I knew Val in high school because he was a good friend of Dick Longsdorf's, my then on/off boyfriend (later my husband!). He drove a very cool, dark green old chevy which he loved and felt fortunate to have. He and Dick would swing by my house in the morning during our senior year to take me to school. Val was quiet, soft spoken and very kind with a ready smile for everyone. He later married a girl named Margie and had a son who grew up to look just like Val. Val's parents fled Lithuania with their two little boys (Val and Juris) and ended up in Benson. Val's mom was a nurse and a great cook. I kept in touch with her for many years after both Val and Dick passed away.
I remember Val. I met him shortly after I moved to Omaha at the beginning of my Junior year. I do not remember exactly how we met, but we dated for about a year, and we kept in touch for a few years after we both went to college. Val was my date for the Military Ball one year. I remember being very impressed with the pagentry and the time spent learning how to dance. He and I sometimes doubled with Steve Mion and Dick Longsdorf. Val and Dick were good friends. I noticed Steve's post about her memories of Val's green Chevy. It was a clasic car even then. I will see one every once in a while, and it always reminds me of Val. What Steve so graciously did not say in her comments about riding to school in Val's green Chevy, is that after Val picked her and Dick up for school, they would drive to my house. I inevitably was not ready, and I am sure I made everyone late more than once.
I last saw Val and his wife at the 25th reunion. I was so sorry to learn that his life ended at such an early age. I believe they had one young son. I remember Val as warm and compassionate.
Thanks, Barb, for completing that memory of the fun rides to school in Val's cool car. I do remember that we drove to your house to pick you up all those mornings. I don't remember that you were ever late (or maybe it didn't matter to me since it gave me more time to hang out with Dick before class!) Did we ever pay Val for gas? I hope so but I doubt it!
I don't remember money being offered to Val for gas. It didn't even dawn on me at the time to offer. I think I was still trying to figure out how to tie my shoes.
I remember Val being from Latvia. Was he from Lithuania?
Barb is right, the Skuja family escaped from Latvia. Valdis, Juris, and I grew-up on the same street together. I was their paper boy for many years. Mrs. Skuja was a good cook, often in the winter when I was collecting for the paper bill I'd be invited in to get warm and have a fresh baked cookiie or two.
We were all good little boys, or our mothers thought we were. We'd camp out in their backyard, as soon as we thought everyone in the neighborhood was asleep, we go raid gardens. Mr. and Mrs. Griffins was the best, they were an older couple who just knew how to grow things bigger and better. Their sweet peas were the best!
Another good story of honest young men/boys getting in trouble over our names. It was close to graduation in the old lunch room. As I recall those at the table were Larry Maupin, Pete Stone, Juris and Valdis Skuja, and myself. We may have been just a tat rowdy. Finally a teacher comes to the table and asks what are names are; it went something like;
Larry Maupin, Dan Stoney, Earl Stone, Juris Skuja, Valdis Skuja, we all started laughing, the teacher looked miffed and says, alright!!! we're going to the principles office. Hey those were our names.
Juris and Valdis were good friends for many years. It's a shame they are both gone.
I remember hearing from Mrs. Skuja how she and Val's father and the two little boys escaped across the border in their car one dark night. They had to turn their lights off and coast. If I remember correctly, Mrs. Skuja had to sit on Val, who was an infant, when he started crying, so that he would not alert the authorities. It had to have been a very scary and stressful time.
Steve: Like I promised here is "the rest of the story" @ Val's '56 Chevy. Just before I was drafted, November 1967, I bought Val's 56 which by then he had painted it maroon and it also had a Hurst floor-shift. When I left for basic training I left it at a friends place. Around Christmas of 1967 I came home for leave and unfortunately while driving it one night the transmission went out and I had to leave it. It deserved a better fate than that but being a few days away from returning to Washington state to finish my basic training I really had no choice. Hopefully someone tried to repair it instead of sending it to a junkyard.
I was perusing my 1962 Cupola and Val wrote " Fred, You are really a swell bum(just teasing). I have really enjoyed our friendship.You are one of the best guys in ROTC and you'll go far in the future. Leave the gals alone. Val"63" Skuya P.S. Don't throw egg on my car next year at the combat problem. God I hope I didn't throw eggs at his great looking car. I do remember getting my glasses knocked off that night the next year at the ROTC night exercise and never finding them so I would have been blind as a bat.
Steve Mion (Longsdorf)
I knew Val in high school because he was a good friend of Dick Longsdorf's, my then on/off boyfriend (later my husband!). He drove a very cool, dark green old chevy which he loved and felt fortunate to have. He and Dick would swing by my house in the morning during our senior year to take me to school. Val was quiet, soft spoken and very kind with a ready smile for everyone. He later married a girl named Margie and had a son who grew up to look just like Val. Val's parents fled Lithuania with their two little boys (Val and Juris) and ended up in Benson. Val's mom was a nurse and a great cook. I kept in touch with her for many years after both Val and Dick passed away.
Barbara Mitchell (Peterson)
I remember Val. I met him shortly after I moved to Omaha at the beginning of my Junior year. I do not remember exactly how we met, but we dated for about a year, and we kept in touch for a few years after we both went to college. Val was my date for the Military Ball one year. I remember being very impressed with the pagentry and the time spent learning how to dance. He and I sometimes doubled with Steve Mion and Dick Longsdorf. Val and Dick were good friends. I noticed Steve's post about her memories of Val's green Chevy. It was a clasic car even then. I will see one every once in a while, and it always reminds me of Val. What Steve so graciously did not say in her comments about riding to school in Val's green Chevy, is that after Val picked her and Dick up for school, they would drive to my house. I inevitably was not ready, and I am sure I made everyone late more than once.
I last saw Val and his wife at the 25th reunion. I was so sorry to learn that his life ended at such an early age. I believe they had one young son. I remember Val as warm and compassionate.
Steve Mion (Longsdorf)
Thanks, Barb, for completing that memory of the fun rides to school in Val's cool car. I do remember that we drove to your house to pick you up all those mornings. I don't remember that you were ever late (or maybe it didn't matter to me since it gave me more time to hang out with Dick before class!) Did we ever pay Val for gas? I hope so but I doubt it!
Barbara Mitchell (Peterson)
Steve,
I don't remember money being offered to Val for gas. It didn't even dawn on me at the time to offer. I think I was still trying to figure out how to tie my shoes.
I remember Val being from Latvia. Was he from Lithuania?
Dan Stoney
Barb is right, the Skuja family escaped from Latvia. Valdis, Juris, and I grew-up on the same street together. I was their paper boy for many years. Mrs. Skuja was a good cook, often in the winter when I was collecting for the paper bill I'd be invited in to get warm and have a fresh baked cookiie or two.
We were all good little boys, or our mothers thought we were. We'd camp out in their backyard, as soon as we thought everyone in the neighborhood was asleep, we go raid gardens. Mr. and Mrs. Griffins was the best, they were an older couple who just knew how to grow things bigger and better. Their sweet peas were the best!
Another good story of honest young men/boys getting in trouble over our names. It was close to graduation in the old lunch room. As I recall those at the table were Larry Maupin, Pete Stone, Juris and Valdis Skuja, and myself. We may have been just a tat rowdy. Finally a teacher comes to the table and asks what are names are; it went something like;
Larry Maupin, Dan Stoney, Earl Stone, Juris Skuja, Valdis Skuja, we all started laughing, the teacher looked miffed and says, alright!!! we're going to the principles office. Hey those were our names.
Juris and Valdis were good friends for many years. It's a shame they are both gone.
Steve Mion (Longsdorf)
You are both right, it was Latvia. I wish I'd talked more with Mrs. Skuja about her experiences getting to the US.
Barbara Mitchell (Peterson)
I remember hearing from Mrs. Skuja how she and Val's father and the two little boys escaped across the border in their car one dark night. They had to turn their lights off and coast. If I remember correctly, Mrs. Skuja had to sit on Val, who was an infant, when he started crying, so that he would not alert the authorities. It had to have been a very scary and stressful time.
Robert Powers
Steve: Like I promised here is "the rest of the story" @ Val's '56 Chevy. Just before I was drafted, November 1967, I bought Val's 56 which by then he had painted it maroon and it also had a Hurst floor-shift. When I left for basic training I left it at a friends place. Around Christmas of 1967 I came home for leave and unfortunately while driving it one night the transmission went out and I had to leave it. It deserved a better fate than that but being a few days away from returning to Washington state to finish my basic training I really had no choice. Hopefully someone tried to repair it instead of sending it to a junkyard.
Fred Gardner
I was perusing my 1962 Cupola and Val wrote " Fred, You are really a swell bum(just teasing). I have really enjoyed our friendship.You are one of the best guys in ROTC and you'll go far in the future. Leave the gals alone. Val"63" Skuya P.S. Don't throw egg on my car next year at the combat problem. God I hope I didn't throw eggs at his great looking car. I do remember getting my glasses knocked off that night the next year at the ROTC night exercise and never finding them so I would have been blind as a bat.
Steve Mion (Longsdorf)
Thanks, Bob, for the rest of the story.