Georgia O'Donnell (Merschman)

So sorry to hear about your fall. Glad to hear you are home and on the mend. Sending hugs and prayers to you Marcia.

Sharon Tincher (Scholl-Nabulsi)

Marcia, I just read your story and am sorry that you broke your hip! It happens to the best of us including me! Mine was six years ago however but you will mend and be as good as new! I hope you could enjoy Thanksgiving! I'm sure your daughter is helping you with your recovery! Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Sandra Buckley (Matthews)

Dear friend, That was certainly shocking news about your fall and broken hip !!!  Bill and I send our prayers for a quick and total recovery. You have had a very challenging past year - here's to 2022 being full of many good blessings for you !!  Keep us updated on your rehab 👍🥰

Melinda Lang (Bachman)

Marcia so sorry to learn about your fall and the broken hip.  Hope you are feeling better as time goes on.  Keep us informed about your progess.  

Karan Kreighbaum (Faul)

Marcia... So sorry to hear of your fall. But so glad you are home and on the mend.

Sandi Thompson (Philips)

Marcia, I was so sorry to hear about your fall/surgery.  I will keep you in my prayers for a very quick recovery.

Cyndy Day (Savage)

Many prayers and thoughts are coming your way Marcia. God bless your recovery 

Marcia Conley (Davis)

Thank you for all your prayers and responses.  

Sharon Tincher (Scholl-Nabulsi)

December 1, Class 1961 Luncheon Left to Right: Jack Moore, Dutch Martinez, Jack Dorrsett,John Kent,David Neubel, Nancy Hays,Sharon Scholl-Nabulsi,Sally Trancoso,Georgia Merschman, Gary McVey,and Linda Meyer

Sandra Buckley (Matthews)

As Always - we are happy to see our classmates smiling faces all gathered for lunch !  Thanks for posting!

We have some sad news to share from our immediate Matthews side of the family - Bill's younger sister, Trudy Hesse, became a widow this past Saturday, November 28.  Her husband was Ray Hesse and they would have been married 54 years this December 16th.  Ray has an older brother, Dick Hesse, that also graduated from FMHS around 1958, I believe, that many of you would also remember.  Unfortunately, Ray began his second courageous battle with prostate cancer this summer and was several months into chemotherapy when he developed pneumonia about 2 weeks ago.  Trudy & Ray have lived in Overland Park, KS for almost the last 30+ years, where Ray was in HyVee management and the Food Distribution industry.  We are so grateful that we made the trip on to Kansas after our 60th Class Reunion this past September, and spent 3 wonderful days visiting with them and their daughters, who also live nearby. 

All is well here in Eastern North Carolina - Bill is in his glory out on a local golf course today with a buddy from here in Cypress Glen - Tommy (his buddy) is 85 years old and golfs 2 to 3 times a week - he's Bill's inspiration!

We are heading to Hilton Head Island, SC on December 19th for a couple days, and then on to Atlanic Beach, FL for Christmas with our younger son, Joe, and his family.  Jay (our oldest son) will be able to travel with us !  He hasn't seen his brother since 2017 !

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas - spending it with the people who mean the most to you ! 

Sandy & Bill Matthews

Sharon Tincher (Scholl-Nabulsi)

So sorry for Trudy and sad to hear about Ray passing away! Prayers to you two as well as Trudy and her family! So good you got to see them in September! Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and Bill!

Brad Wiedmann

Greetings from the Northwoods of Wisconsin on this cool Saturday morning, January 15, and Happy New Year!  It is quite seasonal here with snow on the ground and 2 degrees below zero this morning.  We have been at 20 below zero this month and can even be colder at 35 below in prior years.  Our lakes look like used pickup truck lots parked next to ice shanties.  Looks like a good portion of Iowa received snow yesterday?  Happy shoveling.

On a more somber note, our Memory Page indicates we have lost 46 of our 151 graduating class members.  Most recently was a fellow Richardson Grade School graduate, Dick Calhoun.  May they all rest in peace.

I'm sure your COVID/Omicron numbers have overcrowded your hospitals as they have here?  In the early days of this pandemic I didn't know of anyone having COVID.  This picture has changed quite dramatically today as the list is quite lengthy of people I personally know who have had or currently have the virus.  I am very fortunate that I was able to easily schedule and recieve both Pfizer shots and booster.

Once again, I'd like to formally thank Sharon and Nan(Nancy) again for putting together our 60th last September.  It was memorable to see and visit with the best class ever to come out of FMHS.  I also truly appreciate the posting of the continuing monthly lunches in Ft Madison.  I also enjoy seeing the videos posted on FB of the passenger trains stopping at the Train Depot.

I'm heading to my brother's home just outside Oskaloosa the last weekend of January to help him celebrate his 83rd.  I then will drive out to CO with my one year old Chocolate Lab to visit daughter and family and be back to WI sometime in March where we will still be in the throes of winter.

Finally, I wish you all good health and hope to see you all again soon.

Blessings,

Brad

Bill Orr

i have ben watching the site for some time and no messages! 

So here goes. Jean and I are doing well and look forward to the camping season. Our Winnebago Mini has survived the winter in our son's storage shed. We will be camping  in Palmer's Gulch this summer and looking forward to exploring the Black Hills and Sturgis. 

The kids are doing well. Chris and her family have visited every expensive sking site in the US this winter. Bill has coutinued with his software engineering career in South Dakota and Jackie and her family have recently returned from the Dominecan republic where they spent the winter. 

We are greatly concerned with the viris and are keeping a close handle on our health. Consequently we are not socializing mutch. No trips to stores and all supplies delivered to the house. Hard times. 

Wish I was young enourh to go to the Ukraine and put my Field Artillery and Armour skills to good use.

Your classmate

Bill

Bill Orr

Jean and I just got the 4th covid shot at 10:00 this morning. Went home for lunch following which I laid down and woke up 4 hrs later. Totally refreshed. Really feel good !

Other than feeling totally relaxed I have not experienced any other reaction to the shot.

Will let you know if any change.

Jerry Rees

Last week, Sallie and I spent 2 days in and around Kearney, NE, experiencing the sandhill crane migration.  Amazing creatures with gray bodies and red heads that fly from Mexico and Texas northward into Canada, Alaska, and Siberia.  Kearney's cumulative count midway through this season stands at 680,000 (with a few white Whooping Cranes mixed in with the gray).  But not all at one time in one place.  The flyway is about 50 miles wide along the shallow braided Platte River.  

Thanks to Bill for encouiraging us to get our 4th COVID shot.  It's on our todo list.

As a 1965 and 1969 graduate of the Unverstity of Kansas, I am celebrating in a humble way the Jayhawk's NCAA basketball championship!   Blessings to fellow Jayhawks Linda and  Bill Boomer and Terry Tykeson.  Also blessings to fellow Bloodhounds far and wide.

Jerry

Nan Nelson (Hays)

Jerry,  I really enjoyed your post!  I love birds of all kinds and hearing about the cranes was interesting.  That is a huge migration.  Thanks for sharing!  Nan

Sandra Buckley (Matthews)

That was a great picture of the local group at your April Luncheon - thanks for posting ! 

Bill and I are both suffering with spring pine pollen allergies here in Eastern North Carolina.  We are desperate for rain in this area - several inches below what is normal for this area.  It would also help get rid of this pesky yellow stuff !

We're heading to Atlantic Beach, FL for the long Easter weekend to visit the younger son, Joe, his wife, Tamrah and our granddaughters, Aila and Tatum.......taking advantage of the girls' long school break for the holiday. 

Then, it won't be long until we fly out to Portland, OR to begin our Columbia and Snake River Cruise on American Cruise Lines (small ship with less than 200 passengers - our kind of cruising - also no children aboard).  We'll experience lots of stops to enjoy the history of the Lewis & Clark expedition/exploration that President Jefferson sent them on MANY years ago.  Also, a side trip to Mt. Saint Helens and a couple wineries in the state of Washington. 

All things considered, our health remains reasonably good - wish my back issues didn't make me feel so clumbsy, but I'm still upright and walking (albeit more slowly these days).

Also, congratulations to those Class of 1961 graduates who went on to the University of Kansas - big celebration for that come back win over the NC Tarheels.  It was quite a second half of college basketball.  We are still rejoicing over the Hawkeyes winning the Big Ten Tournament (even if they couldn't keep up that pace when they went into the NCAA brackets as a number 5 seed!!!!).

Love to read about what everyone is up to since the reunion - stay in touch !

Sandy & Bill Matthews

Richard Gaule

I noticed today's class lunch photo somehow showed up on Dick Calhoun's memory page. 

Is he still up to his old tricks?

Sharon Tincher (Scholl-Nabulsi)

Dick:  That was me, making a big mistake and I hoped I had deleted it before anyone saw it. I wish if would have been Dick Calhoun that would have meant he was alive, but we all know he passed away recently. Thanks for your pointing out my BIG mistake. 

Sharon Tincher (Scholl-Nabulsi)

April luncheon on April 6th: Gabe Martinez, Linda Meyer, Jack Moore, John Kent, Sharon Scholl-Nabulsi, Betty Oiler, Sally Trancoso, Georgia Merschman, Gary McVey, Nan Nelson and David Neubel!

Marcia Conley (Davis)

Thank you for all the Happy Birthday wishes.  Even though I am in the final hours of filing income tax returns, I had bright moments of wishes during my day.  56 years of April 15 deadlines.  Will I make it to 60??

Sandra Buckley (Matthews)

So sorry to have missed wishing you a Happy Birthday Marcia 🎂🎈🎁!!! Also hope you don't have a mountain of clients filing "extensions" !😟

Sharon Tincher (Scholl-Nabulsi)

Classmates:  We have lost another classmate, Carmen Pohlpeter, who passed away May 4th at the Madison Nursing Home! You can access her obituary at King-Lynk.com. Carmen suffered from Alzheimer's disease! She worked for the Sheaffer Pen Company for 40 years and was a charter member of the UAW local 1551! She is survived by two sisters, one brother and other relatives! Family will greet friends from 10 am until time of service at 11 am on May 9th at Ss. Mary and Joseph Curch with burial in Sacred Heart Cemetary! The class of 1961 says Rest In Peace Carmen!🙏🙏🙏

Sharon Tincher (Scholl-Nabulsi)

Class of FMHS 1961 luncheon today June 1st at Green Bay Bar and Grill in Wever Iowa! From Left to right around the table: Ed Merschman, Jack Moore, Sally Trancoso, Betty Oiler, John Kent, David Neubel, Nan Hays, Sharon Scholl-Nabulsi, Jan Moore, Georgia Merschman, and Carole Wilson

Karan Kreighbaum (Faul)

Happy Birthday to my birthday twin... Sharon Nabulsi

Wishing you the best of birthdays...