OA-Spring 2023

C L A S S N O T E S

’66 Mary Holtz Hathorn 911 Wildrose Pl Erie, CO 80516-7069 (303) 469-2208 mahathorn@msn.com

Melissa Crider Andrea has been visiting Arizona’s Circle Z Ranch for a number of years, and this November was joined by some family and friends. All had a wonderful time spending the week together, riding through the southern Arizona mountains each day. Melissa is involved in two art critique groups and a book club, as well as environmental work, so “my life is busy and blessed.” Marilyn Marks Oberhausen writes from Pensacola, Florida, that in August, she and David celebrated their 53rd anniversary with a trip to North Carolina, including a replication of an anniversary photo taken 30 years before, in the exact same t-shirts! Driving home, they stopped for a brief visit with Mary Lou “M’lou” Asp Marsh in Suwanee, Georgia, where she lives close to family. Margaret “Peggy” Dooley Nitka and Marilyn continue to write and then share results by email every Wednesday. Maureen Cassin Vadman and Dave enjoyed an all-inclusive resort Christmas vacation in Cabo San Lucas with their whole family! They even enjoyed five extra days because of flight issues! They split their time between Black Butte Ranch, Oregon, and Palm Desert, California, and enjoy pickleball, hiking, biking and swimming. They also celebrate with many Seattle friends while in Palm Desert. Driving the United States has entertained them since Covid. Kathleen “Kathy” Flynn Schmidt is an enthusiastic “Nana” and traveler. She enjoys family activities/ antics and being able to help out as needed. The family routinely packs up for nearby beaches such as Rehoboth and Bethany and even made it as far as Hawaii and Disney World. Kathy’s other travels include Northern Italy (2022) and plans for Switzerland and Austria (2023) and Ireland (2024). She is looking forward to our 60th Reunion in 2026! Bonita “Bonnie” Liosi Stevens and Mike enjoyed a winter visit to Naples, Florida, from Ann “Patti” Sharrer Bokermann. Susan “Sue” Eichmuller Hamilton ’90G and Wayne joined all for dinner. Mike and Bonnie traveled to Chicago and Carmel in September. Fortunately, they missed Hurricane Ian by a day. They needed a roof replacement but had no interior damage. The children and grandkids came to Florida for Christmas, so all had a very merry holiday. Susan “Sue” Eichmuller Hamilton ’90G and Wayne celebrated the college graduation of granddaughter Lexie! They enjoyed an Irish music cruise early in the year. Hurricane Ian caused the destruction of one car and about $50,000 in damage to their Naples home. She writes, “It was a pretty horrifying experience, but we are luckier than so many who lost everything.” Linda Lewis Mayer and Richard have returned to most of their pre-COVID activities and have especially enjoyed get-togethers with family: Matt and granddaughters Olivia and Lila visited in July; Richard and Linda spent American Thanksgiving with them in Toronto; At Christmas, “kids” and grandkids came to St. Louis, including son Chris and family from Austin. Linda is still directing her parish music. Diana Schmitt Barry writes, “Since I basically sequestered myself during Covid and then for months was battling cancer, I now feel like a flower unfolding. I’ve rejoined my sewing groups, become active again with my volunteer organizations and am starting to see friends socially. I have overwhelming gratitude being cancer free and the greatest appreciation for the wonderful support system I’ve had. It’s great to be alive and healthy.” Geraldine “Gerri” Gornik sends us greetings from Powell, Ohio. In July she finally retired from ALL work. Gerri now enjoys activities with family and catching up on reading and unfinished personal projects. She wishes everyone a blessed New Year, always with “enough.”

My wish for all of you is that you treasure the “now” moments and remember our Woods friendships with a smile. Hopefully, we will gather in 2026 to celebrate our 60th Reunion. How can that be?!

’67 Barbara Gal 9 Ward Ct

Hello, my friends, Welcome to a new year with fresh hopes, dreams and challenges! I wish the best for each of you! Living with daughter, son-in-law and three grands (11, 8 and 5) is never boring. Our adventures range from zoo and museum visits to quietly reading. Last September, a friend and I enjoyed a trip to Spain with the Sagrada Familia Cathedral as a highlight. Here’s our class news! Diane Mikol Cunningham writes that Constance “Connie” Griffin Samoluk and Carol Kobar Moulton came to her home for a three-day visit. Mixed in with a lot of excellent food and conversation, they toured Meijer’s Gardens in Grand Rapids, the Downtown Abbey exhibit at the Muskegon Museum of Art and walked the Channel to Lake Michigan. Her comment: “Aging may be slowing us down a bit, but it is not stopping us from enjoying each other and the life around us.” Annette McMullen reports that she and husband Lynn spent Christmas with “almost” the entire family at her older daughter’s, Katherine “Katie” Meyer Cramer ’99 , home. She and Judith “Judy” White Stoffel get together for operas; they went to Louisville, Kentucky, in November to take in Astor Piazzolla’s only opera. Annette’s comment, “How beautiful are our memories from our time at The Woods. And how Providence blessed us by making it part of our lives,” captures my sentiments exactly. Judith “Judy” White Stoffel and daughter Kathy had an unusual trip in 2022 to Namibia, where they saw animals living in desert conditions, including white and black rhinos, elephants, giraffes and antelope. They traveled in open vans over rocks and riverbeds for ten days, most days not seeing another vehicle or person. They also met Himba tribes people, which was a strange experience indeed. Judy says, “Look them up!” Kathleen “Kathy” Dunne Alexis and Ron partied with family in Disney World, laughing in all the fun parks in costumes. They are off to Sarasota, Florida, for the winter. Their volunteer activities keep them busy the other half of the year. Nora “Rebecca” Hilger McGowan shared that her family of 14 spent the holidays in Galveston on the beach! She still cuddles infants in NICU, volunteers in a Cancer Center and brings Communion to the Hospital and Rehabilitation Center several days a week. On a sad note, her sister Mary Kathleen Hilger Barnes ’61 , passed peacefully on January 2, 2023, at her home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she has resided for many years. Clare Martin Phelan enjoys life with her seven grandchildren (three sets of twins) and family. She sold her condo on Sanibel Island in Florida in 2021 and is “very happy to be homeless in Florida.” Gail Holland Chastain enjoys seeing her seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren developing as adults and youngsters. She remains happy in the same house after 52 years, “near anything she needs within five minutes.” Since husband Bubba died in 2019, she has reconnected with a high school sweetheart. Gail recommends a fire department program through which grandson Luke attends college. Margaret “Peggy” Dooley Nitka writes that she is moving again! She and Dennis will live in the same community in Little Silver, New Jersey, “but a better condo for us.” They closed in January and reports that, “we are all well and grateful to have found our new home.”

Lakewood, CO 80228-5026 (303) 946-2996 barbarahgal@gmail.com

We had a great Reunion last May. It was huge, because of all the “make-ups” from missed reunions during Covid. Our class had 15 in attendance and connected with six more during a class meeting on Zoom. It was such a joy to be back! And impressive to see all the changes and improvements in the college over the past few years. It has been a year of losses. We lost two classmates. Rebecca “Beca” Martin Stamp passed away after a short illness, on August 27. She had an aggressive t-cell lymphoma and was at peace with her decision to choose hospice care. Husband Al said that her faith got her through it all. Jane Jones Lane wants us to remember Beca’s infectious laugh and dry wit. We also lost Louise Jochems Brock , who died on December 12. I’m sorry I have no other information about her. Three of our classmates lost spouses this past year. Jacqueline “Jackie” Brady Sartore lost the love of her life, her husband Al, on October 11. She is grateful for all the support of their children, family and friends. Jackie also lost a sister and a niece’s young husband. The past year has been a rough one for her. Nancy Curran lost her spouse of 25 years, Janette. She is grateful for all the fun and adventures they had together. Nancy is also recovering from ankle surgery and hopes to be back to exercising soon. Jean Gavin Ohm lost her husband Al, who had a massive stroke during open heart surgery in November 2021 and died in April 2022. Jean hopes to eventually move back to Dallas to be with family. Our love goes out to all the families and friends affected by these losses. Barbara “Barb” Angelos Emmons and husband Woody (one of our honorary classmates) say they are blessed to be celebrating 55 years together, moving a little slower but living life a whole lot fuller. Barbara “Bobbie” Norton O’Brien and husband Paul are counting their blessing after a health scare for him in August, which turned out not to be a return of cancer. She sends wishes for unity, peace, love, joy, happiness and good health in 2023. Jane Jones Lane and Mary Kaye Schoettlin Mooney visited Florida and connected with Claire Thuning-Roberson . Jane is joining her daughter and family on a ten day trip to London and Ireland. Between adventures, she enjoys reading and volunteering. Mary Kaye Schoettlin Mooney also wrote about that Florida trip and the good times with Jane and Claire. She went to the Pomeroy sprint football game in St. Louis, Missouri, and enjoyed seeing so many alums, and President Dottie. Son Tim and his family live in St. Louis with grandkids in high school and college. Her other travel has been to Portland, Oregon, to visit her daughter Kathy and her family. The Christmas trip was extended thanks to Southwest Airlines. Lynda Pontecorvo Venza posted news on our class web page. She lives in Houston, and her son Thomas lives there too. She visits her other sons, Jimmy and Luca, and their families in Barcelona, Spain. Patricia “Pat” Staszak Kursell said she loved the Reunion time. And she enjoyed visiting Linda French Miller and Sally Wagner Boyd in Winter Garden, Florida.

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