More band news from Phoenix’s Favorite 50’s Group! September 7, 2011 would have been Buddy Holly’s 75th birthday and “Come Back Buddy” will be attending the ceremony in Hollywood where he will receive post humuously(finally) his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (next to the Beatles!). We will be headlining that evening at the World Famous Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood (with a bunch of other bands). Should be a hoot. Any L.A. area classmates are invited to come out and celebrate with us!
On another note, Walt Osborne and I recently got together when he was in Phoenix on business. Always good to re-live old adventures a couple of times a year when he is in town!
Also, our daughter, Nicole, was recently married here in Phoenix and Karen (Davis) Liebold and husband Chuck flew down from Des Moines for the wedding. We hope to reciprocate in September for their youngest daughter!
The summer is over half done here in God’s country…which means only 2 more months of 100 degree heat!!!
John “Jack” D. Waite Jr., 85, of Coralville passed peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on Saturday, July 2, 2011.
The family will greet friends from 1 to 3pm Sunday, July 10th at Lensing’s Oak Hill in Coralville. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, Iowa City Hospice and the Coralville Public Library.
Jack was born January 8, 1926 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin the son of John D. Waite Sr. and Ruth E. Grow. He was a graduate of Iowa State University and married E. Jeanne Azbill in Waterloo, IA on July 19, 1952.
Jack began a career in farm management after college then owned a number of businesses in the Iowa City area including Waite-Thompson Transfer and co-owner of Comer’s Pipe and Gift before establishing a career with Iowa Realty where he practiced commercial real estate for the past 25 years.
Jack was an avid reader and liked nothing more than spending time with family and friends.
The family extends their appreciation to Dr.Mark Karwal and the staff at UIHC and Iowa City Hospice.
Jack is survived by his wife Jeanne and their five children, Sandra L. Waite (Keith Riden) of Ankeny, John D. Waite III of Overland Park, KS, Janet L. (Mark) Behlke of Coralville, Steven B. (Karen) Waite of Johnston and James D. Waite of Lenexa, KS; four grandchildren, Allyson, Adam “AJ”, Kristen, Stephanie; his brother Robert (Rita) Waite of Winston-Salem, NC, sister-in-law Marcia (Bob)Bunn ,Clear Lake, IA, and brother-in-law Larry Watson, Minneapolis, MN.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents and infant daughter, Susan.
Julie and I just returned from our trip to the UK and it was amazing. We spent 5 days in Ireland, 6 days in London and 4 days in Scotland. From the time we arrived until we flew home I think we only stopped to sleep. We crammed in as much as we could and did virtually everything we had planned and probably a whole lot more.
Since it was our first trip across the ocean we were pretty much in awe of so much and the highlights were many. We loved the history we encountered and the people we met were just so friendly it was hard to return. If I was to pick a can’t miss place, it would have to be the Westminister Abbey. The building, the history and the artifacts are almost indescribable. We spent several hours there just looking and reading about the individuals entombed. Over time we have read and seen pictures of many of these places but to see them live and up close is a whole other dimension.
We received several letters from class members as to things to do and some of them we did. Scotch whisky tour. Boat ride on the Thames, Ring of Kerry, pub hopping to name a few. Each country we visited was unique and hard to compare to the others. The scenic beauty of South Ireland was so much different than the scenic wonders of the Scottish Highlands. London was just so filled with historical things that all we did was visit museums and followed our noses. We walked many miles and never tired of the old building and wondering what their original purpose was and when it was built. It is so hard to imagine how these building were constructed in the 1300’s, 1400’s and on and still survive. Here in South Florida buildings over 30 years old are just bulldozed for a newer one.
The Moores at the Henge
Probably the most disappointing part of our trip was a day tour to Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and Bath. The tour was all day but the stops at the locations was brief with very little time to soak up and enjoy the stop. Stonehenge was much smaller than expected and it was roped off about 50 yards from the monument.
Well all for now. For those never having taken a trip of this nature, it was well worth the expense, memories never to be forgotten.
I spent last week in Iowa (Washington) with my Mom who is in the United Presbyterian Homes…She “celebrated” her one year anniversary there. My wife and son and I sneaked in a takeout meal from KFC for her celebration! … We spent that Sunday evening in a good ole southern baptist style church that blew our hearing out with their volume of worship…(by the way, they said, the Lord is welcome back anytime …!) *with a loud chorus of Amens and Hallelujahs.
I wanted to let you know that Ted’s father passed away on Mothers Day at the young age of 91. (Walter Hershberger) He was in a nursing home for only 4 months. The obit was in the local Press Citizen on Thursday May 12th. It is just fine if you would like to share this information with our class mates.
— Laura Reddick Hershberger
Here is his father’s obituary, offered to celebrate the life of a wonderful man:
Walter Hershberger, 91, passed away on Sunday, May 8, 2011, at Genesis Medical Center, West Campus, Davenport, after a brief illness.
He was born July 4, 1919, near Kalona, Iowa, to Chancy and Mary (Yoder) Hershberger.
He married Betty Marie Brenneman on November 23, 1941. Together, they farmed many years and raised four children. In retirement years they enjoyed winters in Arizona.
He is survived by his children, Donna (Robert) Fredericks of Wickenburg, Ariz., Rose Hershberger of Davenport, Rita (Roger) Hoffman of East Peoria, Ill., and Ted (Laura) Hershberger of Coralville, Iowa; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Betty in 1999, and five siblings.
Bonnie (Tappan) Weldon wrote to let us know that Missi’s mother had passed away.
Here is her mother’s obituary, offered as a tribute to a wonderful woman:
Janey Strub
Elizabeth Jane “Janey” (O’Brien) Strub, 79, of Iowa City died Tuesday afternoon, May 10, 2011, at Mercy Hospital after battling a long illness.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30am, Friday May 13, 2011 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with Father John Spiegel officiating. Visitation will be held at Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service on Thursday, May 12 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Burial will be at St. Joseph’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Mercy Hospital Foundation or DVIP.
Janey is survived by her husband of 57 years, Carl F. “Bud” Strub, Jr. and her six children: Mary Jane Strub, Milford, PA; Carl F. “Trip” Strub III (Ellen), Iowa City; Sean O. Strub, New York City; Thomas J. Strub (Monica), Iowa City; Mary Gilbey Strub, London, England; and Mary Megan Strub (Len Van Tassell), Jersey City, NJ.
She is also survived by her brother, Dr. James O’Brien (Patricia), Dubuque; and six grandchildren: Lt. Kelsey Strub, USAF, Los Angeles, CA; Joseph Strub, Francis Strub and Sarah Strub, all of Iowa City and Henrik and Olivia Van Tassell, Jersey City, NJ. She was the beloved aunt of 30 nieces and nephews including the Gallagher, O’Brien, Flake, and Hurst families on Janey’s side and the Swaner, Norgaard, and Fitzgibbons families on Bud’s side. Janey was preceded in death by her parents, three sisters Margaret O”Brien Hurst, Kathleen O’Brien Gallagher and Mary Ellen O’Brien Flake, and infant grandson AJ.
Janey Strub was born in Ft. Dodge, Iowa on January 9, 1932, the youngest of five children. She was the daughter of James A. O’Brien, a prominent businessman in Ft. Dodge and Mary Eva Dempsey O’Brien originally of Van Horne. At the age of two during the depths of the Great Depression, she and her siblings were orphaned and she spent her earliest years in the care of the Sisters of Mercy in Cedar Rapids. She also attended Villa des Chantelles boarding school in Rock Island, IL as well as Sinsinawa boarding school in Sinsinawa, WI. Janey graduated from Iowa City High School in 1949 and went on to Barat College in Lake Forest, IL where she graduated in 1953 with a degree in education.
Janey and Bud were high school sweethearts and they began dating when Janey invited Bud to a Sadie Hawkins dance. Seven years later, they married on October 7, 1953 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Iowa City. The focus of Janey’s active life was always her husband and extended family. When her children were young, she was widely known as the “Happy Witch” for her “magical” Halloween appearances at Lincoln Elementary School, Children’s Hospital and Sycamore Mall. She entertained the children dressed as a witch, but always, a happy, friendly one. Janey also worked at University Hospitals as a volunteer “patient” helping train medical students in the art of bedside manners. Over the years, the Strub household has always been a gathering place for children and adults alike with Janey’s openness and sense of whimsy filling the lives of those who knew her. She supported a number of charities particularly St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the local Cancer Society, the Domestic Violence Intervention Program and a variety of HIV/AIDS causes.
Janey was also a local fixture at Lake Okoboji taking the children to spend summers at the family cottage, which has been a Strub family tradition for more than 50 years. Those summer days on the lake were some of her favorite times.
In recent years, Janey and Bud spent several months a year on Marco Island, FL where they enjoyed a wide network of friends as they have done in Iowa City for more than six decades. Janey loved to travel especially to Ireland, home of the O’Brien clan, her pride and joy, and where she journeyed several times over the years. She was also a talented artist known for her whimsical drawings and paintings that she shared with family and many friends.
Janey Strub was an extraordinary woman of imagination and caring who always lived her life with a twinkle in her eye and who overcame a difficult childhood to become a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend to so many. She will be missed.
Ruth (Jurgens) Noth wrote to let us know that Janet’s father had passed away.
Here is her father’s obituary, offered as a tribute to a wonderful man:
Don Riley
Donald J. Riley 88 of North Liberty died peacefully Sunday, March 13, 2011 at Mercy Hospice in Iowa City.
Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, Iowa City with Rev. David Conrad officiating. Burial with Military Honors will be held at Memory Gardens. Visitation will be Tuesday from 5 to 7pm at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Iowa City Hospice or Mercy Hospital Foundation for Mercy Hospice.
Don was born October 30, 1922 in Crawfordsville, Iowa, the son of William and Lura Harrison Riley. He was raised in Crawfordsville and was a graduate of Wyman High School. He served in the US Army during World War II. On June 2, 1951 Don married Dolores McClintock in Mt. Pleasant. They moved to North Liberty in 1964. Don was a contractor and had built apartment buildings and homes in the Iowa City and North Liberty area. In 1986 he retired from US West where he was a building specialist.
Don was a member of the North Liberty American Legion, Telephone Pioneers and the Tuesday Night group. He enjoyed time spent with his family and beautifying his yard. Don had received awards from the City of North Liberty for his yards “curb appeal”.
Don is survived by his wife Dolores and their four children, Jerry J. Riley of Houston, TX, Janet M. (Robert) Morton of Iowa Falls, Dennis D. Riley and Mark W. Riley, both of North Liberty; three grandchildren, Meagan and Nick Morton, both of Ankeny and Thomas Riley of North Liberty.Online condolences and memories may be shared at www.lensingfuneral.comIn lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Iowa City Hospice or Mercy Hospital Foundation for Mercy Hospice. A video tribute to Don’s life can be seen by clicking this link.
Bonnie (Tappan) Weldon wrote to let us know that Kathy’s father had passed away.Here is her father’s obituary, offered as a tribute to a wonderful man:
Christian Elmer Schrock
Christian Elmer Schrock, M.D., 90, died peacefully Saturday, January 29, 2011 at his home in Iowa City.
Dr. Schrock was born to Elmer C. and Emmy Voelckers Schrock in Iowa City on March 8, 1920. He attended the Iowa City public schools, graduating from Iowa City High School in 1938. He received a B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1942 and then an M.D. degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine. After an internship at Cleveland Metropolitan Hospital and military service in the U.S. Navy, he took residency training in Internal Medicine at University Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City. He was in private medical practice in Iowa City from 1950 to 1997, founding the Towncrest Internal Medicine group practice.
He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dorothy, and five children: C. Gerald (Mary) Schrock of Minneapolis, MN; Sara Schrock (Steve) Dallman of Denver, CO; C. Daniel (Mishell) Schrock of Providence, RI; Mrs. Paul Olin of Golden Valley, MN; and Margie (Larry) Nelson of West Des Moines, IA; 12 grandchildren; five great grandchildren; and his sister Margaret Alton Herr of Iowa City.
Membership in professional organizations included the American College of Physicians, American College of Chest Physicians, American Heart Association, Johnson County Medical Society (past president), American Medical Association, Phi Beta Kappa, AOA Honor Medical Society, Rotary Club, and the Iowa City High School Hall of Fame.
Public offices held included Board of Directors of the Iowa City Chamber of Commerce, Iowa City Airport Commission, Board of Directors of Mercy Hospital and Board of Directors of Oaknoll Retirement Home.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, February 5, at Zion Lutheran Church, 310 N. Johnson, Iowa City, at 3:00 p.m. preceded by a visitation at the church at 2:00 p.m. A reception and dinner will follow at the University Club, 1360 Melrose Avenue, Iowa City. Online condolences may be sent to his family through the web @ www.gayandciha.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Mercy Hospital Foundation, 500 East Market Street, Iowa City, IA 52245 or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 5444 NW 96th Street, Johnston, IA 50131.
Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in caring for Christian’s family and his services.
I always love getting your e-mail with the class updates. I really appreciate your work in keeping us all up to date. I thought to day it has been a long time since i have sent an update so thought I would.
Oldest son, Josh and his wife Michelle are expecting their 4th child. I have enjoyed being a grandparent, though it sure sounds old saying that. My youngest son, Ben is coming upon his first wedding anniversary and working on getting his masters in health care. He is aspiring to be my boss! My oldest daughter, Elizabeth is graduating from ISU this May as well as getting married two weeks later. Emilie, my 19 year old is working full time at Homesteaders LIfe, taking some classes at DMAAC and hoping to enroll in ultrasound tech school next Fall and unfortunately still struggling with her eating disorder. Then there is my 13 year old Meghan who is in 7th grade and involved in about everything one can get signed up for.
My step-mother died from a chronic illness two weeks ago. I just spent a week with my dad, keeping him company while he adjusts to being in his home alone. We had a wonderful time talking for hours about things we have never talked about. It was a great connect. It does seem true that it takes pain to create strength in relationships. I am sure I will be spending more time with him than I ever have before.
My wife, Gayle has just finished her training in personal and family coaching. She is hoping to start a business coaching others to be all that they want to be personally.
My hobby of photography has become a passion. It started with that West HIgh School class in photography that stirred my interest. However, college, Medical school and career crowded out pursuing it any further. I picked it up again about five years ago by purchasing a digital SLR camera. It has since become a way for me to highlight beauty that I would not otherwise have noticed. LIfe has become a lot more of living in the moment, keeping aware of all that is around me, noticing all the beauty around me. Not only have i seen it in the landscape around me, but also in the interior of people I rub shoulders with day in and day out. Check out my new website: www.larrylindellphotography.com. I hope you enjoy it.
Attached is a picture of all my children at my younger son’s wedding.
From left to right are: Meghan, Emilie, Ben, Elizabeth and Josh.
Some across-the-generations Class news I thought was amusing:
My daughter is a Social Worker. I get a text from her yesterday, “Where did you used to sit in the Commons area at West High?”
Odd question – right? She said she was now working with a new-to-their agency social worker. The two got to talking and Jen (my daughter) mentioned how she lived in Iowa City when she was first born and the other social worker said she had graduated from high school there – West High class of ’73. Turns out Jen is now working along with Georgia Berry. What a small world, huh?
Cute story – feel free to share if you want.Hope this finds you and your family well.
