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Kurt Ludvick Haveman
Kurt passed away peacefully in Santa Cruz from complications of Parkinson Disease on Jan. 6, 2024, with Kit, his wife of 50 years by his side.
Kurt was born in Santa Monica, CA, close to the ocean and the only child of Dorothy and Victor Haveman. He and his mother later moved to Long Beach, CA. There he attended Wilson High School and graduated in 1955. Kurt then moved to Seal Beach to pursue all things ocean, fishing and diving for abalone and lobster on the CA coast, Catalina Island, and Mexico. He made a living as a Tiki carver and luau party host and began decorating local Polynesian bars and restaurants.
During the 60’s Kurt did 2 stints in the Army and came home to live in Hermosa Beach, Ca. He met Kit there while attending the local junior college in the early 70’s, and together they continued the theme restaurant business. They moved to Mendocino mountains on 100 acres for a short adventure and then came to Santa Cruz, where they bought a big rundown Victorian house and restored it.
Kurt and Kit began selling antiques in Santa Cruz at flea markets, Collectors Corner, and Modern Life. They then started their own shop in the 80’s: Mr. Goodies with partners that went on for almost 30 years.
He leaves behind 5 children: Hans, Niki, Jacob, Jonas, and Jamaica. Thay also had 10 grandchildren and 1-1/2 great grandchildren. Kurt had a long life of adventure, fun and love. He loved endless yard sales and flea markets, shopping and having interesting things to sell. A celebration of life was held on his 88th birthday.
10/10/25
Sue Ellen (Dikeman) Holleman
Thank you for the reunion news and headline events of 1955 when we graduated. I will look forward to hearing from Shari (Ballough) Penny about the event when she returns. Marcia (Swope) Foley also told me she enjoyed the reunion and seeing everyone there.
October has been busy here, so I have been out of touch, but all is well and I see my daughter and grandsons often. They live on the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, NC, and I live on the IntraCoastal Waterway across Wilmington from her area. I missed being there for the reunion but still love California and our friends.
10/17/25
Carol (Nelson) Thomas
Carol writes from southern Washington, "I want you to know that I'm still kicking and miss you guys."
10/18/25
Bruce Brown
Loretta (Hause) Elliott saw this posted on the Facebook group, "Growing up in Long Beach," and forwarded it so that we could remember our famous classmate, who passed away in 2017.
Bruce Brown, Wilson High Class of ’55, discovered his lifelong passion for surfing early - at just 11 years old, he was already paddling through Alamitos Bay on a ten-foot board. That same spirit followed him into the Navy, where he was stationed in Honolulu and began filming surfers with an 8mm camera. After his service, Brown briefly attended Long Beach City College before trading textbooks for a lifeguard tower in Long Beach.
His filmmaking career quickly gained momentum with Slippery When Wet (1958), Surf Crazy (1959), and Barefoot Adventure (1960). But it was The Endless Summer (1964) that redefined surf culture, turning Brown into a legend behind the lens. He later expanded his storytelling with On Any Sunday (1971), featuring Steve McQueen, and returned to the waves with his son Dana in The Endless Summer II (1994).
10/23/25
Carol (Young) Senske
The photo shows me with my daughters Dottie and Pam. Every year we take a different trip. Last year we took a Viking river trip from Paris to Prague.
This year we took a trip to Savannah, GA, and to Beaufort and Charleston, South Carolina. We visited a plantation where they had slave cabins. We learned all about how the slaves lived and worked. We stayed in a carriage house in Charleston. It was a very interesting and educational trip.
11/06/25
Elaine (Griffin) Montgomery
I have had a great life! I had three girls in 4 years but lost my oldest in 2004 at the age of 46. I then had a heart transplant in 2005 with a 32-year-old heart! I play bridge 5 days a week to keep my mind sharp, so I’ll probably live to be 100! I also played tennis and golf to keep busy. I lost my second husband, Bill, the love of my life, on Nov. 30, 2009, who died instantly of a heart attack. I miss him every day. I am in luck because my two daughters and families live in Huntington Beach, within 5-10 minutes from me, as do my grandkids! I have a wonderful life.
11/06/25
Bob Burr
Nikki (Alderson) Benson let us know that Bob recently had an accident when a swing chair failed and he went over backward, breaking a vertebra in his back.
He had surgery on it today, and it apparently went well. A rod was put along part of his spine.
11/13/25
Bob at the 70th
Bob at Wilson
Lynn Ivan Gee
We just received word from Nikki (Alderson) Benson that Lynn passed away today. He had been confined to a medical facility for several months. He suffered a heart attack some time ago on a flight almost halfway to Hawaii, which required the plane to return to the mainland. That led to heart surgery. He was also suffering with cancer.
