Paul McAndrew's dad

I've posted the obituary for Paul McAndrew's dad.


John McAndrew
John F.P. “Frank” McAndrew, 84, of Dallas, passed away Monday morning at his home. Born in Scranton, he was a son of the late John and Harriet Walsh McAndrew. He was a graduate of Scranton Central High School, class of 1942, and the University of Scranton, class of 1949 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Mac started his long distinguished military career when he entered World War II in January 1943. He served with the 480th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion and General George S. Patton’s Third Army. He participated in the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge and other European operations. He was honorably discharged in December 1947 and became a member of the 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Division. He served on active duty with the National Guard until retiring in 1984 where he was a personnel officer. He retired at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (5), which he was the first in the state to receive and possibly the nation. He was a member of Gate of Heaven Church, Dallas, and the Daddow Isaac American Legion Post 672, Dallas. He was preceded in death by sister, Kathleen Rooney; and brother Joseph. Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Jane Tuman McAndrew; children, Dr. Frank T. and wife Maryjo, Galesburg, Ill.; John J., Shickshinny; Rosemary Hozempa and husband Charles, Dallas; Christine Grieves and husband Robert, Dallas; Paul C. and wife Marianne, Downingtown; and 14 grandchildren. Funeral service will be held Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in Richard H. Disque Funeral Home Inc., 672 Memorial Highway, Dallas, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 in Gate of Heaven Church. Rev. Kevin P. Mulhern will officiate. Interment will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Carverton. Friends may call today from 6 to 9 p.m. Rosary will be recited at 8:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Gate of Heaven Church, Dallas.

Ok... I'll jump onto the abyss first. Will it be Obama/Biden or McCain/Palin?

Jay's true identity revealed

I got an email from Jay Tobias recently. His true identity has now been revealed.

I found this picture quite funny, as when we were growing up, my brother jokingly referred to me as "Batman".  After I found this, I sent him a text message saying:  "Dear citizen of Gotham.  It seems that even a high profile crime fighter can't even keep my hideout a secret anymore. I'm expecting the popparzzi at any time."  He found it very amusing.  I hope that you do also.

Mom's Favorite

Did you ever wonder how to tell whether you're mom's favorite?

Terri sent me this picture yesterday and I thought I'd post it here for everyone's amusement. I think everyone has days where you feel like even your head is being used for a perch. Sometimes you just have to endure it knowing that maybe next time you'll be getting the delicious bug to eat and someone else will be doing the honors of providing his head as the perch.

Michael Kinney had mentioned at the last reunion that there would be a standing offer for anyone who wanted to get together for an annual impromptu reunion to meet on the 3rd Saturday in July (i.e., tomorrow), but he is very busy and won't be able to attend. That doesn't mean you can't get together anyway. He mentioned that there is a bazaar going on at St. Nick's and Maryellen Cusma and Chuck Brennan may be there tomorrow. That reminds me, congratulations to Maryellen for winning a copy of Patrick Balester's novel which I posted about a few weeks ago!

I flew my plane to California twice last month and got a chance to visit with Dave Serhan and his family on one of those trips. You can read about the trip in my blog.

I hope all is well with everyone, and please let me know if you have an article or update to share here on our blog.

Brenda Merrill

Maryellen sent me a link to the obituary for Brenda Merrill Jacobsen who passed away this week. As you may know, she is Fred's sister and graduated a year ahead of us. I'm sorry to be posting so many obituaries lately, but I know that everyone would like to know about these events, as sad as they may be.

Thanks,

-Lee

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Brenda Jacobsen (nee Merrill), of Oakland, passed away Monday, July 7, surrounded by her family after a courageous year-long battle with cancer. She was 50 years old. Brenda was born January 2, 1958 in Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania and moved to New Jersey in 1980. She is survived by her husband and best friend Michael Jacobsen, and her kind and caring legacy lives on in her three children – Kevin (24), Keith (22) and Colleen (19), all of Oakland. Brenda is the devoted daughter of Rosemary Merrill of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, and the late Fred Merrill, Jr. She is the loving sister of Fred Merrill III, of Martinez, Georgia; Jane Puckett, of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; and Larry Merrill, of North Hampton, New Hampshire. She will be greatly missed by her faithful furry friend Lucky, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

Brenda graduated from Bishop O'Reilly High School in Kingston, Pennsylvania in 1976 and from Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work. She was employed as an advocate for the Center for Food Action in Elmwood Park, and also as a research assistant for Jacor Publications, a family-owned publishing business. She was extremely active in volunteer efforts and is a past president of the Dogwood Hill School PTA, was a member of the Oakland Mothers' Club and was a long-time assistant recreation soccer commissioner. Brenda was a Eucharistic Minister at Our Lady Of Perpetual Help in Oakland and a member of the parish's Homeless Overflow Shelter. Upon her peaceful passing, Heaven is no longer missing an angel. Visitation will be held at Oakland Memorial Home, Ramapo Valley Road, Oakland, on Wednesday, July 9, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Because of renovations at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a funeral service will be held at Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Franklin Lakes, at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 10, followed by internment at Redeemer Cemetery in Mahwah. Donations in Brenda's memory may be sent to the Center for Food Action, 21 Church Street, Elmwood Park, NJ 07407; 201-703-9857; www.cfanj.org .

Cindy Stetz

I got this from Maryellen today. I'm sure that many of you remember Cindy Stetz who was in our freshman class before she transferred to Wyoming Seminary.

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Cindy Stetz
Cindy Ann Stetz, of Country Wood Drive, Hanover Township, died Monday at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre. Born Aug. 8, 1959 in Kingston, she was a daughter of Helen Mitchel Stetz and the late Andrew J. Stetz. She attended St. Ann’s Academy, and was a graduate of Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Class of 1977, and Villanova University, where she received her BSN in Nursing. Cindy was employed by Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, and Parkway Medical Center in Hanover Township. She enjoyed painting and her music. She was preceded in death by her brother, Dr. Drew J. Stetz. She is survived by nieces, Lauren, Kathryn, Julianne Stetz; sister-in-law, Carol Stetz; aunt, Dr. Irene Mitchel; uncle, Dr. Edward Kurello; cousin, Deborah Gonsky; dedicated and faithful friend, David Howe.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church, Kingston. Family will receive friends from 9:30 until the time of the service. Those who desire may give memorial contributions to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. Arrangements by Mamary/Durkin Funeral Service, 59 Parrish St. Wilkes-Barre.

Published in the Times Leader on 6/29/2008.

Kati's mom

I just got this from Maryellen. Kate Wood Gardner's mom passed away on Monday. Here is the obituary:

Kathleen E. Smith Wood
Kathleen E. Wood, 73, of Wilkes-Barre passed away Monday at her home in the loving care of family and friends.

She was born Sept. 16, 1934, in Kingston to Kathleen E. O'Malley Smith and Joseph A. Smith.

Kathleen was preceded in death by her husband, Edward L. Wood, on Jan. 16, 2001.

Kathleen, a life resident of the Wyoming Valley, is remembered as a mother with a passion for family life. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. She also cherished her frequent gatherings with lifelong friends known as the "lunch bunch."

A graduate of St. Ann's Academy and College Misericordia, she taught in Metuchen, N.J., served as choir director of St. Aloysius in Wilkes-Barre, director of community services for Catholic Youth Services, director of donor relations for the American Red Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and, until retirement, worked as a real estate agent in the greater Wyoming Valley area.

She is survived by her aunt, Alice O'Malley, 94, Kingston; sisters, Liz Smith Kearney and Ann Smith, both of Kingston; children, Kati Wood Gardner, 49, and husband, Tom, Boulder, Colo.; Ned Wood, 48, and wife, Gina, Kingston; Liza Wood Sproat, 47, and husband, Mike, Ardmore; Joe Wood, 46, Kingston; Molly Wood Kanor, 44, and husband, Tom, Forty Fort; Patrick Wood, 42, and wife, Liz, Crystal Lake, Ill.; Anne Wood Hewitt, 39, and husband, Jason, Austin, Texas; grandchildren, Kathleen, Helen and Ava Gardner; Madeleine and Elizabeth Wood; Owen Sproat; Joey and Matthew Kanor; Kelly, Michael, Nevin, Christopher and Mary Catherine Wood; and Emily Hewitt.

A Funeral Mass will be held Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church, 339 N. Maple Ave., Kingston.

Private interment will be held at the convenience of the family.

Friends may call Wednesday, 4 to 7 p.m., at the Harold C. Snowdon Funeral Home, 420 Wyoming Ave., Kingston.

Introducing Novelist Patrick Balester

I got an email yesterday from Patrick Balester. He's published his first novel! This is quite an accomplishment. I've heard so many stories of people who have had great difficulty publishing their works, but Pat got it done. You can check out the first chapter of the book on his website linked below. I read it and couldn't stop. I even entered the contest so that I might win a coveted autographed copy of this murder mystery. The prose really come to life and it's easy to put yourself in the action. Please, check out the website linked below and read the first chapter.

When Pat is touring the country, appearing on Oprah, having his books turned into screen plays featuring Matt Damon or some other big Hollywood star, we can point to it and say, "I went to high school with the guy who wrote the book!" Great work, Pat and congratulations on getting your first novel published!

Here's the email from Pat:

---

Hope your summer is going well. Looking forward to it myself. I'll try to make it to the July 18th celebration...I'll be in Kingston around the fourth of July at least, so I'll probably see Chuck and Mike and a few others.

Just wanted to give you my new email address and website. The old one still works, but I built a new one to celebrate my first novel being published. In the Dismal Swamp, a murder mystery, which comes out June 24th.

Can you add this new email to our list at the BOR web site? Thanks!

By the way, I'm giving away five autographed copies of my book to anyone who visits my website and submits the form on the Book Contest page. It's not too late to enter the drawing.

Thanks! Hope to see you sometime this year.

Pat Balester

patrick@patrickbalester.com

http://www.patrickbalester.com

Was it an accident...or was it Murder?

Mr. Lynch - A True Story

I got this wonderful Mr. Lynch story from Laura Canfield:

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I will never forget the time my good buddy Karen Bolinski and I headed to the Wyoming Valley Mall in her “new” pre-owned car. I am not certain how many prior owners Karen’s little white streak had, but it was the only car I have even been in with a manual choke on the dashboard. But hey, we were in high school, we had “wheels,” and the world was our oyster!

Our chariot stalled in Wilkes-Barre, leaving us stranded on a dark rainy night during the age before cell phones. Karen remembered that Mr. Lynch lived close to the neighborhood and bravely made her damsel-in-distress way to a phone booth (remember when coin-operated phones used to be on every corner?) to call Mr. Lynch. Fortunately for us, Mr. Lynch was home and—true to his character—said priceless magical words to Karen, “I’ll be right there.” Like a scene from a fairy tale—or more likely Room 222 or To Sir With Love—our beloved teacher and now knight-in-shining-armor started the car and had us safely on our way.

Mr. Lynch shared with all of us his love for literature and the English language. But like a true teacher and gentleman, his actions spoke even louder than his words in teaching life’s true lessons. Although I may never have developed his same love for Ernest Hemmingway (sorry Mr. L :-), I take Mr. Lynch’s teachings with me in life.

Hemmingway is quoted as saying,” As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary.” A special thanks to James Lynch for being a timeless and true hero—and for the life lessons he taught us all.

Mr. Lynch, now that you have given to the world, it’s time to give to you. I wish you all the happiness in retirement that you so richly deserve.

---

I loved that story. If you have one that you'd like to share, please send it along to me and I'll see that it gets posted here.

Hatchy Milatchy

Today I decided to lighten things up. Those of us who grew up in NE PA in the 1960's have a song playing in our heads. You no doubt should remember it well since it was part of the morning cartoon lineup on WNEP TV channel 16. Terri and I were on the phone today and for some reason, we brought up the topic of Hatchy Milatchy and both of us knew a surprising number of the words. Enjoy...

There's a wonderful place that you really should see
Called the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
All boys and girls love this place yes siree
Called the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Peppermint candy and ice cream is free
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Soda pop fountains are under each tree
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Everyone rides on a-merry-go-round
All made of sugar and spice
Lollipops grow right out of the ground
The moon's made of strawberry ice
If you should run and you trip and you fall
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
The ground's made of rubber you bounce like a ball
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy

Oh you-play the whole day and you don't go to bed
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Mommies and Daddies are put there instead
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Hundreds of bunnies lay Easter eggs
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Ride on a pony with candy strip legs
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Each day is always a big holiday
Birthdays and parties galore
Dollies and bicycles given away
Whenever you walk in a store
When I return then I never will leave
The Land of Hatchy Milatchy
If you want to go all you do is believe
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy

The Raven

I just wanted to let everyone know that there has been an extension on getting your Mr. Lynch stories to his wife and daughter. You now have until May 31st to get the stories in. Please send them to:

mr.lynch.stories (AT) gmail.com

Please note that I changed the @ symbol to (AT) to prevent spambots from picking up that address. A lot of great stories for Mr. Lynch have been submitted and so don't hesitate to share your story with him. It's bound to put a smile on his face, something he did for us many times at Bishop O'Reilly.

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Since I'm talking about Mr. Lynch, I have included a special literary treat for you today. I kept coming across references to Edgar Alan Poe recently. I even spoke with a woman whose name was Eleanore, who, because of my preoccupation with these numerous reference to Poe, I accidentally called 'Lenore'. Oops. ;-)

Whenever I think of Edgar Alan Poe, I always think of the song, "The Raven" by The Glass Prism. I don't know if you're aware of it, but all the members of the Glass Prism were from Northeastern PA. I found the Glass Prism's website on the Internet where you can download The Raven for free (in wma audio format) along with some of their other songs. It was a real walk down memory lane for me. Hopefully, it will be like that for you too.

The website contains the history about the band which makes for interesting reading.



And while you're listening to the song, please note I've taken the liberty to post the verses that contained the lyrics below. They were written over 160 years ago, so that puts them in public domain. Enjoy!

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Play The Raven by The Glass Prism



Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
" 'Tis some visiter," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door —
Only this, and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; — vainly I had tried to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow — sorrow for the lost Lenore —
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore —
Nameless here for evermore.

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not an instant stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door —
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door —
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the Nightly shore —
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

Anthony Walsh

Joe Petrasek notified me that Anthony Walsh passed away recently. For those of you who went to St. John's, you'll no doubt remember Tony well. At St. John's, he was known for his advanced reading skills, always about 5 or 6 years ahead of his grade level and an expert on all matters related to WWII. I recall that his report card contained half A's and half F's, a feat that was incomprehensible to me. Tony did end up at Bishop O'Reilly, but he got held back and separated from our class. Tony was always getting into mischief, a trait that seemed to follow him into adulthood. Chuck Brennan wrote about seeing Tony in the infirmary in the blog, back in July of 2004. It's sad to know he's gone. May he rest in peace.

Here's the short obit from the Times Leader:

ANTHONY WALSH , of Union Street, Luzerne, passed away Saturday, March 22, 2008, at the Hospice Community Care of Wilkes-Barre. Surviving is his mother, the former Dolores Luksic. Private funeral services were held. Arrangements were by Lehman-Gregory Funeral Home Inc., 281 Chapel St., Swoyersville.
Published in the Times Leader on 3/29/2008.

Holy Mackerel!

Man! has it truly been that long? Have I been asleep at the switch? Most humble apologies, gang. Life here in the Empire State is creeping along. I'm getting ready to journey south to West Palm Beach the week after Easter in search of sun, surf, relaxation, the company of cousins, and many hot or cold toddies... It's been a long year. My church is mergin with our sister parish, and it's not really clear if I'll hold my job. I'm leaving it to the Holy Spirit.
On a musical note, I'm in the process of co-writing music for a 2nd CD to follow up In the Shadow of the Cross. I've got about 6 new songs, and am always looking for new ideas. I'm also looking into Public Domain songs. If you have any favorites, I'd love to hear from you. I'll entertain any ideas...
Everyone is doing well family-wise. We are expecting our 3rd grandchild in the fall. Not expected, but you've got to take what the Lord gives you to nurture and love when He deems it so.
Still very much a part of Just Us, and hoping to stay that way for a long time. We really sound great. If you're in Endwell, NY on June 20th this year, we'll be playing from 7-11 at my church bazaar. People keep asking us back. We must be doing something right. I'm also looking forward to playing at our 50th birthday celebration in July of 2009!
I have so much to be thankful for... What a great foundation in life to have the experience of knowing people such as you. Say what you want to, but we WERE truly special. I don't think I've ever felt closer to so many people. There were 181 of us in 1977, and I really think that we all got along wonderfully! It's true that we had our certain groups, but we were all cordial and respectful to each other for the most part. Nothing in the realm of the Columbine situations of today.
We were and still ARE truly blessed to have each other, if it's in memories alone. Hope to see or hear from you soon.

Jay

Why so quiet?

It's been a while since anyone posted to this blog and I didn't want a whole month to go by without a single entry. I wanted to thank those of you who wished me a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Grotto Pizza on Michael's cell phone in December when you got together. I wish I had been there to receive it in person.

When we were back in town for the reunion, we went up to Bear Creek to check out the wind turbines. I wrote a short article in my blog about it when we got back. Last week I got an email from someone in Australia who wants to use the image to promote an arts festival. Imagine that! Your wind turbines are works of art!

I had submitted an article to SolarPowerAuthority.com yesterday and was checking out the other articles on the website when I ran across this one. It has a short web video and about half way through the video they started interviewing a guy about this facility (which is in Nevada) and I could hardly believe my ears. There is only one place on earth where people talk like that. Sure enough, I looked him up on LinkedIn. He's from Scranton, and a Penn Stater, no less. Check it out and see if you don't think so too.

Hope all is well, and don't hesitate to jump in here to fill us in on your details. Email me if you need any help getting set up on Blogger.

Christmas get-together

Since we had a nice turnout for our Thanksgiving Get-together at the Grotto Pizza, we decided to do it again over Christmas. Anyone in town for the holidays is invited to join everyone that shows up.

We’ll meet at Grotto Pizza at the Wyoming Valley Mall around 6:30 or 7:00 PM., on Saturday, December 29^th. After our first try at this, I’ll tell the hostess to expect more of us, so just ask the hostess for the Bishop O’Reilly crowd. She was nice about it over Thanksgiving. We’ll just keep adding tables if we have to. (I’m curious to see how many people switch their tables to get away from us this time! I saw one table of 4 relocate to the other side of the room!)

Grotto closes at 11:00, but if we can find some bar with music for Robin Lonsdale and Mark Dushok to dance to, I’m sure we can move on to there to be entertained! Mark has Robin polishing up her moves!!!

If any of you may be interested in attending, please contact me so I have some idea for arrangements with the Grotto management. Thank you.

I would also like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Michael Kinney

1977 J.C. Penney Catalog

Someone sent me an email a few weeks ago that was extracted from a blog posting about a 1977 J.C. Penney catalog the author found in his grandfather's attic. It was pretty funny and you can read it here.

Since we graduated that year, and the styles were, well, a little embarrassing to say the least, I thought you'd get a laugh out of this photo. My only question is how they got the guys to look so serious when they were wearing these mint green duds.

Heynabonics

Lisa Schwartz sent along this YouTube clip and it's really funny. For a few minutes, I felt like I was home again.

It's sometimes not apparent to those of us who grew up in Wyoming Valley, until we moved away, that the place has its own dialect, including the expression "heyna"? Sure, they tried to breed it out of us in Catholic school, but you can't sit in a bar in the valley for more than a few minutes without hearing it used by at least a few of the patrons at the end of every other sentence.

Are runners crazy?

Michael Kinney sent these photos to me and I'm sure that he would have posted them to the blog if he could only figure out the Blogger thing.

Hi Everyone,

Most of you think us runners are crazy, unless you're a runner. Here's what I put my body through on a run today! Check out these pictures.

For those of you out of town in the nice warm sunny climate, you might enjoy these pictures also!

The pictures are from the Back Mountain Trail between Luzerne and Trucksville, above Route 309.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Michael









Michael, I'd like to thank you for sending along these pictures. Terri and I hiked that trail a few years ago and it's very beautiful. When I was a kid, there were still train tracks there.

I've got two trivia questions for anyone who reads this. There is a sign along that trail with names of people who helped to build it. There is a name of one of our class members on that sign. Who is it?

Secondly, the train track that previously occupied that trail was built for a specific reason. Where did it terminate and what was its purpose? Here's a hint: It was an industry that thrived in the Wyoming Valley from around 1880 until 1930 and it was not related to coal.

-Lee

November Functions

Here's a message from Michael Kinney:

Dear Fellow Bishop O'Reilly Class of 1977 Classmates,

Since our 30th Reunion at the end of September, Chuck Brennan has insisted on gathering at the Bakehouse in Kingston almost weekly (I think we missed one week!). Our little gathering group has grown. It's nice to see our classmates while sharing laughs and memories. If anyone is interested in getting on my email list for gathering notices, just let me know.

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, so is Black Friday, and "Relax with your Classmates Saturday". (I just coined that name.) Read on and you'll understand.

Our little gathering group will hang at the Bakehouse at Kingston Corners this Wednesday, November 14th at 6:30 PM. If you can attend, please join us. We're usually there until they clean around our table at 8:30.

The following week we'll be very active. Tuesday (Nov. 20th) evening, those interested can gather at the Bakehouse at 6:30 PM. Feel free to join us.

Black Friday morning, anyone who's sick of turkey can come join us at Mark Hession's White House Diner around 7:00 AM. for breakfast. (Phat may be attending!) Some of us (me) have to work, but if you've been bargain shopping, come in eat and laugh then head back out to shop. We can compare what I bought since 5AM and how many stores I hit! Mark said he's busiest around 5:00 AM. So we hopefully will miss the crowds! If not, we'll all squeeze into one table. Our record is 5 so far!

Saturday, November 24th, this is the big one! I have emailed Doc and he'll be in town, after a few back and forth's, we decided on a mini-reunion!!! Let's see how many of us can get together on less than 2 weeks notice!! Let's gather at Grotto Pizza (they have lots of room) at the Wyoming Valley Mall at 6:30 - 7:00 ish! Dutch treat, everyone pays for their own whatever's! So far Doc and I will be there (since we're the only two that know about it so far!) (Plus I hear some other classmates will be in town!) Let's party again this year! If you're coming, call another classmate and ask them to join you! I'll call Niz!

-Michael Kinney

Memorial Service for Bee's Mom

I wanted to make everyone aware that there will be a memorial service for Bee's mom in Williamsburg, VA on November 9th. I realize that this is not close for most classmates, but there a number of classmates who live in Virginia, so if any of you could make it, I'm sure that Bee would appreciate it. As you know from the weblog or if you attended the reunion, Bee's mom passed away just a few days before the reunion last month.

Here are the details of the memorial service:

Announcement

Memorial Service

In Memory of Mary Anne Harris

July 19, 1923 - September 24, 2007


Friday Evening November 9, 2007

7:00 P.M.

James City/Williamsburg Community Center
5301 Longhill Road
Williamsburg, Virginia 23188
Phone (757) 259-4200

Community Room A

Enter the community wing to the
left of the recreation entrance.

Those attending are welcome to bring
a pot luck dish to share.

Hosted by Bee Harris Darrow

Here is the obituary from the Times Leader last month:

Mary Anne Harris, passed away peacefully, Monday, September 24, 2007, at Hospice Care of the Visiting Nurse Association, Inpatient Unit, at Heritage House, Wilkes-Barre.
She courageously and fiercely battled cancer and other debilitating conditions.
Born on July 19, 1923, she was a daughter of the late Mary Helen Novoral Yesson and Charles Thomas Yesson.

She was a graduate of Edwardsville High School and actively planned class reunions.

She became a registered nurse at the Nesbitt Memorial School of Nursing and went on to become a lifelong member and treasurer of its Alumni Association.

She compassionately practiced nursing at the Nesbitt, Leader Nursing Home, Mercy Center and on private duty.

A devout Catholic, she was a member of St. Ignatius Church, the Catholic Daughters and St. Therese’s Altar and Rosary Society.

She married Joseph Thomas Harris in 1946 and widowed in 1969.

She is survived by her sister Irene Jorda; brother Charles Yesson; and eight of her nine children, Thomas Harris, Joseph Harris, Gerald Harris, Mary Jo Harris Consoli, Charles Harris, Bernadette Darrow, Therese Rieker and Vincent Harris.

She has 15 grandchildren, Gemma and Jared Harris, Lora Oliviera, Alisa, Kelly and Evan Harris, Owen and Ian Harris, Kevin Perrone, Melanie and Jacob Darrow, Kara Rieker and Brandon, Devon and Bethany Harris; one great-grandchild, Maggie Harris; brothers-in-law George Jorda and Gerard Harris; sisters-in-law Geraldine Petroskas and Viola Harris; nieces and nephews; daughters-in-law and sons-in-law; fellow alumni and many dear friends and neighbors.
Funeral will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday from the A.J. Kopicki Funeral Home Inc., 263 Zerbey Ave., Kingston, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church. Interment will be in Mount Olivet Cemetery, Carverton. Friends may call today from 6 to 9 p.m.
Donations may be made in her name to Hospice Care of the VNA. Published in the Times Leader on 9/26/2007.

Santiago Canyon Fires

As you all know it's been hectic here in some (many) parts of California for the last week. I was also thinking about Dave and Rob as the fires were burning. Good to hear Dave is safe but don't know how close Rob came. As for us, we moved to Foothill Ranch in July. We are in a fire zone backed up to Whiting Ranch. The Santiago fire was started by an arsonist. It didn't appear headed in our direction but I got a call on Monday 10/22/07 from a buddy that said it might be wise for me to head home. When I finally got there it was clear the fire would soon be at our door. Fortunately for us, it did not reach our house or any others in the neighborhood although it did come really close. We were told to evacuate Monday afternoon. Stayed at a friends place and were back on Tuesday morning. Other than a lot of ash and smoke, everything was fine. Here are a few pictures I took as I packed what I could and headed out. Two pictures show the fire across the street from our house (taken from our driveway). The other is what the street looked like as I was getting ready to leave. Our house is on the right just beyond the palm tree. The firemen did a fantastic job of keeping our neighbor safe.

Cheers, Joe Ziller

Class Gatherings

Since our 30th Class Reunion is a month past, several of us have had a few get-togethers at the Bakehouse. (I’m not the one having Reunion withdrawals, it’s Chuck Brennan that’s having them!) He tells us (Maryellen and I) at breakfast every Friday morning at the White House Diner which days he’s off from work the next week. We then pick a day, make a phone call or three and have plenty of laughs! Since, this is turning into a weekly thing, everyone’s invited.

Here’s my idea, if you’re interested in attending one or more, email me at fishfishr@juno.com and let me know. I’m going to start an email list so we don’t have to keep calling. I’ll just add you to the list and you’ll be notified weekly, then show up if you wish. If you’re going to be in town and want to join us, let me know and we can try to get as many classmates together as possible. The more, the merrier!

So far, we’ve had Mark Hession, Lisa Schwartz, Maryellen Finley Cusma, Joe Niznik, Joann Dula Post, Paul Reinert, Kathy Schultz, Beverly Yakus Cottle, Chuck Brennan, myself and our adopted classmate, Mark Kopicki in attendance. If I forgot anyone I’m sorry, no attendance is taken. We’ve had fun and stay until they have to clean where we are sitting (usually around 8:30 P.M.). Topics vary, for instance, we learned Mark orders “special bread” from New York for the diner! It’s good toasted!

No, joking now, if you think you might like to attend and join us anytime, email me and I’ll add you to the email list. We start arriving around 6:30 and stay until 8:30ish. The day of the week varies.

The “Three Stooges”, (as Chuck calls us) have breakfast at the White House Diner every Friday morning around 7 or 7:15. If you’re up and hungry feel free to join us! (Ask Mark for his “special bread”!) You can also see the picture of our Alma Mater that was presented to Mark at the reunion. (We are told Mark takes it down and cleans it every afternoon before he turns out the lights when he locks up.)

I think we had such a great time at the reunion we just keep meeting. We’ve shared a lot of laughs since the reunion.

Michael Kinney

San Diego Fires - Dave Serhan's report

I just got an email from Marguerite Long who was concerned about Dave Serhan because of the fires raging in San Diego. I emailed Dave and got this report from him:

Lee, thanks for the concern. My house is under the hour glass below. We were about 4 miles or so from the fire line. My brother in law who should have evacuated was about 1 mile away. I stayed with him on Monday. He lives right above the Poway red cross shown below. Was pretty hairy all day Monday. The fires close to us are out. Don't feel threatened now especially that all the fuel has burned up. Still, it's always a possibility. Now that the weather has changed, it's giving the fire crews a break and hopefully, a better chance to contain/extinguish. Take care. - Dave

Pierogies, part 2

I blogged previously about pierogies and lately Jim Sawchak and I have been exchanging email and he brought up the topic of the pierogi ladies who would come in and make pierogies at St. John's during Fridays in lent. We all loved those things! Terri and I have been experimenting with the recipe that I shared in that previous posting. Michael assured me that his mom made the best pierogies ever. Terri and I made them using this recipe about a week ago and we agree! I would encourage you to try this for yourself.


Mom Kinney's Pierogi Recipe

3 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

Dough:

Makes about 3 dozen. Batter will be coarse. Knead until soft and workable. May have to add some flour while kneading.

Make dough into 3 balls. Rest on flour. Rub oil on top. Cover with towel and rest for 1/2 hour. Roll out a ball for cutting.

Use a doughnut cutter or tuna can to cut pierogi from dough. After inserting filling, pinch ends together. If ends do not stay together, wet between dough to make them stick. Lightly coat pierogi with flour to prevent sticking. Put completed pierogi on a cookie sheet sprinkled with flour.

Bring water to boil and cook pierogi about ten minutes or until tender in salted water. Do not boil rapidly as they might split. Dip carefully into warm water when cooked. Then strain in colander and rinse in warm water. Cover pierogi with melted margarine and onions which have been cooked in the margarine.


Fillings:

Potato filling: Shred about 1 cup cheese and add to potatoes that are boiled and ready for mashing. Add some of the margarine mixture to potatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Make into balls and chill so mixture is not sticky.

Cheese filling: Use one egg per 1/2 lb. of farmers cheese. Also add some margarine mixture. Then add salt and pepper to taste and some sauteed onion. As with potatoes, roll into teaspoon balls and chill.

Cabbage filling: grate cabbage, brown grated cabbage in a frying pan with salt, pepper and sauteed onion. These are harder to pinch because they are watery.

Folks,
Here is the young man you are all praying for. I am HAPPY to say that the lump has gone down considerably! I saw it for myself. The weakening in my knees told me that my guardian angel was saying: "Give thanks, you dummy!" I AM giving thanks to GOD Almighty and all of our prayer partners. We're on our way out of the woods. Please keep praying that this lump will go away all together. I'll be updating our progress throughout the season. Lee, thanks for walking me through this, buddy. I'm still going to call to just "talk" sometime! Thanks everybody!!


P.S. Thanks GOD he's got his mom's good looks! (ha ha)

All praise to the truly LIVING GOD!

Here he is...the champion...

I could never figure out how 130 pounders could be put together this solid! Pretty intimidating... By the way, he's the one we're praying for. We hope he doesn't have this new staph strain. Please give your rosary beads a workout. Thanks...

Mrs. Zabresky

Karen Leonardi called last night to let me know that Mrs. Zabresky passed away on Saturday. Many of us had Mrs. Zabresky for French class. She also taught typing, a skill I learned from her that I use nearly every single day.

Karen is related to Mrs. Zabresky and had seen her recently at a wedding. She said she was doing well at age 90 except for a little trouble getting around and needed some help. In reading her obituary, which I'll include below, she worked right up into her 80's as a substitute teacher.

At the time I took typing in high school, it wasn't obvious that it would be used for anything other than interacting with a typewriter so that I could type my own term papers. Little did I realize that it would be the method we all would use to interact with desktop computers, which weren't even available back then. Whenever I see an adult hunting and pecking at a keyboard, plodding along at a few words per minute, I silently thank Mrs. Zabresky for teaching me touch typing in high school.

Dolores Zabresky

Dolores Zabresky, of Harveys Lake, passed away peacefully at the Meadows Nursing Home on Saturday, October 13, 2007.

She was born October 26, 1916, and was a daughter of the late Howard and Mary Quinn Eckenrode. A graduate of Kingston High School and College Misericordia, she received a bachelor of arts degree in French and business subjects. Mrs. Zabresky taught at the former Bishop O’Reilly High School until her retirement.

After her retirement, she continued to work in the field of education as a substitute teacher for the Wyoming Valley West and Lake-Lehman school districts until 2001. She previously resided in Kingston and Forty Fort.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas Zabresky, who passed away in 1986; infant son Francis; sisters Sister M. Marcian Eckenrode, RSM; and Kathleen Cahalan; brothers Thomas, Howard and Eugene Eckenrode.

She is survived by her children Ann Tripp and her daughter. Katie, Harveys Lake; Thomas Zabresky and his wife, Mary, Forty Fort, and their children, Jon and Rachel Zabresky and Coray Mitchell Jr.; Kathleen Daskalakes and her husband, Dennis, Loyalville; Michael Zabresky and his wife, Sharon, Shavertown, and their children, Michael Jr. and Laurie Zabresky; four great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be held Wednesday at 9:15 a.m. from Maher-Collins Funeral Home, 360 N. Maple Avenue, Kingston, with a funeral Mass at 10 a.m. in Our Lady of Victory Church, Harveys Lake.

A private interment will be held at St. Ignatius Cemetery, Pringle. Friends may call Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Misericordia University, 301 Lake Street, Dallas, PA 18612; or to the American Heart Association, 71 N. Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701.Condolences by e-mail can be made at www.maher-collins.com .

Published in the Times Leader on 10/15/2007.

Rich Hometchko's Mom

I got this information from Arlene today. Rich's mom passed away on Monday. The viewing is tonight and the funeral is tomorrow. If you wish to send a card, Rich Hometchko's address is:

Richard Hometchko
13943 104th Avenue
Largo, FL 33774


Helen J. Hometchko, 82, of Swoyersville, passed away peacefully, Monday, October 8, 2007, at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, after a sudden illness.
Her husband is Joseph Hometchko. Together, Joseph and Helen celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on February 3, 2007.

Born February 23, 1925, in Swoyersville, she was a daughter of the late George and Mary (Onacilla) Kender.

Helen was raised in Swoyersville and resided there all her life. She and her beloved husband, Joseph, were both 1942 graduates of the former Swoyersville High School.

Though for most of her life, Mrs. Hometchko dedicated herself to being a homemaker for her loving family, she was employed as a seamstress for the former United Pants Factory, Swoyersville. Also, during World War II, Helen was employed as a telegraph operator for Western Union.

Helen was a member of Holy Trinity Church, Swoyersville, and its Confraternity of Christian Women, as well as a member of the Holy Trinity Quilters. She was active with the Swoyersville Senior Citizens and was a member of the Swoyersville Senior Citizens Bowling League. Helen was very active in helping with Holy Trinity Church’s Annual Bazaar and especially enjoyed helping cook goulash for the bazaar.

Helen greatly enjoyed cooking, baking and sewing. She was an avid traveler and took great pleasure in her travels. Helen was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend and she will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. Helen was preceded in death by four brothers and four sisters.

In addition to her loving husband of 60 years, Joseph, Helen is survived by her sons, David and his wife, Bonnie Hometchko, of Charlotte, N.C., Joseph and his wife, Ann Hometchko, of Largo, Fla. and Richard and his wife, Susan Hometchko, of Largo, Fla.; grandchildren Michael, Vickie, Kendra, Rileigh and Ashley; numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend the funeral, which will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday from the Wroblewski Funeral Home Inc., 1442 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. in Holy Trinity Church, 116 Hughes St., Swoyersville, with the Rev. Joseph Adonizio officiating. Interment with Rite of Committal will follow in Holy Trinity Cemetery, Swoyersville. Family and friends may call today from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home. The Confraternity of Christian Women of Holy Trinity Church will recite the Rosary at 6:30 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Helen’s memory to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition c/o Doneckers Complex, 287 Duke St., Ephrata, PA 17522.
Published in the Times Leader on 10/10/2007.

Reunion

Well, I finally got around to posting to the blog! I want to personally thank Michael and the entire committee for a wonderful reunion! I am sorry I missed Friday night's icebreaker (mostly because some of you knew people's name and I did not!) Kidding aside, it was a great night all the way through, and I am glad I attended. People have heard me say that I have always enjoyed our reunions, that's right folks, I am one of the 19 who attended all three! I remember the hard work involved in 1988, so my kudos to Michael and the gang! Great job, but the problem with that is we will expect you to keep doing it!!!!!!!!!

Everyone I see I tell them you have to go to the reunion and I am glad there were some new faces this year! I can't wait for the next one, but not that 50th birthday thing, not celebrating, nope can't make me!

PS hey John N. your picture looks like a mugshot!!!!!!!

Reunion stats

I wanted to echo the sentiments that Jay and Michael have posted here on the blog about the reunion. It was a great reunion, and special thanks to Michael for stepping up to chair it. Also, I want to thank the committee members who worked so hard to pull the reunion together. And last but not least, I'd like to thank those of you who were able to attend and make it into the success it turned out to be.

Terri and I had a wonderful time and it was great to see everyone there, including some of you who I hadn't seen in over 30 years. It's amazing how a reunion atmosphere can bridge that time gap and, in just a few seconds, it's like we've always been best friends forever. I think that some people may feel that they've completely lost touch with their high school friends and yet all it really takes to reconnect is a few hours at a reunion to reestablish these friendships. To me, that certainly seems like time well spent.

I was playing around with the spreadsheet I use to keep track of everyone and found that we had a higher attendance at this reunion than at the last one. We also had the greatest number of people returning from far away places. It seemed as if the number of spouses/guests declined a little with about 25% of us opting to bring along a guest this time. Perhaps it's an indication of how busy you know that you'll be talking with other classmates.

Here are some statistical observations about our graduating class, which had 176 members:

104 have made it to at least one reunion

And of those 104:

61 have made it to one reunion
24 have made it to two reunions
19 have made it to all three reunions

Number of Classmates attending reunions:

66 in 1988
49 in 2002
51 in 2007

It's not unusual for reunion attendance to drop off with time, so this increase in the attendance is something to celebrate. I'm not implying that attendance numbers are the only indicator of a reunion's success. I've just noticed that it's easy to talk oneself out of attending or procrastinate until it's too late. It usually only takes a little encouragement to move someone off the fence who's having mixed feelings about attending. Whenever I've done this, the person ended up thanking me afterwards.

I have the reunion pictures posted here. It requires the username/password which I generally send out in our emails. If you don't have it, please email me for it. In looking through them I realized that, although not everyone was there in person, many were there in spirit because we had the senior pictures cycling on a projector in the background so even if you were not there, you may still see yourself in a photo or two so please check them out.

If anyone who has any digital photos that they did not give to Bruce Cottle to copy at the reunion, please send them to me and I'll post more photos as I get them. Also, for those of you who are in the area, you can pick up a CD with these reunion photos at Mark Hession's White House Diner.