BELOW ARE THE "BIO UPDATES" SUBMITTED FOR OUR 2018 REUNION
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| Nick and Diane celebrate their 41st wedding anniversary in 2017 at Tricks, their favorite restaurant. |
We continued to travel in our RV for a few years, then settled into a park model at an RV park in the White Mountains of AZ, and finally sold it all. We’ve been to Mexico, California, Colorado, Nevada, Tennessee and North Dakota – from craggy beaches, wine country, barren high desert, white sand beaches along the ocean, through farm country and the Smokey Mountains.
We made the decision to keep our family home on a half- acre in Tempe, so we removed the pool and grass and created a tree-lined desert environment with lots of pavers, water fountain, fire pit, and friendly front porch gathering spot.
Nick still works in his workshop and has recently completed a curio cabinet for our daughter, made a gorgeous mahogany table top for our dining room table and a porch swing for our newly married grandson and wife. I keep making crib blankets for great grandchildren, now numbering 12 with a set of triplets and one other baby expected this year. I had no idea when I made the first blanket that it would create a new career for me! Since 2010 I’ve done some acrylic and water color painting. My energy healing work continues to expand. Nick and I attend classes at Osher University, a 50+, no homework, no tests university available through ASU.
Our children are all doing just fine; grandchildren are mostly parenting these days; and all the babies are beautiful. We are growing older in body but not in spirit! Life is good; all is well. Posted 3-11-2018
Dennis Gillund
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| Dennis and Barb Gillund - 2018 |
Hi All,
Since 2010 life has continued to be great. Barb and I continue to enjoy retirement and do the things that we like to do. I have noticed a few more naps and a few more "let's stay home"!!! Our sons are doing fine, and the grandkids continue to do well! It is so interesting to watch them make decisions that we had to make once upon a time. Now we can sit back and just smile! Our dog Eddy is aging with us and is a great companion. We spend time in Arizona, at home in Apple Valley, and at the lake in MN. Enjoy the "lunch bunch" and try to get there whenever possible.
Look forward to the reunion because the class of '61 is still the best!! Barb ('62) is not looking over my shoulder. Posted 3-15-2018
Warren Olson
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| Warren Olson in Monument Valley, Colorado (home to John Wayne) |
What have I been doing since 2010? Well, for starters, I found all of you, thanks to the hard work of “Ronnie” Morsch (as I knew him at last sighting in the summer of 1955) and Barb Lang (cannot fathom how she remembered me). That led to being invited to our V.C. 70th Birthday Party in Cortez, which was delightful, and the renewing of several friendships there, later here in Colorado Springs, and at the Mayo Clinic. Now I communicate with some of you almost daily. We share stories, experiences and laughs w. each other, and have grown to be great friends again.
My email address is: viking6505@gmail.com if you’d care to correspond.
Since retirement, I’ve read much, done my DNA, and traveled to many places, mostly via cruises or by motorhome. In early 2015, my daughters asked me — knowing I'd had a strange life and career — to write a memoir, rather than giving them my stuff. So, I did that, giving them instead a 120-page document as a Christmas present.
I’m still in good health and am planning on joining you at the Valley City Class Reunion in June… I was last there during the North Dakota Centennial, so it’s time. Posted 3-15-2018
John Manstrom
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| John and Verna Manstrom - 2017 |
I am looking forward to our VCHS ‘61 class reunion! It has been many years since attending my last one. My wife, Verna Triebold ‘62, and I have been to Valley City only to visit family.
I retired from commercial flying 15 years ago! We have continued traveling at our leisure— flying or cruising.
We enjoy the blessings of our daughter, son-in-law. and 3 grandkids living only 20 miles away. We are fortunate to enjoy lots of family sports, performances and celebrations.
This photo is from our fall trip to Napa and San Francisco with our daughter and son-in-law celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. John, 19 March 2018
Larry Gauper
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| Larry & JoAnne Gauper, Lom, Norway - 2016 |
JoAnne and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in 2014. In 2016, we journeyed back to my ancestral roots in Norway, where the "Gauper" name is spelled and pronounced "Gaupar." We enjoyed the warm hospitality of my son-in-law's family and also stayed at the Gaupar hotel property, the Elveseter in Boverdalen.
We have three grandchildren: Kjerstin and Kayli, now grown but raised in the Tampa, Florida, area by their parents, our daughter Lori and son-in-law Eric; our son, David and his spouse, Tammy, have lived in the Summerlin area of Las Vegas for the past twenty years. They have one child, Olivia, now 13. We've enjoyed our Thanksgivings in Las Vegas and Christmases in Tampa, and a number of other visits over the years. Although we're not snowbirds - we're at home in Fargo for most of the winter - we do enjoy escaping to to these two sunbathed cities whenever an occasion arises.
So far, we've been blessed with good health. JoAnne still enjoys her health club and her favorite hobby is quilting. She helps manage the quilting group of over forty ladies at our church, Olivet Lutheran. I retired from Blue Cross Blue Shield ten years ago and enjoy my hobbies of photography, graphic design projects on my computer and I continue to work with the Hiliners61 group in maintaining the class blog. I also have my own blog at www.Wordchipper.com.
Here's hoping this finds you enjoying life as much as we do. We're very thankful for all of our blessings and for every good year God gives us. Larry, 3-26-2018
Mary Koch
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| Mary Koch and Ron Cookston |
Both of these (travel and the flood) have focused our attention. We have travelled extensively in the US by travel trailer visiting almost every state during the past 5 years and have taken several international trips (Ron sat some out) to Mexico, France, Scotland, Switzerland, Austria, China, Czech Republic and Germany. This summer we will take a Norwegian cruise embarking from Copenhagen. We are travelling to Copenhagen via Turkish airlines and will stop in Istanbul for 4 days and then in Copenhagen for 4 days before returning home. We travel often with Pat (Koch) and Cordell Halverson, my sister and brother-in-law.
Our younger son, Emery, currently is living with us and managing a high-end outdoor gear retail store. The Boy Scout outdoor adventure bug stuck with him-- his passion is long-trek hiking. He has thru-hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and is now working on the Pacific Crest Trail by segments. Jeff, Ron’s older son and my stepson, lives in San Francisco with his wife Robin and their 3 children. Their youngest, Lucas was born in 2013 and thus has increased our family in the last 8 years. His sisters are Rosemary (10) and Grace (15). We see them as often as we can but wish it could be more.
When not travelling, I volunteer doing community tutoring and child care in conjunction with our church. Previously, Ron has mentored middle school boys but this year he has really focused on our home restoration.
Insofar as the flood is concerned, I wouldn’t recommend involuntary remodeling but our outcomes are good. We are fortunate to be finished with our restoration and grateful that our losses are manageable. Retirement life is good.
P.S. We will celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary with y’all on Saturday, June 16, 2018. Mary Koch 4-3-2018
Dave Massjo
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| Dave standing beside the tractor he will drive to pull the Class of ’61 float during the parade this summer |
I now have some vintage tractors and drive them in parades and other old-time farming activities. I tell myself that if I quit doing things I might think I am getting old, and “I’m not goin’ there!!!”
I now am a member of the Board of Directors of the Fort Ransom Sodbusters Association, and we put on two shows every summer on a historic farmstead site at Fort Ransom State Park where we demonstrate many farming activities from years ago. I am also a member of the Board of Directors of the North Dakota Winter Show in Valley City and spend a lot of time keeping that going.
This is what I want you to know; rumor will take care of the rest. Dave Massjo, 4-3-2018
Sharon (Guertin) Auger
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| Sharon (Guertin) Auguer |
I have many hikes in the Pikes Peak area around here to keep me busy. I make trips to Oregon to visit family and my sister, Pat, in Seattle. I have a brother in Valley City, so plan to see him more in the future now that we live closer to ND. We are enjoying a full life and hope to continue this trend. Sharon, 4-9-2018
Beth (Carlisle) Anderson
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| Beth (Carlisle) Anderson and her two youngest grandchildren - Inset: the whole family enjoying an Alaskan cruise |
Dick and I continue to travel and have a spot in Mexico, Nuevo Vallarta, where we return every winter for about a month to a beautiful beach, golf and jungle-like environment. Favorite cruises since 2010 have included trips to Norway, France, the Budapest to Amsterdam route, and the St. Lawrence Seaway and Eastern Seaboard. Dick and I still enjoy symphony concerts and school programs, church activities and hiking. He reads a lot and stays busy with the Retired Teachers groups, and I still play golf, both here and away. It's a rewarding pastime to keep up our yard and fix/renovate the house.
It has been especially fun to visit class of 1961 friends in Valley City and other places or to visit by phone. We wish everyone good health and a wonderful time in Valley City in 2018! We are happy for all the leadership and excellent communication to keep us in touch and are looking forward to reunions and updates. Beth 4-13-2018
Ron Morsch
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| WELCOME TO OUR WORLD! |
Updating 2010-2018
The last eight years have brought changes to our lives- some good, a few unexpected, and as we should expect as we age some not so good. We continued to divide our time between Pennsylvania and Colorado as long as Marty’s Mom was still with us. In May 2010, two months shy of her 90th birthday she passed away. We miss her.
On 31 January 2012 we went to Washington, D.C., I put on my uniform, it fit perfectly, and I retired daughter Jennifer after 24 years of service. What really made it special was that it was the 20th Anniversary of my retirement from the U. S. Army.
We decided that we would sell the Pennsylvania house in 2012 and consolidate our belongings at one place—well, that was a smallish townhouse that met our requirements for an on-again, off-again ski house but didn’t hold up to 365 days of closeness. So it was back into the real estate market and house, townhouse, apartment, condo, etc., etc. NUMBER 48 for me, and 79 Landon Lane fit all our needs; there we live!
As winter approached this past year, I decided to step down after nine years as a National Ski Patroller/Mountain Host at Breckenridge primarily due to a torn rotator cuff which seems to be getting better on its own and hopefully will not require surgery. I did get one day of skiing in so I could continue the streak that started in Valley City in 1953 on Gordon Gray’s ski hill west of VC. I have missed a few years here and there as I spent time in SE Asia or the Deep South.
We have become summertime nomads traveling to China, Tibet, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the Balkan countries in the past few years and are headed to Machu Picchu and the Galapagos on 1 May. Future travels will be to Norway via a cruise from Stockholm to St Petersburg and ending in Bergen, Norway and then an extension on our own in Bergen. My mother’s side of the family is from Hafslo, Norway and there are some “shirt-tail” relatives there I plan to visit. - Ron, 4-18-2018
Ruth (Carlson) Batchelor
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| Ruth (Carlson) Batchelor (on left) with her sister, taken a few years ago. Inset: one of more than a hundred blankets and afghans I've crocheted through the years. |
I am still working full time at Goldsboro Pediatrics, but I’m no longer on my feet all day. I now do telephone triage, which I find is often more challenging than hands-on nursing. For 28 years I have been singing with the community concert choir. One of my fellow singers grew up in the Tower City, N. Dak., area. I also do a lot of crocheting. It keeps my hands busy making afghans and baby things – toys and baskets. It’s very relaxing!
I have so many good memories of my North Dakota days, and I am so thankful to have lived in Valley City – I still think of it as home (Ed. note: Ruth currently lives in Goldsboro, North Carolina). I am so glad to have been included as a member of the Class of ’61 even though I didn’t graduate with the class. I hope the reunion is a great success and will look forward to reading about it. Ruth, 4-20-2018
Dorothy (James) Iwan
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| Dorothy (James) and Jim Iwan at Garden of the Gods, Colorado. Inset: Daughter Debbie and Dorothy having lunch at the Colorado Country Club. |
The bulk of our "free time" is centered around our family (and I-44, which is old route 66 from Albuquerque to Chicago). Joplin is pretty much the geographical center of our family. We've spent Thanksgiving the last four years in Albuquerque with our granddaughter who's a student at UNM and other trips there as well. Since she is a music major (trumpet), we always attend the football and basketball games when she's playing in the Pep band. We also manage to get in some golf and museums when we visit. The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History is very interesting.
My daughter and her husband lived in Denver and have since moved to Colorado Springs. More trips. Highlights were visiting the Denver Museum of Art and the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit. We also got in on the Egyptian exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. In the Springs, we visited the Cave of the Winds (granddaughter working there), Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs Cliff Dwellings and others.
Jim's daughter and husband live in Chicago and I have several relatives that live in that area, so, more trips. We spend our time in Chicago watching the ten-year-old twins in swimming lessons, soccer, etc. Of course, we work in some golf. We also vacation with Heather's family at Lake Michigan.
When we're not on the road, our family around Joplin keeps us busy. The granddaughters played club volley ball when they were younger so we traveled around the area to watch them play. Now, they're pursuing higher education and working part time, so we don't them as often.
We've managed to take some cruises. Our favorites were the Western Caribbean, Alaska, and Canada/New England.
Then there are the home projects and there's always something. From finishing off the basement to landscaping (lots and lots of rocks). I keep active in our local ladies golfing group and in AAUW (American Association of University Women). I always have a book and some Sodoku puzzles in progress.
We're still in good health and enjoy an occasional nap. Retirement has been good! Dorothy, 4-20-2018.
Barbara (Sheppard) Lang
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| Maui photos: Barb and Art with their grandchildren - Inset: Barb Lang and Art Todd When you click on a picture, you'll usually see a larger image. |
A quick review of our 2010 bio information reminds me that in the past 8 years, we have added 7 grandchildren to the clan! Our blended family of 5 children, all of them married now, have provided 10 grandkids for us, ages 10 down to 6 months! In a nutshell, that has kept us busy and traveling, in order to get to know all of these precious little ones. Sometimes I feel like we have worn out the roads between Jamestown and Fargo (seven of our grands are in those two cities), and then down to our part-time home in Cortez, CO and on to Flagstaff, AZ to visit the three grandchildren there. We are very fortunate, but sometimes wish that our children hadn't waited so long to marry and have kids. It's not so easy to keep up with these young ones, especially when they want us to get down on the floor to play with them.
In June of 2016, we joined 7 other Class of 61'ers and their spouses/guests on an Alaskan Inland Passage Cruise, which was a terrific week of great conversations, marvelous food and the chance to visit several fascinating ports of call. If the class hosts another cruise someday, I urge all of you to seriously consider it!
June, 2017 was another special month for us. We celebrated 25 years of marriage by taking the majority of our family (20 out of the 22 of us) to Maui for a week, where the favorite activity was heading to the beach or swimming in the condo pools. The grandchildren loved every minute of their adventure, and so did we.
This year, the whole family plans to spend Christmas at our place in Colorado. We hope that all 22 of us can be together, at least for a few days, over Christmas week. We will take the grandchildren on the Polar Express, a narrow gauge historic train that runs between Durango and Silverton, CO. Yes, it has a functioning steam engine, and Santa will travel along with us on this evening ride up the mountain. Everyone wears their Christmas pajamas on this ride . . well, maybe not Grampa. We shall see!
On April 2 this year we sold our Sheppard family home in Valley City. My parents built that house on Chautauqua Blvd. in 1950, and we’ve owned it for the last 68 years. It was a pretty tough day – hard to let it go, but it was the right thing to do.
We are looking forward to seeing many of you in Valley City this June 15-16-17th.
Mary Ann (Musch) Gamrath
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| Gamrath family rooting for the Bison! Inset: Mary Ann and Gerry on the 50th Wedding Anniversary |
My how time does fly, 2010 to 2018. First, in 2009, we retired from Lawler Drug in Baker, Montana. We were unable to sell the drug store per se, (couldn’t find a pharmacist that wanted to work so many hours), so we sold the front end which was the gift section, cards, jewelry, etc. In 2012, we celebrated our 50th anniversary with a family trip to San Diego. Lots and lots of memories were created! In December, 2013, we moved back to Valley City. In 2016, we enjoyed the Alaskan cruise with several classmates.
We fish a lot in the summer and enjoy our stays in Arizona in the winter. We love being closer to our grandkids so we can attend most of their activities. We are Bison fans and attend all home games, some away games and made the trip to Frisco for the national championship. Health wise, Gerry had heart surgery in December 2016. He recovered very well, and right now we are both enjoying good health. Everyday life activities are coffee and lunch get together, Gerry working (playing in his workshop, and me playing bridge a couple of times a week. Our coffee pot is always on, and we love company. Mary Ann, 4-28-2018
Georgia (Stephenson) Flannigan
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| Recent photo: Georgia and Steve |
Wow! Eight years have passed since our last reunion in Valley City. Steve and I have kept busy in “retirement.” Seems like we are busier than when we worked. In 2012 we sold our condo in Houston and moved full time to Santa Fe, NM after going back and forth for 14 years. Enjoy our quieter life in the mountains. Have done considerable traveling, mostly cruises. Our most recent cruise was a New York Times Crossword Puzzle Cruise on a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2. We do spend time with our children and grandchildren who live in Austin, TX; Magnolia, TX; Golden, CO and Forest Lake, MN. We lost Steve’s youngest son Patrick to a sudden heart attack while riding his bicycle in September. He was 43 and left behind his wife and their two young children. So we have spent more time in Colorado these past months.
When we aren’t traveling we enjoy the scene in Santa Fe. There’s always something going on. We are also involved in church work and just sitting on our patio with a glass of wine enjoying watching the sun set over the mountains. Georgia (Stephenson) Flannigan 5-12-2018
Roger Taylor
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| 2016 photograph: Roger and Bev Taylor and family |
I run (very, very slowly). My last of 19 marathons completed was in 2007. Starting on 1/1/11 I set the goal of virtually circumnavigating the world, west to east, on foot at the latitude on which I live. My goal is to finish before I turn 80. While all my running/walking is on the treadmill or track I map my progress by tracking my equivalent position on the globe. As of 5/14/18 I’ve gone 12,235 miles (an average of 4.55 miles/day for 7 years 4 1/2 months) which virtually places me in eastern Serbia. So far my pace is on target to virtually arrive back home before my birthday in 2023.
I’m interested in art history making it a goal to seek out original art works by significant artists and sculptors. For example, we’ve traveled to art museums all over the world in order to view original works by the Dutch seventeenth-century painter Vermeer. There are 35 extant original Vermeer paintings of which we’ve seen 34.
I’m a lifelong baseball fan. In the last 56 years I’ve attended 232 major league baseball games. There are now 30 MLB franchises. I’ve attended games played by all of them in 40 different home stadiums. I’ve seen games in more stadiums than there are teams because several of the franchises have had multiple stadiums.
I read. For example, in the last three years I’ve read 319 books of which 226 were fiction and 93 non-fiction. The total page count is 90,190 which averages about 83 pages/day. That does not include the 12 periodicals to which I subscribe. I belong to several book clubs, most on-line, which is a way in which I try to make sure I don’t read and immediately forget. It doesn’t seem to work all that well.
As the above demonstrates I count most everything. But do I count? Probably not for much. What does count for me are my family. This 2016 photo shows our three sons and their wives, our eight grandchildren, my wife of almost 52 years Bev, and me. Roger, 5-14-2018
LouVay (Ruemler) White
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| LouVay and Jim on vacation in Australia, pictured in front of the Sydney, Australia, Opera House. |
Our last reunion in Valley City seems like a lifetime ago! As most of you know, about six months after our last reunion, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, achieved remission, and in January of 2012 received a stem cell transplant and spent that year in recovery. Still being in remission at this time, a chance of relapse is very small! Now I’m just experiencing the same aches, pains, and afflictions that most of us discover at this age.
Jim is still farming with lots of help from our son and 17-year old grandson. Perhaps retirement for him will be in the next few years?? Although I am retired from my paid job, it seems I’ve picked up more volunteer jobs. The good thing is it makes me meet deadlines and keeps me involved and active.
We’ve managed a few trips in between my many medical visits. Jim’s favorites are always the driving trips we take. Our grandchildren are growing up and requiring less of Grandma’s time and care, and that makes me a little sad. Besides our grandson, we have two granddaughters, 13 and 9 ½. I become a little nostalgic when I think of the wonderful era we grew up in and sometimes wish the world were the same for our “grands”.
It’s great to connect with classmates visiting Valley City; please call if you’re in the area! I’m looking forward to seeing those of you who are able to attend our 2018 reunion. LouVay, 5-23-2018
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