Onyx Anneau Spring 2021

Patricia Lenz Spaulding tells us that she has moved to Niantic, Connecticut, after living in her home in Stamford, Connecticut, for 42 years. She wanted to be closer to family. She speaks with Nancy Sullivan Duffy and Kathleen “Kathy” Keigher Brooks (roommates) often. We would have our own reunions in the past years but could not get together with COVID-19. She is looking forward to Reunion. Linda Szempruch Aylward hopes for a broad vaccine distribution for normalcy. She makes functional pottery, throwing bowls, cups, etc. She is hand building and sculpting in her office, tuning into her virtual class from Harper College. This “hands- on” hobby keeps her centered. Arthritis is an added challenge as she thinks about 72 around the corner. She’s grateful for Pilates. Linda is praying for deep blessings for our class and loved ones. Barbara “Barb” Weber Michael says Christmas was special as she and Greg Zoomed with family. Their children, spouses and 13 grandchildren joined from all over. In June she and Greg were in Indiana to celebrate Barb’s dad’s 100th birthday. Greg’s mother passed away last April, 11 days before his parents’ 75th wedding anniversary. In September they drove to North Carolina to join Jim and Mary Add Wilson Baker and friends for a fraternity gathering. They and their immediate family have stayed well. Lydia Ruiz Hull writes that she and her husband, Doug, are still enjoying life at the Jersey Shore. Their three children live close, and they enjoy spending time with them and their eight grandchildren. Lydia is retired after teaching for 34 years. Doug is still working from home but reducing his hours. She is hopeful that our Reunion will take place, and we can celebrate together. Helen McLaughlin Hinshaw and husband, Les, built a house in 2017 due to water damage while in Florida, so they had a great place to COVID. Their sons and dog worked from their home and their daughter, Carrie, visited. The Hinshaws bought a pontoon boat. Eating in the car and in outside igloos has been their norm. Cadillac, Michigan, is a smaller town — everyone practices safe behavior. Helen got her first shot. Helen has “visited” classmates, friends and family through Facebook. Joan Vincent O’Connell had to leave school in March due to COVID. She has not retired but is not in the building this school year. Joan says teachers have done an amazing job against impossible odds to keep students learning. All three of her children have been working from home. She prays everyone stays healthy in our Woods community. Joan has lost dear friends to COVID and quite a few have gotten terribly ill but seem to be recovering. Mary Ann Murphy Atkins lost her mother, Virginia Murphy on March 30 at age 101. Her family is waiting to have a Celebration of Life. Her daughter had Charles Joseph in July. Her book club and bunko groups have moved to Zoom. She is working at St. Luke — not yet open full time. Mary Ann moved into her mother’s condo. She hopes everyone is well and safe…fingers crossed for an in-person Reunion. Glenna Crews Orr says her son got Ryan married. Her grandson Charlie (16) is an

left hand. She and her husband moved to North Carolina 18 months ago. They have a lovely new house, great neighbors and they are close to family. She lost many friends this past year, including dear friend and classmate Gene “Genie” Hogan . Beverly “Bev” Birk-Cutshall sold their RV in Bradenton, Florida. They are full-time in Indiana. They dislike the Indiana weather, particularly the gloomy days. They got the first COVID-19 vaccine in January, the second in February. Bev says her biggest excitement is having their 7- and 4-year-old grandchildren for visits during holidays. Bev is dog sitting their two Boston Terriers. Dorothy Blakey Priester writes all is well in Northern Virginia. They are busy with their granddaughters. She is glad to have retired from teaching. Before the pandemic, they had travel plans. She is not sure when they will go. They celebrated the Washington Nationals championship. She and Fred celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and renewed their vows with their children and grandchildren in attendance. Dorothy wishes all her Woods friends’ safety. Jo Anne Henry lets us know that things are fine in Ohio. She has spent a lot of time cleaning and organizing her house. She is still training her dogs for obedience and herding competitions. She really misses visiting the nursing homes with her therapy dog. She hopes they can visit this fall. Angeline “Angi” Dvorak Ishida writes all is well in Denver. Although lost travel was disappointing, they are grateful for their health. She says it has been hard watching their grandchildren in Denver cope with remote learning. Their grandchildren in Chicago have been attending school. The highlight was a one-month visit from their Chicago-based daughter Mika and family. Their son-in-law set up his office on the patio and Mika worked inside. Kathy DeClue Schubel says she and Mike are fine. After they got back from their trip to Kiawah, South Carolina, things shut down and they haven’t been anywhere since. They are careful because of Mike’s diabetes and Kathy’s mom turned 93. They gather with her, two of Kathy’s sisters and one of her brothers. She and Mike got their first vaccine shot. They have been cooking a lot. They are counting their blessings as they have stayed healthy. Kathy’s brother just moved to Camano Island, Washington. Christine “Chris” McCauley Stremel says she missed two cruises, one family vacation/ reunion in Branson, Missouri, one beach trip in St. Augustine, Florida, and one knee replacement. She missed the Community Theater activities and Flower Mound Senior Citizen Center Duplicate Bridge and her aunt’s 96th birthday party. She has not lost anyone to the virus, and she has reconnected with old friends online. Chris hopes the 50th Reunion happens. Mary Ann Delehanty Latusek reports that she had a new grandson on the first Monday of the COVID-19 shut down. Luke Alexander is almost a year old. The older granddaughters go to school four days a week and they have them on the day of online classes. She is so glad they retired. They had a family vacation at Hilton Head in summer. They also got together at Christmas. She hopes we can get together in May.

extraordinary young man. “Remembering with The Heart, Stories by America’s Finest,” is her most recent book, in collaboration with the veterans at The Armed Forces Retirement Home, Washington, D.C. Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors supports families of our fallen. It is an honor to work alongside TAPS. Glenna and her husband reside in Alexandria, Virginia, and go to their home in Western North Carolina. Marjorie “Marnie” Luken hosted a wedding for her daughter Sally in February before everything shut down. She periodically talks to Mary Add Wilson Baker , Monica Dell’Osso and Betty Maggio . She is trying to convince Betty to make the trip from Arizona, since she hasn’t been back since graduation. Reunion falls on the same dates as their graduation. Marnie hopes COVID restrictions loosen up for their Reunion celebration. Susan “Scotty” Lambrix Schaller and husband, Glenn, will celebrate their 49th wedding anniversary. She was a teacher for 25 years and retired 11 years. They have two children. They have a condo in Siesta Key, Florida, and a home in Orchard Park, New York. Scotty participates in garden club, book club and bunko. She keeps in touch with Anna Ferrara Donahue . She says they talk frequently. Her husband John is not doing well. Their son moved home two years ago to help. Mary Beth Roesinger Adams starts by saying she is teaching kindergarten at St. Pius Catholic School, so she has been open all school year, albeit with masks and plastic windows at their desks. She has gotten both shots and hopes to stay well. She wishes all a great 2021. Theresa “Terry” Jones Swayze has been looking to trade vehicles and wanted a specific one. Finally, one showed up at a dealership in Frankfort, Illinois, that had everything she was looking for. She drove from southern Indiana through Terre Haute to Frankfort (~200 miles) and traded vehicles. As she was leaving, a road sign indicated that she wasn’t far from Chicago Heights. That was where her Woods friend, Rita Potocny Krider , was from. Terre Haute looks different than it did, she says. Christine Mackey-Mason has lived in California since 1971. She taught Catholic School for several years and became a union organizer where she met Sheila Mason, her wife of 44 years this May. Both are retired now. They have two sons. Christine and Sheila lived in Pasadena for 30+ years and in 2018 moved to Oakland to be nearer to their boys. She did several years of work for LGBTQ parishioners in the Episcopal Church. She spends time knitting, reading and being with their boys. She hasn’t been back to The Woods since graduation. Ruth Kolcun Noack is grateful to be alive and healthy. She is married with two married daughters, five granddaughters and a 97-year-old mother. During COVID, she got an off-Broadway singer, Tricia Rapier, to record a song she co-wrote with Colette Diegel (lyrics). It is called “Grannies.” It is available as a braille/regular conductor’s score. Listen to “Grannies” at: https://www. sheetmusicplus.com/title/grannies-digital-sheet- music/21758773?ac=1 or https://youtu.be/ yKNHPzwJ5DU.

23