Class Bulletin Board

Ruth (Jurgens) Noth Update

Big news Dave – I’ve moved my parents in with me this past Saturday. I had three medical emergencies in my family in 5 weeks, two with my father alone, and after the first one with him, I asked them again, as I have for the past two years, if they would please move in with me into my four bedroom ranch here. They finally said yes. With the first spell, Dad fell flat on his face in my driveway on cement, acquiring 14 stitches above his right eye and breaking his nose in two different places. Nothing other than bruising other than that, so he was quite lucky at 87!!!

Before moving them in, Dad was rushed to the hospital a little over a week ago with convulsions and a fever of nearly 106. He ended up having sepsis, a life threatening infection in his blood stream. We were lucky he survived this and seems normal again, as normal as he can be with dementia (but not Alzheimers). The third emergency was in between the two with my oldest son who is type 1 diabetic and also has Addison’s disease, both life threatening auto immune diseases. He’s not used to being really active, and forgot to eat enough one day and had an extreme low that not even his Glucagon emergency injection could bring him back so we had to call EMS and even at that, it took a while. I was so afraid he was in a coma that he wouldn’t come out of, but we were truly blessed.

The move with mom and dad went well. I’ve been crazy busy preparing my home for them. My handy man will come Dec. 7 and 8 to install grab bars in bathrooms, a railing on the the other side of the basement steps so they have two to hang onto, and a high rise toilet in the bathroom across the hall from their bedroom on main floor. We’ll share the expense since these safety upgrades will only benefit me if I’m able to stay in my home when I’m my parents’ age.

Dec. 7 the movers also bring about 15 pieces from their home to mine. I’ll put my dining room table and chairs in the finished basement and mom will use it for her sewing table, and her set including a buffet and china cabinet will go in my dining room. Dresser, a couple of chairs, two desks, filing cabinet and small end tables will come as well so that they feel at home here.

My sister Emile flew home from Texas to help out at the hospital and will be here until Dec. 2nd. She’s been a Godsend.

Today we look at my oldest son’s condo he purchased prior to marrying in May. The wedding will be on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th).

Internet service cancels for me today as mom and dad’s will transfer here – they have a better deal plus have a landline I want them to keep. That all takes place tonight and tomorrow morning. Much going on and my head is dizzy at times, but I really wanted to try this for now. If I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, my parents have excellent long term care insurance and we can hire help in the home for sure, or go to plan B if necessary.

Feel free to share all this with our classmates.

Blessings to you and yours.

Ruth

 

In Memory of Lowell J. Leichty

Lowell John Leichty
Lowell John Leichty

Lowell J. Leichty, 85, of Cedar Rapids, formerly of Coralville, passed away Monday, November 20, 2017 at West Ridge Care Center. A Memorial “Celebration of Life for Lowell” will be held at 3 P.M., Saturday, December 2, 2017 at First Mennonite Church in Iowa City, where the family will great friends after 1:30 P.M. Burial will be in The First Mennonite Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Alzheimer’s Association or to Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA).

Lowell was born on September 7, 1932 the son of Willard and Ruth (Augsburger) Leichty. He graduated from Wayland High School in 1950. Lowell was united in marriage to Ruth Earnest on October 10, 1954; she preceded him in death on October 1, 2010. He and Ruth raised 5 children together in a loving family environment.

Lowell worked as a carpenter and as a farmer in the Wayland area for about 12 years. In 1966 he and Ruth moved to Coralville where he started his general contracting firm L.J. Leichty Construction. He was well respected in the community for the quality of his work and retired in 1997.

Lowell was deeply involved in the life of First Mennonite Church of Iowa City, where he served in many capacities. He especially liked to sing in the choir. He also served in volunteer capacities with the Pleasantview Home, Habitat for Humanity and Mennonite Disaster Service. He was also a dedicated member of the MEDA

Lowell is survived by his five children, Greg (Kathy) Leichty, Phil (Kim) Leichty, Kathy (Loren) Sands, Ruth (Brad) Giesking and Mark (Kristen) Leichty; 14 grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and siblings, Norman Leichty, Marilyn Roth, Wilma Lichti and Linda Williams.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Daniel Leichty.

In Memory of Ruth I. Pate

Janet (Pate) Barber let us know that her mother Ruth I. Pate passed away recently. Janet has given us permission to post her obituary as a tribute to her life. Please remember Janet and her family in whatever way is right for you.

Ruth I Pate
Ruth I Pate

Ruth I. Pate, 90, of rural Iowa City, died Tuesday, October 17, 2017, at Mercy Hospital under the loving care of Hospice.

Memorial services will be held at 11 am Friday, October 20, 2017, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, where there will be a time of visitation from 9 am Friday until services.  Private family services and burial will take place at the Welsh Cemetery near the family farm in rural Johnson County.  In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in her memory to Johnson County 4-H or Iowa City Hospice. To share a memory, thought, or condolence with her family please go to the funeral home website at  www.gayandciha.com.

Ruth Irene Katzenmeyer was born January 29, 1927, in Iowa City, the daughter of Cyril and Mabel (Stover) Katzenmeyer.  She attended Iowa City Schools graduating from City High School with the Class of 1945.  Following high school she worked at the University of Iowa Library before her marriage to Richard A. Pate on May 7, 1947 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA.  The couple farmed the Pate Century Farm south of Iowa City where Ruth still lived at the time of her death.  In addition to being a “farmwife”, she also worked for 18 years at Hills Elementary School as the media secretary.

One of Ruth’s greatest joys was cooking and sharing with others.  Anyone who came into her home, whether it be family, friend or workman, was welcomed with something special she made.  At the very least, they most always left with a bag of her homemade cookies.

Because of her skills in the kitchen, she won many awards at the local and state fairs.  Ruth served as a Johnson County 4-H Leader and helped at the 4-H fair bake sales throughout the years.  In 1973 she was selected to receive the 4-H Honorary Achievement Award.

Her family includes her two children, David Pate (Christine) of Iowa City; Janet Barber (Dale Schoen) of Overland Park, KS; grandchildren, Elizabeth Pate (Neil) Wachal) of Iowa City; Chad Pate (Shanna) of Pinehurst, NC; and John Barber (Sarah) of Kansas City, MO; one great-granddaughter, Ella Pate; Ruth’s sister, Grace Katzenmeyer of Iowa City; and sister-in-law, Shirley Pate of Iowa City.  She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother, Tex Katzenmeyer, and brother-in-law, Robert Pate.

In Memory of John R. McLure

John R. McLure
John R. McLure

John R. McLure, 56, of Iowa City, passed away Wednesday, September 20th at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics surrounded by family.

A memorial service to celebrate John’s Life will be held September 26th, 2017 at 7:00 pm at North Liberty First United Methodist Church. Visitation to greet family and friends will be at 5:00 pm at the church prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed toward the John R. McLure Memorial Fund.

John R. McLure was born March 31st, 1961 in Urbana, IL, the son of John William and Francis Gail (Thomas) McLure. He was a graduate of Iowa City West High School class of ’79. John attended the University of Iowa, taking a two-year break to go to Raleigh, North Carolina to work and study at NC State, then back to Iowa to get his BS in Elementary Education.

John was a Renaissance man who could, no matter the task, job, or problem, could figure out solutions. His glowing qualities of patience, intelligence and kindness were invaluable to those around him, but most especially his family.

On July 1st,1995 he was united in marriage to Kristine Lee Gerlits. Two years later they had their son, John Dorsey ‘JD’ McLure.

John was active in the city of University Heights as their videographer for 5 1/2 years, until his health started to decline. He was also an excellent guitarist who specialized in campfire songs, and had a great love for Bluegrass music. He played at many nursing homes in the area and he also lead music at the Lighthouse youth program in previous years at St Andrew Presbyterian Church.

John is survived by his wife, Kris; his son J.D. McLure of University Heights; his mother, Gail T. McLure of Iowa City; his brother David P. (Karin) McLure of Shrewsbury, MA; his nephews, Matt McLure (Christine Hosey) of Cambridge, MA and Henry (Minah) Gerlits of South Korea; his nieces Amanda McLure of Boston, MA and Bessie Struck of Sudbury, MA; his mother-in-law Janice Gerlits of Iowa City; and his brother-in-law Dave (Bobbi) Gerlits of Suffield, CT.

He was preceded in death by his father, John William McLure and father-in-law, D.W. “Bill” Gerlits.

In Memory of William Olin

William Olin
William Olin

Dr. William H. Olin Sr., 93, died Monday, September 18th at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) following a sudden illness.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 AM Friday, September 22nd at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dr. Barrie Tritle officiating. Visitation will be Thursday from 4 to 7 PM at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, Iowa City. A luncheon will follow the funeral. Family Committal Services will be at Oak Hill Cemetery, Coralville. Sunday parking ordinance will be in effect. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to Iowa MOST (www.IowaMost.org), Clubfoot Solutions (clubfootsolutions.org/make-a-donation/), First United Methodist Church (www.icfirstchurch.org), and the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.

William is survived by his loving wife of 66 years, Bertha Spitters Olin and their three sons, William H. Olin Jr. of North Liberty, IA, Paul (Mary Kathryn Schrock) Olin of Minneapolis, MN, and Jon E. (Amelia Garrido) Olin of Miami, FL; Grandchildren and children of Paul and Kathy, Paul Michael and Jennifer Nicole Bynes Olin, Thomas Scott Olin and Kathryn Kelly Olin; grandchildren and children of Jon and Amelia, Mariana Garrido Olin, Nicholas William Olin, and Lucas Henry Olin; great grandson (Paul and Jennifer) Marcus William Olin.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Dr. William H. “Bill” Olin was born March 7, 1924 in Menominee, Michigan. His family moved to Marinette, Wisconsin when he was 16. Dr. Olin graduated from Marinette High in 1942.

He received his DDS degree from Marquette University in 1947, then attended the University of Iowa where he completed a residency in Orthodontics and an MS and Certificate in Orthodontics in 1948. That same year Dr. Olin was appointed as an assistant professor at UIHC. Dr. Olin’s thesis study of facial deformities among children at the Glenwood School for the mentally handicapped sparked his life-long interest in craniofacial anomalies. He founded the Division of Craniofacial Anomalies at UIHC, and over his 44-year career there achieved international acclaim for his expertise, especially in the treatment of facial deformities. Dr. Olin met his wife, Bertha, who was a registered nurse at UIHC. They were married in 1950 and their three children all attended the University of Iowa.

Over the years Dr. Olin has treated countless patients, written numerous scholarly articles, authored a pioneering textbook and contributed to many book chapters about cleft lip and palate and other facial deformities. He was invited to speak in countries across the globe including the US, Canada, Greece, Egypt, Spain, England, France, Denmark, Russia, Germany, Japan, China and in Latin America. Dr. Olin also served in the Korean War from 1952-54 as part of the US Army Medical Corps in Germany.

During his illustrious career Dr. Olin held many leadership positions in major professional organizations including as president of the Midwest Orthodontic Society, the Angle Orthodontic Society and the American Cleft Palate Association, and served on numerous local orthodontic and dental organizations, and the UI Dental College and Board in Control of Athletics.

After his retirement in 1992, Dr. Olin turned to philanthropic and charitable work with unending enthusiasm and dedication to many causes. His greatest passion was working with Operation Smile, Rotoplast and Iowa MOST (Miles of Smiles Team), all international volunteer medical missions that provide treatment for underprivileged patients with cleft lip and palate deformities in underdeveloped counties all over the world. He completed a total of 12 missions in Mexico, Colombia, Vietnam, El Salvador, the Philippines and Guatemala. Dr. Olin also supported Iowa City-based international organizations Ponseti International and Clubfoot Solutions, which are dedicated to the effective and responsible treatment of Clubfoot deformities worldwide. He was also a tireless advocate for the passage of a Helmet Law in Iowa to protect bicycle and motorcycle riders from traumatic head injuries by requiring cycle helmet use.

Dr. Olin was a dedicated community leader through his lifetime involvement in the Boy Scouts of America, the America Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge, the Iowa City Rotary Club‘s Fire and Medical Supply Company — which collects and ships medical equipment from the US to developing nations – Pathways adult daycare facilities, Hancher Auditorium, and the Iowa City youth/high school football mouth guard program (which he started), and many other organizations. Dr. Olin was also active in the local business community, serving on the Board of Directors of Hills Bank & Trust Company, including as its Chairman and Chairman Emeritus.

He was among the most steadfast of Iowa Hawkeye fans, missing only a handful of home football games since his very first game – and first date with his wife, Bertha — in 1948. He loyally stood, clapped and sang out loud with the band’s every playing of “On Iowa!” and the Iowa Hawkeye Fight Song.

Dr. Bill Olin was deeply kind, caring and generous, passionately dedicated to his family and community, and uniquely talented as a dental and medical professional. Though his professional accomplishments left lasting impacts, his role as a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather defined him. The time he spent with his sons and their families brought him the most joy and are his greatest legacy.

Online condolences may be sent to www.lensingfuneral.com

Published in the Press-Citizen on Sept. 20, 2017

Gene’s Gratitude

I want to post a thank you to all of the classmates who participated in the Go-Fund-me page for donations to help me get thru my hip operation. The page is still up, and the original $6,000 was to help with both hips.

I just got back to work this week, July 12th. I am recovering rapidly, but had to dig into the fund a bit more that I thought.

If I a few more who didn’t get to donate the first time and still wished to, they could have an extra chance. So, in the end, maybe an extra $1,500  would dramatically help.

In Memory of Bobby Elliott

Brenda (Schrock) Bradley let us know that Betsy (Elliott) Stough’s brother Bobby passed away recently. Betsy has given us permission to post his obituary as a tribute to his life. Please remember Betsy and her family in whatever way is right for you.

Robert (Bobby) Elliott

Robert Joseph Elliott, loving son, husband, father, brother, grandfather and friend, died peacefully surrounded by his family Saturday, July 8, 2017 in Iowa City. He was born May 6, 1953 in Iowa City, Iowa to Chalmers “Bump” and the late Barbara Elliott.

Bob grew up in Iowa City and Ann Arbor, Michigan, graduating from Iowa City West High School and the University of Iowa in 1976. At Iowa, Bob was twice named a football Academic All-American, was Phi Beta Kappa and a Rhodes Scholar candidate his senior year. He was named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and a finalist for the Draddy Award as the nation’s best player-student. In 1975, Bob was Iowa’s Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient and awarded the Hancher Finkbine Medallion for Campus Leadership. Most importantly, Bob met the love of his life, Karen Jo (“Joey”) Grant at Iowa. Bob and Joey were married June 19, 1976 and enjoyed 41 wonderful years together.

Bob was a leader in the national Kidney Foundation and Donate Life America bringing awareness and helping raise thousands of dollars, especially through Team Scoop and Score.

Bob devoted his life to serving as a mentor and coach to countless student-athletes. In his over 40-year career, he was committed to excellence and integrity, sought to bring out the best in everyone, and instilled a sense of hope to all he touched. He was a champion and warrior who was steadfast, dedicated and selfless. His memory lives on through the men and women who loved him throughout his great life. He finished his championship season Undefeated and Unbroken.

Bob’s pride and joy were his wife, children, grandchildren and family. He is survived by his devoted wife, Joey; son, Grant (Jessica); daughter, Jessica (Kyle); his magnificent grandchildren, Levi, Robin, Gideon, Elizabeth, Alice and Elijah; father, Bump; brother, William (Janice); sister, and kidney donor, Elizabeth (John); sisters-in-law, Jeri, Carol (Dennis), Nancy (Ron); nieces, Melissa (Matt), Jill (Steve), Erin, Jaycie, Madeline; nephews, Tom (Erika), Jeff (Tiffany), Sam (Nina), Jeffrey (Sarah), John (Stephanie) and Michael (Kady) and the many extended family, friends and football sons. .

The family would like to thank the wonderful doctors and nurses whose dedication allowed him to pursue a career that he loved, positively influence young people, and enjoy a full life with his cherished family. We would like to especially acknowledge the care that the family received from The Bird House Hospice Home of Johnson County.

Services celebrating Bob’s life will be held at 10 am Saturday, July 15, 2017, at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City (doors will open to the public at 9:15am). A time of fellowship and light refreshments will be held following these services at Hancher. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Porter SELF Foundation at sbpselffoundation.org. Also, please consider donating blood at RedCrossBlood.org or registering to donate organs and tissue at BeTheMatch.org or DonateLife.net. For an opportunity to share a thought, memory, prayer or condolence please go to the funeral home website at www.gayandciha.com.

West High Class of ’73 – Albuquerque Chapter

First off, a brief update on the Wilhite family. After two years in Anchorage, Alaska we moved to Baltimore in July 2013 where we lived for about a year. In 2014 we bought a home in Albuquerque and I returned to a former employer who had relocated to Milwaukee. I commuted between Milwaukee and Albuquerque for about a year. In April 2015, I returned to my former company in Anchorage, and have been commuting between there and Albuquerque. They are kind enough to let me work from home about half the year, so I make the commute “only” five times annually.
A few weeks ago, while I was up in Anchorage, my wife Sue (McLaughlin, Regina Class of ’77) was at a neighborhood party. She was chatting with a woman who had also moved to Albuquerque from Maryland a couple of years ago. Sue mentioned that she had grown up in Iowa City, and the other woman noted that her husband lived in Iowa City back in the 1970’s. Turns out her husband is our classmate Bob Cole, and they live about two blocks away! Talk about a small world.
Bob and I ran into each other a couple of weeks ago while out walking. We did some catching up and reminiscing about West High, our classmates and time in the band. We are looking forward to getting together again soon.

 All the best to everyone!

 Cheers!

Chris Wilhite