If you have trouble using the email program that comes up after clicking on one of the classmate email buttons, just hold your cursor over the button and the address should be shown somewhere on your screen that you can write down and use in your own email program.
Marlene (Shimmings) Suval
I received a wonderful 86th birthday gift from my husband Bill. He presented me with a 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line leaving out of Galveston, Texas on February 25. I was also surprised by my son and daughter-in-law who also traveled with us.
A marvelous trip was had by all. Now it’s my turn. I have booked another Caribbean cruise to the Bahamas in September for Bill’s birthday.
Also, I am finally a great grandmother. I was beginning to think this would never happen in my lifetime. So, they have come all at once. I have 2 great-granddaughters and 4 great-grandsons. Unfortunately, three of the boys are in So. California and one in Florida.
My two great-granddaughters are here in Texas, just 2 hours away. How precious they all are!
I hope everyone has an awesome and wonderful summer.
Always,
Marlene 03/09/24
Bill Thein
I want to let you know that I am alive and well after a bout with cancer two years ago. Everything is okay, and I just keep on going.
03/11/24
Mary (Henderson) Rasmussen
Alive and as well as can be expected at almost 86. March 17th is the day.
03/11/24
Mike Hearons
Here is a poem from our limerick-writing classmate who refers to this as "The Joys of Getting Old."
A pot belly sneaks up on you.
One morning, you wake up and -- BOO!
Your flat tummy's gone.
You bulge from then on,
Much like a rhino at the zoo.
03/11/24
George Loren Davis
Jack Quinn let us know today of the passing of George on March 20, 2024. He had struggled for a long time, having to go through multiple amputations to both legs before he passed away.
03/12/24
Glenda (Farrell) Nicholas Linda (Farrell) Burcombe
DOD 02/18/19 DOD 06/10/22
We received a nice, informative email from Glenda's daughter, Julie, who let us know about the deaths of these twin sisters, both passing away at home.
Linda's husband, Peter, was from the Wilson class of 1954 and passed away in 2013. He was a Long Beach police officer for 28 years. Glenda's husband, Ken, is still living in Murrieta, CA, and enjoys keeping up with our class through our website.
Some of you will remember these two classmates who attended several of our class reunions with a group of high school friends known as the "Tonda Girls."
03/12/24
George Cleaver
I am still here. Today is my 87th birthday (March 9). My wife and I have been busy with our family. One of the grandsons that lived with us since 4th grade was here and wanted to see all the homes we lived in at Long Beach. He is 25 now. We took him on a tour of the homes and then the city. Had a snack at Jo Jost, ate lunch at Domenico's, toured downtown and Belmont Shore. It seems that we are always busy. I am still very grateful for our website. I can't imagine there is a better reunion team or classmate website anywhere in the world.
03/12/24
Sue Ellen (Dikeman) Holleman)
No particular news from me. I do talk with Merideth (Green) Wiberg and Marcia (Swope) Foley.
I am still adjusting at Trinity Landing in Wilmington, NC, a new and lovely senior community on the IntraCoastal Waterway. My cavalier, Maverick, and I walk to the dock almost every day; one way looks to Wrightsville Beach and the other way to the Cape Fear River, which leads to Bald Head Island and Southport.
I have been helping my daughter, Erin, move into her new home in a community called Riverlights on the Cape Fear River. She is taking some of the furniture and china from my downsizing. Her new home has a "Casita" that guests (and I) can use to spend the night occasionally. My grandsons, Aidan and Ryan, are adjusting to their new high school, where they are both in ROTC. It is nice to live near them now.
There are many activities to do here, as well as dining. I have met many new friends and my sister-in-law, Pat, lives nearby also. She is a potter and sells her pottery in a gallery in historic downtown Wilmington.
Wilmington is a port city like Long Beach, and there are many cargo ships that use the Cape Fear River to go there.
Spring seems to be on the way and the yellow Carolina Jasmine is blossoming. I wish each of you classmates a good Spring, and please know that I think of you with good wishes.
Cheers, Sue Ellen 03/12/24
Kent [Boley] Lueb
Last Sunday, we celebrated the one-week birthday of our newest great-grandchild. Yesterday (Mar. 11), we were surprised to hear that two other great-grandchildren are on their way, one in The Netherlands and one just down the street from us. Wow, we're a little overwhelmed! The one in Europe is from our youngest son, and the one here locally is a sister-in-law of the mother of the one-week-old one. We will now have 3
grandchildren, with 3 children each, and one grandchild with two adopted siblings, which will give us 11 great-grandchildren. Now, the last point of interest: the newest birth was on the third of March (3/3). Her two brothers were born on 4/4 and 9/9.
03/12/24
Marlene Shimmings Betty Vital Mary Jane Hyland
Donna (Willmon) Davis
All is good in Orange County and living the good life in beautiful California. I am still working a bit. Design keeps changing, so I am called to freshen up beautiful homes. I love what I can do.
03/12/24
Charles Cross
I regret to advise you that during Jan. and Feb. this year, I have experienced increasing pain in various locations in my body. After several CT scans and blood tests, my doctors have confirmed that I have advanced cancer of my pancreas and nearby organs. It is considered Stage 4 and is not operable.
My doctor has advised there little they can do except try to maintain comfort, so I am now in Hospice care.
03/12/24
Gary Ball
Hey, I want you to know that even with one leg, I'm still kicking, though my kicking target needs to be cooperative, or I land on my Poly Hi and I need some Wilson guys to get me back up. As you can see, it has not affected my twisted sense of humor. When you reach our age, you do not complain about the cards you are dealt, you just appreciate that you are still in the game.
I am working as hard now as I did in my twenties. Truthfully, I think the challenge is what keeps me going.
Gary attached a "white paper" on his latest technical project about landing airplanes. Email him for a copy.
03/12/24
George's son, Mark, sent the following note about his dad:
I've been the voice for my father over the past year when he became ill and was residing back and forth between hospitals and skilled nursing centers. His death was somewhat of a shock since he was making progress at the time.
I know he missed staying in touch with the group. It was a tough year for him, especially losing his wife, Pat in March 2023. He had surgery the day following her death and unfortunately was never able to return home. But his spirits were pretty good under the circumstances. I visited him 3-4 days a week and made a point of speaking with him every day.
03/13/24
Ed Diliberto
Greetings and salutations! Well, I am still in excellent health, keeping in shape for skiing. After Evelyn's passing, I sold our house to one of our granddaughters and her family and retired to a retirement village in Sonora, CA. The ski resort (Dodge Ridge) is 40 minutes away. I always ski with one of our daughters who lives nearby. Intellectually and spiritually, I'm working on my "finals," believing that this worldly life is a very brief stage of our existence.
03/20/24
Karl Dale Dreher
Faye (Pearson) Dreher provided most of the following information about her husband, and fellow classmate, Karl, who passed away in Colorado on July 24, 2023.
Karl was very active in sports and student government in high school, being the Senior Class President, president of Aces Fraternity and the Wingfoot track club. He was a member of the All-City Track Team.
He graduated from Occidental College in 1959, was married to Faye in 1961, and obtained his PhD in physical chemistry from Tulane University in 1965. He worked for Marathon Oil for his whole career.
He developed serious medical problems about four years before he passed away, including having part of one kidney removed and struggling with severe neuropathy in his feet.
03/21/24
Carol (Nelson) Thomas
Boy does time pass by! Well, January 6 we had my husband Gary's celebration of life at our church with about 80 people attending from all walks of life: Bible study guys, friends we knew 20-30 years ago, and people who drove and flew from far away. Our pastor said, "This guy was amazing in all the things in his life he did. Let's give him some applause!"
Our family of 4 kids and 6 grandkids from South Carolina, Alaska, New York, California, Oregon, and Dublin, Ireland. It was a wonderful time with so many sharing what Gary had done for them.
03/21/24
Donna (McLeod) McNabb
We continue to live happily in Cedar City, Utah. The big change is my health. Heart failure, but my arteries are open and good. The heart is just old and tired. I am under good cardiac care, using the four pillars of heart care.
The doctors are positive, but we all know I'm 86 and 1/2! We will enjoy our 5 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. We just move slowly. I'll plant my stand-alone garden, do some things in the Shakespeare Festival (standing quietly at a door), and rock in my rocker in the back yard. Sounds good to me!
03/27/24
Pat (White) Strobel
Well, I am alive and still kicking but not doing much! The exciting news is that I went to Trader Joe's today, all the way to South Salem, Oregon! We don't have one here in Keizer (north of Salem), so it is a definite must every so often.
My great-great-granddaughters turn 4 next month, which is unbelievable. They are still the cutest and smartest identical girls ever born. They go to preschool, and in addition to their dog and two kittens, they have two ferrets, which they are crazy about.
I go to the gym 3 times a week with my neighbor, and on Wednesdays we have coffee there with a friend who graduated in '55 just like all of us. She will celebrate 69 years of marriage this year. Holy Cow! Are we that old?!
My other big news is that I have had to become a Dodger fan since my favorite Angel, Shohei Ohtani, became one. So now, I will be following both teams!
03/26/24
Steve Callahan
Well, everything is good with Karen and me. The first of June we’re looking forward to a twelve-day cruise to Alaska. My health is holding up since my heart surgery in 2017. I am still playing golf once a week, in fact, I shot an 84 a few weeks back, which included a hole in one.
We have eight grandchildren, three of which have graduated from different universities, three more still in college, and two in high school, eager to continue their education. I’ll turn 87 in three weeks and feel fortunate that I’ve made it this far and am able to continue doing the things I enjoy. I wish you all well.
04/08/24
Frank Haroldson
I continue to miss my best buddy Jim Beasley who died in Dec. 2016. I am hanging on at 87 and have lots of Wilson memories and the cute SFO girls!
04/08/24
Bette Fineman
What am I doing? Not much. After 50 years of flying, I don't own any more airplanes. After my husband, Jonathan Fineman, passed on, I sold our house on a private airport in Arizona, sold our planes, and moved to Washington, where several of my children live and work.
My oldest son, Rob Bach, retired from American Airlines back east, and he still flies. My eldest daughter, Kristel, lives in Germany. I lived on a waterfront near the edge of Canada for 6 years and am now in a senior retirement place. The people here are friendly, mostly over 80, and call me "the pilot." One lady grew up in Long Beach and her brother attended our beloved school. My first husband, Richard Bach, lives in Oregon and remembers our school where we met.
Life marches on. 04/08/24
Mike Hearons
Hey, I am still exasperated about the non-reaction to my suggestion that my fellow grads join me in singing the praises of teachers at Wilson who were special for them. Does this mean that none of those former high-schoolers had a fave teacher at dear old Wilson? I find that hard to believe!
I was really impressed by lots of Wilson teachers during my 3 years there. Several come to mind: Mrs. March, my biology teacher; Mr. Gibbs, my English teacher; Mr. Raney, my American history teacher (a real ball of fire who walked around the classroom, firing questions at individual students); and, of course, dear Frau Burchard, who received the first Golden Apple award for excellence in teaching at our alma mater.
04/08/24
Gary Ball
Hey, you never get an input from Gary Bane. Let me tell you, he is living the good life in his house overlooking the ocean in Santa Barbara. He has had a knee replacement and is in rehab, getting back to normal.
Nothing new with me, and I prefer to keep it that way. But I want to thank the cow that donated a heart valve replacement for me. It was an uncreditable, minimum-invasive procedure. The medical treatment down here in greater Houston is quite good.
