HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

KATHY COX TIMM

(This was also in Sunday's Gazette. In some good ways and some bad ways, it was a big day for Anamosa. It's hard to believe that Kathy has been gone almost a year. I saw her brother, Rob, the night we met Lisa Harms at Tyler and Downing and I saw Dave a week ago Sunday. Such an awesome family. Rest in peace, Kathy!!)


In Memory Of Kathy Cox Timm

11/23/63 - 12/8/07

Happy Birthday to our dear Kathy.

Words cannot express how much we miss you. —

Love,

Your family

WAY TO GO, CARLENE AND GARY!!

Happy Anniversary, Gary and Carlene (Pinney) Vavricek

25 years!!

11-26-08

(I was in Carlene and Gary's wedding 25 years ago and Carlene was in my first two weddings. I promised her I would never ask her to do it again!!)

Do you all have a funny story from Mr. Pinney's class? Remember how he used to give us hints on our state capitals tests? Such as, "Juneau the capital of Alaska?" Or "My aunt Helen is from this town in Montana." Or "The girls like all the BOYS from this capital in Idaho." Jean Reiter always got them all right. I hate her. I used to cheat off her because she sat right in front of me. Tee hee.

HOLY COW! 60 YEARS!

(Dean's folks celebrate their 60th anniversary today! Congratulations to Wesley and Ellyn's grandma and grandpa. I can't imagine living 60 years let alone being married that long!!! This is a recreation of the announcement that was in this past Sunday's Gazette.)

ANAMOSA, IA— Lavern and Marian Rickels will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. The former Marian Stoll and Lavern Rickels were married Nov. 25, 1948 at Sacred Heart Church in Monticello, IA.

The couple’s children are David and (Debra) Rickels, Cedar Rapids; Daniel and (Lynette) Rickels, Anamosa; (Jerry) and Diane Casper, Anamosa; Dean Rickels, Fairfax, IA; Dennis Rickels (deceased)(Elizabeth Rickels Ster), Center Point.

They have 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Cards may be sent to:

9461 215th Ave.,

Anamosa IA 52205.

GO AWAY!

Odie has total control of the heated garage and he was soooo not digging Lute and Lefse invading his turf, so he jumped onto my car and up on the open garage door to get the hell away from the two pests!!

#4

Was the professor a little hottie or what?? How did he ever make those radio batteries last all those years on that island??

Now........... without Googling the bastard or cheating...... does anyone know the Professor's name on the show and in real life???

I will be really impressed if someone guesses this one.

Then again, I didn't think anyone would get Peter Frampton either. But, Lisa (Harms) got it in no time - signed, sealed, delivered!

(Sorry, but I'm married to a mailman - it's our song.)

1,000th POST

Today's last post marked the 1,000th entry since the

blog started in September, 2006!!

Our newest - and most frequent - visitor is

from the Keystone AEA in Manchester and Iowa Telecom

in Strawberry Point. Do we have a classmate who

lives up there that we don't know about? If so, let us

know who you are so we can welcome you aboard!!!

MORE SAD NEWS....

It was brought to my attention this morning that Jon Day's father passed away on Saturday, November 22, 2008. You can click here to read his obituary in the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

You can send Jon an e-mail at this address: Copperdog@n-connect.net

Our deepest sympathies to Jon and his family.

HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY, SCOTT!

Scott's birthday was on Saturday, November 22 and I totally spaced it off AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope it was a good one, Scott!

#3

Back in the 1970's...

Who is this star all grown up??

JEL COMMERCIAL

Have you guys seen that commercial on TV that has brought national attention to Springville? You can click on this link to see it. Once you get through the introduction, click on the "JEL" tab on the right-hand side and then on the "Springville" video.

The picture on the homepage (after the intro) is of "Main Street" which is really Broadway Street in downtown Springville. I live right up the street on the right-hand side!!!

The gyst of the commercial is to pick towns with a population of approximately 1,200 people because statistics show that 1,200 people die every day from smoking.

#2

Here she is today...

How about this one?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy 68th birthday, Dad!!

CAN YOU GUESS? #1

Anyone know who this famous celebrity is?

Here she is now...

BENEFIT PICS

I stole some pics from my brother that were taken at Jeff's benefit on Sunday. Do you recognize all the 1980 class members?

As you can see from Lisa's message below, Jeff and Ruthie have a website through the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. It provides daily updates on Jeff's progress and allows you to leave a comment for Jeff and Ruthie.

The website is http://www.carepages.com/carepages/TEAMJEFFA. Check it out and leave some encouraging words!!

JEFF A. WEBPAGE

Hello, all.

Ruthie has asked me to forward Jeff's new "care page" address to everyone I have an address for, so here you go! She will update the page regularly so that we can all keep up with Jeff as he progresses through his treatment. Let's make this an active site for them and continue to show our support!

To everyone who was able to attend the benefit on Sunday or who was able to help in any way: THANK YOU! The full extent of how much it meant to Jeff, Ruthie, and the family....No words are big enough. Please pass on the care page address to anyone who might like to visit.

Have a good one,
Lisa

CAREPAGE FOR TEAM JEFFA http://www.carepages.com/carepages/TEAMJEFFA

MIKEY THE COLONEL!!!

Carron --

I cannot begin to tell you how hectic it's been since my redeployment. I was only back a week and had to spend last week in DC on business and can't wait for some things to slow down.

I received some unexpected & outstanding news last week......I was just selected for promotion to Colonel! That's right, Colonel! Since it came a year earlier than anticipated, it was totally unexpected and extremely humbling since only one or two folks get selected each year out of the hundreds competing. Obviously the stars were aligned correctly or some weird astrological/voodoo thing happened!

Looks like we will be back in Iowa from 20 Dec - 2/3 Jan! More to follow and I promise to give you a call.

Cheers,
Mike

JEFF'S FUNDRAISER

We went to Jeff A.'s fundraiser yesterday. The place was packed for five hours straight!

I talked to Jeff A. for quite some time and he is in such good spirits. He put it so well - he is an "optomistic realist" and said 5% of people with pancreatic cancer survive with no side effects so he might as well be one of that 5%, right? Let's keep saying our prayers for Jeff and his family.

Lisa did such a wonderful job of organizing everything. (The final tally hasn't been tabulated, but it was a biggie!) She and Brad even showed up wearing the exact same shirts!

The limestone bench was donated by Mike Deutmeyer and my mom had the highest bid!! Mike Coons was highest bidder on one of the footballs my dad had autographed by Kirk Ferentz.

I ran into a bunch of classmates and even more from the class of '80. Below is a photo of Dave and crazy Mike.

HAWKS WIN!

We went to the Iowa-Purdue game this past Saturday. Not sure either team deserved to win, but sure glad we did!! It was a nail-biter there at the end!

EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

I got me a couple early Christmas presents Friday night!! Have you ever seen anything cuter? We named them Lutefisk and Lefse (you Norwegians out there know what that means.) Lute is the yellow male and Lefse is the black female. They are brother and sister - 7 weeks old.

OUR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER

Here is a picture of my daughter, Ellyn, and her daddy, Dean, at Homecoming this past September. I know it's late in coming, but at least it's not a picture of me!!!!!! And, besides, it was sent to me by a "classmate."

MRS. DIERKS

While reading about Shellie's father passing away, I noticed on the Goettsch website that Mrs. Dierks passed away on October 15th.

Was she like the best teacher ever or what? Who of you out there had her??

You can click here to read her obit on the Goettsch site.

SAD NEWS

I just read in the Sunday Gazette that Shellie Heims' father passed away this past Thursday. You can read his obituary by clicking on this link.

You can send Shellie an e-mail at this address:
esch724003@aol.com

Our sympathies and condolensces to Shellie and her family.

"TEAM JEFF A" SHIRTS

Hello.

We are ordering "Team Jeff A" shirts to wear to the benefit or to purchase even if you are unable to attend that day. The shirts will be white with purple print; purple is the color designated to those fighting pancreatic cancer. They are $10 each.

As of now, Jeff isn't aware of the shirts, and we'd like to keep it quiet until the benefit day in order to surprise him.

If you are interested in ordering a shirt(s), please contact Deb Zumbach at her home e-mail address, which is azumbach@soli.inav.net. We'll also have shirts available for purchase and/or order the day of the benefit.

As always, please feel free to forward this e-mail to whomever you see fit. Hope to see you Sunday the 16th at Wapsi Country Club (note the location change).

Lisa Williams

MESSAGE FROM BRENDA

Hi Carron,

It's been a while since I was able to catch up on the Anamosa 81 site. I used to read it almost every day!!

You have certainly given all of us a wonderful way to keep in touch and connected through these past couple of years! Outstanding, Amazing, Faithful, True, Caring and Giving, Generous, are just a few of the words to describe someone as Special as YOU for all of the time, effort, organization, phone calls, online-time, (and all of the rest of the things that I am forgetting).

You are an Inspirational Gift, a Motivator, and a Friend with no end, to me and to all of our Anamosa Class of '81! Because of you, memories and reminiscing, seeing and being, and finding and knowing, that no matter how much time passes, our classmates, are still so very accepting of each and every individual one of us, no matter how "crazy" we are, and just as much (or more) a part of our lives as they were way back in 1981.

You, my girl, have been such a Blessing, in more ways than you could ever imagine, to more people than I'm sure you'll ever realize. I, for one, am so grateful for your never-ending energy and enthusiasm. It's been so much fun! I wish I had something more to give you than just a "THANK YOU"! Be sure to keep in touch, as you enjoy your newly married life.

Love ya,
Brenda

FUNDRAISER FOR JEFF AHRENDSEN

Hello. I'm contacting you today with both sadness and hope. Recently, Jeff Ahrendsen has been diagnosed with Stage II pancreatic cancer. He has been doctoring and has not been able to work since September 11.

He has a long, but hopeful road ahead of him. He is slated to soon begin radiation and chemo to reduce the size of a tumor which has attached itself to a major artery. After this course, his doctors will determine if they can, at that point, go in and remove that tumor.

Jeff will be seeing doctors at the University of Iowa and probably also out of state. He will have travel expenses to cover above and beyond his regular living expenses. He, Ruthie, and the kids need our help, support, prayers, and love.

Please attend the benefit for Jeff:
Sunday, November 16,
12:00 - 4:00
Wapsi Country Club

Food will be available, so please come for lunch or an early supper. A goodwill donation will be accepted for your plate. In addition, a raffle and/or silent auction will be held to benefit the family.

Tickets are 6 for $5.00; these will be available at the door. Several items will be up for the winning.

Please consider helping this family; these people would be first in line to help any of us!

You could help in any of several ways:

Cards and donations may be sent directly to Jeff at the address at the end of this e-mail, and I would also be happy to collect them and get them to the family.

Donations for the raffle and/or silent auction will be welcomed. Please call me (Lisa Williams) at 462-3020 to make arrangements for pick up.

Also needed are donations of paper plates, plastic silverware, napkins, and plastic cups.

Desserts and salads are needed for the meal.

If you would like to make something, please contact Lois Terrell at 462-3356. It would be nice if she had a count by the Wednesday before the benefit.

Attend the benefit. Come, visit with the family, and offer your support. Jeff, Ruthie, Dakota, Kenner, and Dalton need us.

One more thing: please forward this e-mail! I have limited e-mail addresses, but it would be great if everyone in Anamosa and surrounding areas received this!

We all know how hard both Ruthie and Jeff would work on a benefit cause for one of us, so if we all work as hard for them, this benefit will be a great success!

Hope to see you on Sunday the 16th! Jeff's address is below...

Thanks,
Lisa Heitland Williams

Jeff's address:

Jeff Ahrendsen
PO Box 443
Morley, IA 52312

I just wanted to tell you what last night meant to me. I have never been so moved in all my life. I watched TV from sun-up to sun-up! I could not go to sleep.

Then, this morning on TV, I saw MLK, Jr., giving his "I Have A Dream" speech and, again, I was moved to tears. I am a white and lower-middle-class and I was brought to tears.

For me, this is a historic day because, never in my lifetime, did I ever think I would see an African-American in the White House. Sad, but true. I always thought and hoped we had come further than that, but never believed it until last night. This is all about making the unbelievable come true more than about policy or politics.

I don't care if you're black, white, gay, straight, Democrat, Republican, rich or poor. I just hope you all love America and being an American. I know there are lots of us who were not so proud to be an American the past eight years. I know there are lots of us who do not want endorse Obama now or admit to being an American because of his being elected. All I hope is that we can all come together.

Please afford me the opportunity to expound a little on MLK's speech. I sincerely hope that the children I know will not be judged on who they sleep with, where they go to church, the size of their wallet, who they vote for, the color of their skin, or the news channel they watch! I want my children, and myself, to be judged on how they treat other people (and by the content of their character - which is in direct correlation to how they treat other people.)

I am, obviously, a Democrat. I just hope that EVERYONE will give their perspective, either in a comment or an e-mail to you, and share how they feel because I know you will share all points of view. I know you're frustrated with the blogsite, but it CAN be a way for all of us to come together. And, we are just a small little group of people from little ol' Anamosa, Iowa.

MESSAGE FROM MARIBETH

You have done a great job and I will miss hearing from you, I check in on the site at least 4-5 times a week, It's just become part of my day, I guess, and I will send pics of the Moores!!

Big news, Kevin has enlisted in the United States Army, he leaves December 30th. I have been pretty brave but as the months have passed I'm getting a little weepy, this is my baby boy. We are very proud of him but will miss him deeply, he's ready to go, he would leave now but he's going to finish this semester.

Call me sometime and we'll get together!!

So who do you think it'll it be? I'm sure hoping for the big O, can't take another 4 years like the last!!