining of not feeling well back in August and of
having backaches. Subsequent tests discovered that he had a
malignant growth on one of his kidneys. The kidney was removed,
but not soon enough to stop the cancer.
Ted's first assignment after graduation was aboard the CGC LANSING
(WDE-488). After he resigned from active duty he worked for 9
years at Sylvania and 27 years at IBM. As Ted noted in our Golden
Tide Rips, his hobbies were volunteering and church work and he
described himself as "in good health and good spirits. Have a
great family. Enjoying life and looking forward to more of the
same." Ted attended our mini-reunion in Williamsburg, VA and our
50th and 55th reunions.
A memorial service will be held for Ted at 11:00 a.m. on Monday,
November 30th at St. Paul's United Methodist Church, 8501 E.
Broadway Blvd. in Tucson, AZ. Ted's wife, Barbara, whom he married
in 1980, died two years ago in December 2007. He is survived by
his sons, (Scott and Steve) and his step-daughters, (Michelle and
Cindy) and five grandchildren.
Ted's family can be contacted through his brother, Jim DeYoung, at
613 Canter Ct., Avon Lake, OH 44012, Tel. 440-930-4500 or his son,
Scott DeYoung, 4950 E. 25th St., Tucson, AZ 85711 Tel.
520-490-4540, e-mail:
sdeyoung2000@aol.com.
Ted's son, Scott, said that before his death, his Dad had made all
the arrangements for his memorial service. In lieu of flowers Ted
suggested that donations be made to St. Paul's United Methodist
Church, 8501 East Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85710 |
| 10/22/09 |
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The protected folder "Members Only" which requires
an ID and Password has been expanded. Although the ID and password
have not changed, we have added extracts from the past two years
Alumni Bulletin class news. It makes good sequential reading
(which I hade to do when I reformatted it). The periodic e-news to
class members will also be added in the near future. |
| 10/20/09 |
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The Seattle mini-reunion was held
at the end of last month and everyone enjoyed it. Where else can
you sit at the top of a space needle and enjoy you box lunch. The
photographs from the Seattle mini-reunion have been placed on the
web site inn the Reunion Section. If you have any photographs to contribute, please send
them to me -
webmaster@cga53.org |
| 9/23/2009 |
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Bob Lynch passes away |
"Bob
Lynch passed away peacefully yesterday (9/23) after a long battle. He
should have won for the effort and time he invested and because of
the many prayers from so many friends and relatives, but WE do not
get to make these decisions.
He was cheerful up to the end of his alertness and never blamed
anyone or anything for the misery he endured. He expected to
recover and we were determined that he would not be informed to
the contrary. He had a great passion for God and Country and will
be sorely missed.
Iris"
Below is his obituary.
"Robert Berger Lynch
First born of three sons (Richard and Jon) to Jan and Eva Lynch on
June 10th 1931 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, he died on Wednesday,
September 23rd, 2009 at Kindred Hospital in Tucson, AZ after a
long and agonizing illness.
After graduating high school in Wauwautosa, Wisconsin, he entered
the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, but spent too much time
dreaming and reading science fiction, which he enjoyed his whole
life. He then applied to United States Merchant Marine Academy at
King’s Point in New York and graduated in 1955 with a B.S. Degree
in Marine Engineering as a Commissioned Ensign, USNR. During his
academy days he received an award for Engineering proficiency, was
a member of the cross-country team and enjoyed intramural boxing.
He married Joan L. Schmidt in 1955 (divorced 1976) and they had
one son, Jan Lynch (Janet) who currently resides in Elverta
California. The young couple moved from Long Island, New York to
Rancho Cordova, California when Robert accepted employment as a
Senior Engineer for the Aerojet Corporation in Sacramento. He was
responsible for heat transfer, fluid dynamics and overall design
of combustion chambers for the Titan missile and advanced rocket
engine systems. He said many blew up before they were able to get
it right. However, he received a Zero Defects Award while
employed there.
He continued up the ladder at Aerojet ending his career there as a
Contract Program Manager in 1970. While working at Aerojet, he
went to law school at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge
School of Law and received his Juris Doctor in 1967.
In 1970 he left Aerojet to enter into private law practice. In
addition to specializing in Family law, he became a member of the
Mediation Panel, was a Pro Tem Municipal Court Judge and taught
Business Law at Solano CC and San Joaquin CC.
From the Sacramento Bee, Weds. April 28, 1971, page 2 “Lynch
scores astonishing win”. The article chronicles that Robert B.
Lynch ran against three other candidates for Trustee on the Los
Rios Community College District Board and won an impressive 53.1
percent of the vote over well-known Jack Kipp, mayor of Folsom.
Bob had a flair for going against the liberal trends in local
politics and it won him both admiration and derision. Unfazed, he
got his share of newspaper coverage and managed to attain great
victories such as leading the fight to keep the Hughes Stadium
next to Sacramento City College in tact. There is a plaque on
their wall attesting to this accomplishment. Though he never
entered another race for office, he was destined to know and make
friends of many great men during his lifetime.
After leaving the Naval Reserve as a Lieutenant Commander, he
entered the California Army National Guard serving in Combat
Engineers and received Expert Marksman Badge, M16 at age 59. He
retired as a Major, Army of the United States.
He was a lifetime member of: The NRA, The Gun Owners of America,
California Wildlife Federation, California Pistol and Rifle
Assoc., California Bar Association and the Institute of Electrical
and Electronic Engineers. Bob was Founder, Mensa, Sacramento
Chapter and life member of the Turtle Club.
Robert met and married Iris D. Healy Feb 1999 while still residing
in Rancho Cordova. He wrapped up his law office and they
resettled in Palominas where they continued their interests in
border politics. Just six months after moving to Arizona, Bob saw
an ad for Municipal Judge of Bisbee. He applied, never thinking
that of the 6 local candidates he had much of a chance, but he
received a unanimous vote by the Bisbee City Council. He would
have continued on in that position still, if his wife had not
suffered a minor heart attack and he felt he was needed at home.
Perhaps the thing he loved most was being called “Judge”.
Robert was well known for his interest in preserving the America
that had worked so well for Americans for over two hundred years
and as a strict proponent of law and order he could see the many
ways our country was no longer living up to the Constitution and
our founding religious beliefs. He was loving, he was brash, he
was tough and in his heart he cried for the land he loved. We will
all miss him.
He is survived by his wife of 10 years, Iris D. Lynch; his son,
Jan Lynch (Janice); his granddaughters, Laura (Jason) Frederick
and Holly (Matt) Tomlinson; his great grandchildren, Kaitlen and
Kaden Frederick; his stepdaughters, Candice Stedman, Erin Solem
(Tommy), Kim Fox (Ramon Valdez); his stepson, Jon C. Healy; his
stepgrandchildren, Jennifer Chassey, Gregory Chassey, Joshua
Vinyard, Ashley Fox, Kaleb Vinyard (Leah), Daniel Fox, Jonathon
Vinyard and Gabriel Valdez.
A Memorial Mass will be held Friday, October 16, 2009 at 8:30 a.m.
at the Main Post Chapel, Fort Huachuca, AZ. Internment with
military honors will follow at the Post Cemetery."
Bob attended many of our reunions and mini-reunions and he often
called to say how much he enjoyed and how proud he was to be a
member of our class. I will miss him and his loyal support of our
class. |
| 5/29/09 |
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Gene
Bowers died Friday (5/29) from congestive heart failure. He would
have been 79 on June 22nd.
According to his brother, Lee, Gene's health declined rapidly during this
past winter. "During February he ignored some of the early signs
of congestive heart failure, assigning the symptoms to his
allergies. By the time we were able to get him to the hospital,
his condition had become very serious. He spent two months in the
hospital and was in a nursing home undergoing therapy when he
died."
Gene's funeral will be at 1000, Wed., June 3rd at St. Mark's
Church, Woodward St., Buffalo, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family
has suggested contributions to the U.S.O., which was Gene's
favorite charity.
Gene, who never married, is survived by two brothers and a sister.
His brother Lee Bowers can be reached at 5318 Greens Dr., Lady
Lake, FL 32159 - Cell 352-552-8094. |
| 9/16/2008 |
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An updated version of the
Survivor's Guide
has been posted in the links section on the home page. The
original was written when a good friend, Captain Bob Hackney died
and his widow was left with no instructions or guide on what to
do. It has been updated and should be reviewed if you want to save
your wife a lot of problems when you die.
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to Wee and Kirk
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