Onyx Anneau Fall 2021

C L A S S N O T E S Our apologies to the Classes of 1960, 1962 and 1976. Their notes were accidentally left out of the last issue of Onyx Anneau. Although they were online, we are printing them in this issue. ’60 Barbara Beach Hogan 4119 Fieldbrook Pass Fort Wayne, IN 46815-5580 MBHogan1963@gmail.com There is not a lot of news to report. With the restrictions due to the pandemic, most of us are staying close to home. Mary Kay Schreier, DC has been living in Chicago with her community of Daughters of Charity while acting as POA for health and finances for her brother, who is single. He suffered a massive stroke, is paralyzed and needs 24-7 caregivers. Sister also ministers part time as pastoral associate at the African American Mission Church of St. Peter Claver in Robbins, Ill. This ministry brings much joy as well as challenges during this pandemic. Lois Leinenbach Mootz , Vivian Larkowski Kozak and Patricia “Pat” Vassallo Freebern all live near one another in Southwest Florida. They used to play golf together, but now it’s lunch and dinner. With Covid restrictions, they dine outside. How lucky they are to be in Florida! Recently Pat arranged for dinner with their husbands to celebrate birthdays for Lois and Vivian. Lois and Pete are faithfully following CDC guidelines and have received their first vaccines with the second one scheduled. Jeanne Smith Rielly still lives in Maine and runs the local food pantry. With Covid restrictions, distributions are curbside with some boxes prepared elsewhere. Jeanne’s husband, Edward, is finishing a book on Native American women in leadership roles. This includes the new Secretary of the Interior for President Biden. The grandchildren have adjusted well to virtual and hybrid learning. Birthday celebrations are being held in backyards with heaters and lights. Grandson, Morgan is now in the state legislature. He has a book coming out in August on new immigrants to Maine. Andrea “Andy” Unruh Linde reports that she and Harry staying home except for rare doctors’ and quick trips to the grocery store. They have just received their first Covid vaccination. Andy still holds out hope for Reunion. Ann Browne Martin is happy that she and her husband traveled when they did. Between transportation difficulties and health concerns, travel may be a luxury of the past. Ann hears from Mary Ann Schraffenberg Burger and Elizabeth Vessels Ayers regularly, but has not seen either of them recently. Nancy Kotowicz Williams and her husband arrived back in upstate New York from a trip to New Zealand and Australia days before New York locked down. Certainly, they didn’t have a clue what the following year would bring. They have received their first dose of Pfizer vaccine, but getting an appointment was a real challenge. Nancy misses her usual global travel. Now however there is no excuse not to work on the book she has been

meaning to write. Nancy is amazed (as we all are) that we graduated 61 years ago…..and happy we’re mostly all vertical! Although the past year has presented many challenges, I am blessed! Facetime and Zoom have allowed visits with the grandchildren, but I look forward to being with them in person. Now that I have been fully vaccinated, I am hoping that day will soon be here. ’62 Gail Sitzman Westhoven 401 Highland Ave Neptune, NJ 07753 egwesthoven@mac.com (732) 774-6885 News this year is a combination of news from 2019, 2020 and a little of 2021. As you know, we had no alum news in Onyx Anneau 2020 and although it wasn’t because of COVID-19, it does seem weirdly coincidental that it followed suit with everything else that didn’t happen! Judy Reich Hoyt’s letter reaffirmed that her big family keeps her very busy and very blessed! Pre- COVID, she enjoyed studying the Bible with two groups of friends. That gift of faith helps ease the pain from the loss of their son, Patrick, in 2018, as does having a very large and supportive group of family and friends. I attended a 2019 high school holiday luncheon with Judy, Kathleen “Kathy” Feeser Voigt and Celestine “Cel” Hamant when I was in Indiana for a family wedding. Kathleen “Kathy” Feeser Voigt vacationed in Arizona where she was meeting up with other high school friends. They began 2020 with “big 80” celebrations that continued through winter and into the spring. Kathy keeps in touch with Mary V. Sherman Krebs. Mary V. Sherman Krebs had a mitral valve replaced in January 2020 and a Maze procedure to correct A-fib. Mary V. finished rehab right before the pandemic lockdown. Car rides every afternoon got them out of the house and she kept busy with exercises, knitting, reading, making puzzles plus keeping in touch with family and friends. Steve and Margie Cahill Ban would rather walk on the warm sand in Florida than endure the cold winters of northern Illinois. All their kids live near them so moving south isn’t an option. She and Frances “Fran” Hogan Luby still met for coffee, in their cars parked side by side, windows down. The coffee venue changed when Frances “Fran” Hogan Luby and Joe moved from Tower Lakes to Arlington Heights, Illinois, in February 2020. In August, Fran’s allergic reaction to dental medication hospitalized her with heretofore unsuspected heart problems. By-pass surgery followed. Fran “never had a clue” about her clogged arteries. She’s back to unpacking moving boxes. Fran sent word that Camilla Carbon was having surgery for the removal of a cancerous kidney. Camilla had successful surgery March 24, 2020, and was home recovering five days later and even though up she was up and about, recovery was slow. She’s very appreciative of everyone’s prayers. Judith Anne Smith is still recovering from a surgical procedure in early 2019 and the continuing

long sessions of chemo and radiation. Please continue to keep her in your prayers. She still lives in North Carolina and hopefully missed some of the colder winter weather. Janet Srebalus, MM , wrote from Mwanza, that Tanzania had precautions and testing programs in place trying to prevent Ebola from entering from their neighboring Congo so they were quite proactive with COVID. Schools, closed since March, reopened in July and the village was back to normal. Her ministries of helping those with special needs, retreat accompaniment and seminar facilitation continues. Celestine “Cel” Hamant hoped that 2020 would be better after spending most 2019 trying to resolve identity theft problems. She was sad to sell her Brown County cottage in July, after 50 years of wonderful memories there. Her house of 14 years is getting much-needed maintenance and upgrades. Cel nailed 2020 — “a year with plenty of time get things done but no motivation to do them!” In that vein, Louise Hertsted Musto reported nothing new happened in 2020 except that it was the year she “completed 80 years!” That made it a good year! Madeline Honnigford Roe and her family travelled to San Diego, California, in the spring of 2019 for youngest son Patrick’s marriage. Pat and his bride, Carli, live in Long Beach, California. Madeline sent her news from Sanibel, Florida, where she was vacationed with two widow friends and “enjoyed sand, surf and birding.” Madeline’s 80 birthday celebration, a family cruise, was put on hold. Barbara “Muffet” Curran saw her grandchildren mainly in the driveway of their home – and they had Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners via the iPad! Her daughter Katie started a non-profit FLAG (frontline appreciation group) to provide lunches and dinners to staff at Overlook Hospital in their hometown. They also contracted with local restaurants and businesses to give small businesses support. Muffet arranged a Zoom call in May with Madeline Honnigford Roe, Patricia “Pat” Curran Denato, Barbara “Barb” Millwater Herkner, Judy Reich Hoyt and Margaret “Peggy” Piszczek Kloempken and myself. Everyone was well but not enjoying the isolation! Muffet related that Tracy Johnson Schier’s widower, Wally, had Zoomed with them. Son Joe is married and lives in Taiwan. Daughter Jeanne and family live in New Hampshire. Jeanne’s son is headed to medical school. Patricia “Pat” Curran Denato keeps in touch via the Internet and reported that she and her family remain well. She wrote that it’s great that almost 60 years out of college, we are still embracing new technologies and even though “many of our class communications now involve word of loss or serious illness, I like to think our Woods background and continued ties make us more resilient.” Barbara Millwater Herkner described 2020 as “nothing new beyond wearing masks, doing too much Zoom and playing bridge online!” Her family stayed healthy even though they had an emergency room doctor in the family. During the warmer

26