A. B. BARTHLE NEWSLETTER (1995)

Welcome to the 1995 Newsletter for
the A. B. Barthle family!

Front cover

TRIBUTE TO DAVID

While many of you have known our friend and relative David Carr for longer than I have and surely have additional memories to share, there are, however, a few key points that I will always remember when I think of David.

As a patriot who absolutely loved the good old U.S.A., David was proud of his military service, the various duty stations in the U.S., Europe, and Viet Nam. He wore his battle injuries with pride, may have bored you with many war stories and he reveled in military retirement, As a civilian, he worked most recently with Hillsborough County.

One of the most impressive aspects of David was the fierce pride he took in his family. He enjoyed spending time with his dad, he loved Connie and considered their marriage his greatest accomplishment. Did you ever hear David brag about his and Connie's children? He always carried a wallet full of kid pictures and gladly shared them. David just beamed as he talked of Mary, Joe, Jerry, Kathy and each of their accomplishments. As time passed, weddings and grandchildren blessed us and David's photo-album wallet thickened, as did his chest. Yes, he had a lot to be proud of.

Oh, I'll remember that he loved his recliner, television, sports, hats and the Braves, but mostly I'll imagine that David's big grin is waiting to tell us how he got to heaven before us!

David, We love you and will miss you! Jack Higgins (Brother-in-law)
OUR MOTHER
JOAN BARTHLE PETTERS OUR MOTHER JOAN BARTHLE JOAN PETTERS

BY(Mike, Bernie, Tim, Suzi, Dean, and Brian)
It would be impossible to capture all of the ways our Mother has loved us. Like most mothers, she has nurtured, taught, consoled, and supported each of us in ways too numerous to count. Yet if there is one word that most captures Mom's approach to life, it is passion. Mom's world was always fairly clear-cut: if something was not important to her, she would not even waste the energy to make a half-hearted attempt; however, if something was important to her, she would pursue it with every ounce of her strength.

And if it was important to us, no mater what it was, it was important to Mom.

For instance, she didn't just watch football to be polite. She learned football as well as any TV analyst, and could hold her own in any trivia contest.

She didn't just teach us how to ski. She would take us to the lake every day and pull us and our friends for hours at a time.

And when it came time for collage, she insisted that we go out of state in order to experience life on our own to the fullest extent. But most of all, she showed us each day what it meant to be a full partner with someone in all of life's challenges. She shared in every aspect of Dad's life, from hunting and fishing, to "complete grove and pasture service."

It is most unfortunate that there is no military honor guard today, because Mom has served this country with more vigor and in more places than anyone we know:
* In the midst of riot patrols on the streets of Miami,
* At the artillery ranges at Camp Blanding,
* On patrol several hundred feet beneath the North Atlantic,
* Over the South Pacific,
* In the skies of the Midwest,
* In the deserts of Saudi Arabia,
* In the design of tomorrow's space plane, and
* In teaching tomorrow's leaders the lessons of yesterday.

Nothing exceeded Mom's intense pride in our six college degrees(including two masters degrees) and six officer commissions until her seven grandchildren came along. She nurtured them with love from both near and far and revelled in the triumphs of their growth.

Mom's passion for the joys of life around her was like a candle that burns too brightly, and thus burns out too soon.

Rest now, Mom, with all our love

FROM MARGIE:
Happy Holidays from the Denney's!!! Here are a few of the many highlights of the past year I'd like to share with you.

Last December 31, when Jimmy & I were getting everything ready for our annual Christmas dinner, we received a phone call from a Jim Denney from Dallas who was in Tampa with his wife Nancy and family. Their son was on a soccer team competing in a tournament. They were heading back to Dallas that day and had heard of relatives in this area. He located his step-grandmother, (Aunt Margie) in Tampa. While visiting with her, they found out about us and wanted to meet their cousin the other 'Jim Denney'. We really enjoyed this visit and have been in touch during the year.

We had another 'anxiety attack' the first week in January, when we received word that Jennifer's bookbag and clarinet case was found west of Brooksville. They were sent to the FBI laboratory for analysis. We know that prints were found that were not Jennifer's but do not know much of anything else.

While on the subject of Jennifer, I'd like to mention that Sam's Warehouse Club dedicates a wall in many of their stores to Missing Children. One of their stores, (Dale Mabry in Tampa) and the WalMart store in Dade City was dedicated to the Memory of Jennifer and have pictures of several currently missing children in their displays.

The CYO's 'Small Town Festival' held in April and dedicated to the Memory of Jennifer was a success. From the proceeds they contributed $1000 to the Missing Children's Foundation.

In February at the Pasco County Fair, Jessica sold her blue ribbon hog named 'Roseanne' for a very, very good price. Congratulations Jessica, also for getting Honorable Mention in Showmanship in your division. Keep up the good work. Jessica is now at Weightman Middle School. She plays the French Horn (first chair) and is on the Honor Roll. She's also a Cadet in the Girl Scouts.

Chris goes to school in Spring Hill. He plays 'T' ball, soccer and is a Cub Scout. Daddy and Mom (Steve and Mae) are Den Parents. Steve, Mae, and Chris still camp whenever possible. We went to Hillsborough River State Park to visit them when they were there one weekend. As I write this they have gone camping in Orlando and plan to go to Disney this weekend. Chris has a new dog named Princess, a Golden Retriever. This was also the year for Mae to get a new car.

Renee, Clark, and Jessica have a variety of animals on their farm, horses, cows, rabbits, chickens, cats, dogs, fish, birds, a hedgehog and Jessica's hog named 'Cookies'. Something is always needing to be fed. Renee has gotten a new red Blazer since our last newsletter.

Mary Beth and Gene have had a busy prosperous year. They again had several Jewelry shows to attend (Las Vegas, Miami and 2 in Atlanta). They are having a new home built in Tampa Palms and are getting married next week. We all wish them the Best!!!

Duane, Kathleen, Bret, and Jake are a busy family, too. Their store is doing good. They made several improvements this year, paved the parking lot and re-tiled the floor. Their orange trees are loaded with oranges this year and the 400 new trees planted last spring have really grown. Bret is now in Kindergarten at St. Anthony's Interparochial School. He is really into writing letters or making things for this Aunt Mary Beth. Jake attends Sacred Heart Day Care 3 days a week. Kathleen also has a new GMC Yukon.

Our trip in June to South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana was an experience I'll cherish forever. I believe Melda has sent Dan a journal of our trip. Being with the rest of the family was great. It was good to see all of you again. Listening to Jack reminded us of our brother, Jim. A comment that was made "You're all just like us" made me feel good. Thanks for your great Hospitality!

July was a devastating month, with Joan and David leaving us the same week so suddenly. I'll miss Joan as a reliable source of information. Joan never gossiped but she always knew what was going on. She was there when I needed her. David was always a happy person and had a good story to tell. We miss them both.

September 3rd was our Denney Family reunion here. This was the 15th Annual Reunion, the biggest and best yet. 107 attended.

Due to Mary Beth and Gene's Wedding preparations, Thanksgiving Dinner was at Shoney's this year. Thanks go to all the family for helping with the wedding. All your help made it extra special and a lot of fun.

Last week Renee brought me a copy of a picture and an article found in the 1967 Dade City paper. JAYCEES AND PASCO WIN PEE WEE CAGE CONTESTS. Included in the picture is Ralph as a member of this winning team.

Dan, you and Barbara are to be commended on the annual publication of our family newsletter. Thanks and we all love you very much.

As the Holiday Season is upon us I wish each of you a Happy, Healthy Holiday Season.

May God Bless Each of you throughout the coming year. Love,Margie

FROM LISA:
Hello to everyone! It was nice to get to see so many of you again this year. It seems that the reasons for our gatherings anymore are somewhat less than cheerful, yet I am thankful for the opportunity to see you all. I have also come to see that the support and encouragement of family and friends is one of the greatest gifts the Lord can give, worth more than all the riches of the world, and yet, somehow seems to be revealed more clearly in the most difficult of times. So we are blessed indeed with the wonderful gift of such a large family and the hope of seeing all of our departed loved ones again. May HE alone be praised!

Mom is still working on the Gastro-Intestinal floor and is surviving. I think she is still putting in her time and hopes to move to a better floor. Apparently, there are alot of politics in hospitals that she could do without. Mom's brother Troy lost his wife Ouida this year and mom's sister Wilma had a stroke this fall. Wilma seems to be doing relatively well, although she struggles with her memory a bit. Mom was the eighth child out of nine and I think it is difficult for her to see her siblings getting older. And yet at the same time she thrives to see her family ever expanding in the other direction. She may get another grandchild before 1995 expires. (I'll clue you in a little later). All of mom's descendants with their spouses (except for Mike and Sandra) and four of her brothers and sisters and one nephew were sitting in her living room this past November. Needless to say we were busting at the seams. It was a wonderful time of visiting. As the evening was coming to an end mom was questioned, "It must be quite nerve racking when this large crew is all together is one place", actually it was a statement, but a statement that was looking for a response. And respond she did, "Are you kidding? I LOVE IT! I JUST LOVE IT!" I honestly think she was in her glory. And it could have only been topped with the presence of Mike & Sandra. Mom is beginning to think that maybe her living room isn't big enough after all, now that her family has swelled to 23 members and might be 24 by the first of the year. (I promise I'll fill you in shortly.)

Has anyone seen the new TWA paint scheme? Keep your eyes open, we like it and hope that it will come to symbolize some good changes with TWA. The news has been promising lately. They are hiring new pilots and Alan will find out in mid December if he gets to upgrade from first officer on the 727 to first officer on the 767. We hope so! He was happy to be able to fly out of Boston alot this summer, he hates the commute to New York. He also started running with me this year. Before it started getting so cold, we would put in 6-9 miles three to four times a week. It is much nicer running with someone, I LIKE IT!! We will be trying to sell our house after the first of the year and will be looking for a bigger one, either in Nashua or a surrounding town, hopefully a little more rural. Becca has all the same extra curricular activities. She is 7 now but is in a ladies size 5 1/2 shoe. Do I have any aunt's or cousins out there looking for hand me downs? She is doing great in school and received eleven commendables, of which, five were in the self management category. Her teacher's comment was "As a teacher, I always wish I had a few more real solid students like Becca. You shouldn't have any problems with her in school."

No news from Teresa yet, but I know she has been busy. In October and November she was moving out of mom's house into a home in Plant City. I think she and the kids are pretty excited. They have adopted a new cat. She is continuing the home school education of Jessica and Caleb. Both the kids seem to continue to test at higher levels than their corresponding grades. Teacher and the students deserve credit.

I haven't heard from Mike or Sandra either. They came to see mom in mid October. Mom says they are doing well. If any of you get a chance to rub elbows with my brother, you had better take it. Mike won the Fantasy Five lottery last February. Sandra was talking excitedly to me on the phone last February, to tell me that my brother had won $21,000. I repeated this to Sam who was sitting nearby. As she was still talking to me and telling me that they paid $6000 in taxes, Sam interrupted saying, "No she means $2100". (Sam had remembered that Mike won $1100 dollars in 1994.) I explained to Sam the tax liability that had already been paid and all he could say was "Excuse me, I guess he did win $21,000!" (Hey Mike, maybe I'll send you some cash to play the lottery for me. What do ya say? Alan drew your name for Christmas this year, he says if you don't show up at mom's house for Christmas you don't get a present. Ha Ha! Just kidding. We will miss you and Sandra both this Christmas! Take Care!)

Melinda and Jimmy love their duplex, but continue to look for a house. Jimmy is still with the dental lab and says things are slow. They are making some changes to improve themselves. Last summer he was selected to the Board of Directors of the Florida School for the Deaf Alumni Assoc. His immediate goal is an Alumni book and he has ideas for some big changes in the Assoc. He is also slowly working on the Young and Barthle family trees.

Melinda is good and received a High Performance Award and some cash from the VA Hospital where she works last June. Now her goal is the Outstanding Performance Award. She was furloughed several days during the recent government shutdown, and is happy to be back at work. She has enjoyed working at the VA hospital these past four years and hopes to continue there for a long time. She was elected to the Board of the Tampa Bay Deaf Women's Club. Melinda and Jimmy are both on the Council for Family Services of hearing parents with deaf children and deaf parents with hearing children. Warren is now more than 2 1/2 years old. He is working on potty training and is apparently more cooperative with the day care provider than he is with mom and dad at home. He loves to run and has thinned out alot this year. It must be all the running. At a carnival recently, it was discovered that he loves the ferris wheel. When asked what he wanted to be for Halloween, he immediately answered that he wanted to be a "firefighter". So for Halloween he donned a white t-shirt, yellow pants, black boots, and of course a firefighter hat, while he carried an ax and two red buckets. He loves for mommy and daddy to sign his bedtime stories to him and is picking up signs quickly. He meets witother boys and girls for speech therapy at the University of South Florida and very much enjoys his time with his peers.

After a brief return to USAir, about two months, Bonnie decided that being home eight days a month was not enough and left the company. She has enjoyed her domestic duties for most of the year. In September she took the rural carrier exam and scored very well. The highest they had seen there without any additional points being awarded. She later interviewed, took her physical, and was fingerprinted, next came the call. She was hired and will work about 11 hours a week delivering mail in Haines City. For this job, she got rid of her Tercel and picked up a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Last year Mike got on with post office in Tampa and was told he could not transfer until he had put in 18 months there. (Bonnie and Mike live in Auburndale.) After only six months in Tampa he was transferred to Lake Alfred. Bonnie told Mike that his response to upper management's confusion about his early transfer should simply be "You can't stop God". I guess it was a generous answer to prayer, Mike now works as a window clerk and as a roving carrier about five minutes from their home. Mike has been working on his private pilot license and should be taking the exam soon. Oh Yea! Mike and Bonnie both play on a church softball team. It must be alot of fun, I recently overheard Bonnie telling someone, "Last week, we looked like the Bad News Bears. This week we made the Bad News Bears look good!". Bonnie and Sam had a party for Rachael and Kyle at the local fun center. It was alot of fun to see the youngest generation of cousins having so much fun together. Both of Bonnie's kids are cute as buttons. Rachael is learning new words and trying to teach Samson. He catches on quick, when he sees Jessica and Caleb's cat he proudly announces DOG!

Excerpt from Sam:
Hello to everyone from Sam, Carlene and Kyle. Wow another year gone BYE! Carlene started working part time for Marriott in February. In January she goes full time which is good timing, because we are in the process of having a new house built on Lakeland's southside. This past summer at Carlene's company picnic Kyle won a weekend family trip to the Orlando Marriott. We made plans to go to Sea World while in Orlando, so everyday for two weeks prior to the trip,Carlene and I were asked the question, "Are we going to see Shamutoday?". In September Kyle won another trip to the Orlando Marriott. This time we are planning to go to Disney World. Carlene and I are just waiting to hear "Are we going to see Mickey Mouse today?" Everything is going well and we are excited about the house. We hope you all havegreat Holidays and a terrific New Year. Love, Sam, Carlene, and Kyle.
P.S. I taught Carlene how to play cribbage this year, she is an extremely quick learner.... We don't play anymore!

It's me again...Sam told mom that at the company picnic most people were winning hats, t-shirts, etc. and Kyle comes up with the Orlando weekend. Maybe some of you would like to rub elbows with Kyle as well.

Excerpt from Janet:
Hello everyone. I can't believe another year has gone by already. We're doing fine, Fred is still working at Saddle Creek Corp and I am still staying home. Our biggest task is keeping up with Kenny, he seems to have more energy than the Energizer Bunny. Fred keeps saying that if we could bottle it, we'd be rich. And with me expecting another one around December 20th, we're really wondering how we will ever keep up. Wishing Everyone a Wonderful "96"! Fred, Janet & Kenny

Me again...Fred and Janet moved in with mom at the end of November. Okay so now you know, Fred's the one responsible for the latest grandbaby. I told you I'd get to it. I hear thru the grapevine that an ultrasound has declared that she is a little girl. I'm glad - the girls were getting stomped there for a while with the last three grandbabies being boys. But the girls are making a comeback and this little one will tighten the score to Girls - 4 and Boys - 5. Speaking of score, I haven't seen such exciting baseball playoffs in a long time. And when the team you're pulling for wins the prize, that is icing on the cake!! How bout those BRAVES!! Ball games just don't get any better than that!

To Everyone... all of our love and prayers and best wishes! God Bless You All!

FROM THE JIM BARTHLE CLAN

From Mike Petters -
While it may remain unsaid how difficult this year has been, our thanks for the love and support all of you have given us cannot be overstated. Dad has asked me to compile the update for this year, so here goes -
(Note - most of this info was collected over the phone. Any inaccuracies or misrepresentations are either the fault of (1) AT&T, (2) the soft leaded pencil used to take notes, or (3) our family's natural tendency to exaggerate. In no circumstance should the compiler be held liable.)

The highlight of the year had to be Dean and Anne's wedding in August. Dad was able to travel with Aunt Connie to join in the festivities in Cleveland, and all of us were there except for Susie's family. Anne's family rolled out the red carpet for us in general, and Dad and Connie in particular. The beautiful service and the warm hospitality (almost Southern-like!) was a real spirit-lifter.

Since then, Dad and Connie have formed a "mutual support group" (his words). They get together often on Sunday mornings for breakfast, and Dad and Tim were able to join Connie and David's dad for Thanksgiving Dinner.

Just this weekend (12/9), Dad and Mrs. Higgins are visiting with us here in Newport News. They have come to take part in the commissioning of the Navy's latest Aircraft Carrier, the USS John C Stennis, recently completed by my company, Newport News Shipbuilding. On their way up here, they were met in the Atlanta airport by Cinda, Ben, Bernie, and Matthew for a picnic lunch. While the weather here has been miserable, I think everyone has had a good time. Dad even exchanged Army stories with Dana Mead, the Chairman and CEO of the shipyard's parent corporation (Tenneco), and a graduate of West Point.

Finally, Dad has worked hard to put his business back together, and is looking forward to one more year of operations before he begins picking up his Guard retirement in February of 1997. He is thankful for all the support he has been given over the last few months and wishes all of you a safe and happy holiday.

The next bit of big news for our gang is that Bernie and Jennifer are expecting their second child in April. Matthew (3 on 10/07/95) is really looking forward to having a younger brother, at least that what the doctor thinks the baby is. Bernie has been working as the lead assistant at an Aaron Rents and Sells furniture store and Jennifer has continued her work as a legal secretary for a large law firm in Atlanta. They have been spotted at Fulton County Stadium from time to time over the past summer (are we the only folks in America with family in Atlanta and in Cleveland, yet no Series tickets?) With the World Champions homestanding and the Olympics coming to town, Hotlanta will be the place to be next summer and Bernie, Jennifer, Matthew, and ? would love to see y'all.

Tim moved to Tampa in May where he was working for Romac, a computer services contractor for GTE. Recently, the contract has expired and, while doing his annual active duty for the Air Force, he is waiting to see how he will plug back in to this line of work. His current address:

Tim Petters
4711 South Himes Ave. APT 1911
Tampa, Florida 33611
(813)-839-2868

This will be the first year in many that Tim will not be joining us in Newport News for Christmas. We will miss him here, but are thankful that he will be with Dad on Christmas Day.

Early this summer, Susie got orders to Hawaii. She was in the process of moving her family to Hawaii when Mom went into the hospital, and she completed the move in August. They have finally been able to join Mike, who had been out there for more than two years already. She has been selected for Major and should be promoted in April or May. Mike has made the list for Master Sergeant, so it looks like their careers are moving right along.

Both Jennifer (3 on 9/10/95) and Michael Kyle (1 on 5/24/95) are working hard on their tans, a year-round task in the fiftieth state. Susie points out that blond hair is a real novelty on Oahu. Cinda & Ben were able to visit them at Halloween, and Susie says they have room for more visitors. If you happen to find yourself in Honolulu, you can look them up at:

Mike & Susan Davidson
1088 Bishop St #2707
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
(808)-531-0037

While Dean says he left active duty in the Air force at the end of May, I'm not sure he really changed jobs. His new position is with Universal Technologies Corporation where he works as a project engineer. I believe he's still working in or near the same office, and he has the same boss as he had when he was in uniform. His life must be a little more complicated: now he has to decide what to wear to work instead of just putting on the same uniform everyday. Anne has continued working with Reynolds & Reynolds as a senior systems analyst, where she has been developing a computer system for an automotive dealership.

In addition to changing careers and getting married, Dean & Anne bought a house and can now be found at:

Dean & Anne Petters
8901 Susan Drive
Centerville, Ohio 45458
(513)-434-2704

A fairly eventful year for the only Indians' fans in the family. I understand they are not thrilled with Art Modell or the current plan to move the Buccaneers to Cleveland and rename them the Browns. Well, Dean, you can run, but sometimes you just can't hide. You should have known something was up when everybody started counting on Vinny.

Brian and Vicki sent me the following note:
Greetings to you all! 1995 has been an interesting and bittersweet year.

Brian went to Squadron Officer School (SOS) here in Maxwell in January and February. It was nice that he could go while we were stationed here - it made it very convenient.

Vicki had back trouble starting in May, partly from a lift she had put in her shoe in January. She was going to a chiropractor and was getting relief before we went to Florida in July for Mom's funeral.

We were glad to be there for Aunt Connie and her family at the time of Uncle David's death. Although it was sad, it was a time of great togetherness.

In Florida, Vicki caught a really bad cough, which made her back worse. She went back to the chiropractor, but got little relief before we went to Cleveland for Dean and Anne's wedding in August. She had to fly back to Montgomery instead of driving.

Vicki's mom came in mid-August to help out, and switched cars with us (she has an automatic). Vicki had an MRI done, which showed a herniated disc. After a short trip to Indiana to a great sacred music conference, she started an epidural steroid treatment which has helped immensely. The pain is gone (although it may only be for five months), and she has started exercising, which should help.

John and Ben are attending a Mom's Morning Out program two mornings a week at a local Episcopal church. John can count to 100, write his name and is learning to sound out words (he's 4 1/2). Ben knows all his letters, sings a lot and likes to watch Vicki cook (he'll be 3 right after Christmas). They have been playing ball a lot in the front yard with the neighbor boys.

Just a little heads up. My assignment here ends soon, so we will probably be moving sometime around April of 1996. In true Air Force style, we don't know where yet, but I'm sure it will be exciting. See everyone soon!

P.S. Our new area code is (334) replacing (205).

Geaux Tigers! ->Brian, Vicki, John, & Ben.

Well, here's hoping that Langley AFB here in Virginia is on Brian's list of potential addresses.

As far as the clan here in Newport News is concerned, things have been incredibly busy, and looking back over the last few months, its hard to believe that we've been able to pack our ten pound schedules into our five pound calendars. Such is life in the Nineties.

Caroline (6 on 4/20/95) has now started first grade. She is a budding artist, with magnificent left-handed renderings of life from her worldly perspective. Just this weekend, she was notified that she had won her school's "Reflections" contest. She drew a rainbow polka-dotted pony in response to the subject "Just Open Your Eyes and See." She is also an avid reader, devouring library books on a daily basis. Her most recent passion is roller skating. Nancy has permitted her to skate in the house (!), where she has learned (often to her delight and sometimes to her chagrin) that wooden floors are faster and harder than carpet.

Sarah (11 on 10/11/95) has moved on to middle school (6th grade) where she has continued to excel in just about everything. She is a member of the school's Odyssey of the Mind team, a very creative national competition, and has taken up the French Horn (much to my surprise - and secret delight!) Her very first band concert was supposed to be last Thursday, and Dad and Mrs Higgins were planning to attend. Unfortunately a freak snowstorm (!!) postponed the concert until next week. We'll let you know when she makes it to Carnegie Hall.

Both Sarah and Caroline are starring in the neighborhood Christmas play.

Nancy has continued with her over-extended volunteer work. Early in the year she was a member of the search committee for a new organist for our church. A very tough job, that pays off every time we hear the committee's (and congregation's subsequent) selection play. Nancy has also continued her work on Vacation Bible School, which has to be the most over-planned educational event in the world. This group plans year-round for a one week program held in July. Needless to say, it never goes according to plan, yet is always a major league success. On the side, Nancy is a member of the church council and the Christian Education committee. She is also the Vice-President of the PTA for Caroline's school, and volunteers to help in both Caroline's and Sarah's classrooms.

How she manages this hectic schedule I'll never know. But she never loses focus on our daughters, and often even has time to work me in for a power lunch.

As for me, work has gone exceptionally well. In addition to completing the USS John C. Stennis, my group completed a six-month maintenance period on the USS Enterprise, and began an eighteen month overhaul of the USS Eisenhower. We are also preparing to launch the USS Harry S. Truman this coming September (anybody want tickets? Since it will be an election year, there is no telling who the principal speaker might be!). This particular assignment in operations requires significantly less travel than my previous one in marketing. As a result I have been able to spend more time with all my girls. There is nothing quite like being met at the door by the sound of roller skates coming to the foyer, and an C-scale being played in the living room.

This has gone on long enough. I hope the update is helpful. Thanks to Dan for putting this together (and accepting my entry after the deadline!). On behalf of all of the Petters' families located around the world, I'd like to wish each of y'all a very holy, healthy, safe, and happy holiday season and new year.

Mike

FROM CONNIE,
I had every intention of having this year's notes in order for this time of the year but guess what? David blew that one out of the water! Since July 11th my whole way of life has changed, the cook and the laundry maid, hasn't showed up for duty, and I'm having a hard time fitting these activities into my schedule. The month of July, took away two very special friends. David was not only a good Husband, but a good Friend, Father and Grandfather. Joan was also a very special Sister and Friend, she was there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on, or just to talk, she liked to keep up with what was going on with each of her siblings and everything else, too.......
She and David both had great minds for remembering things.

The month did end on a Happier note, Kathy had her baby on the 31 of July.

I want to Thank "everyone" for being there. I don't think I could have made it through without all the Family Support and Love that was shown and given then and still now. I am so thankful that David didn't suffer and he was at home, when he went to be with Our Lord, and the rest of the family, that are resting in Heaven. Maybe they aren't resting, but at peace.

In August, I accompanied Clem to Cleveland for Dean and Anne's Wedding. Beautiful ceremony, and a lot of fun was had by all. I had never been to Ohio before, in all my travel's. (Ralph, I got to add another state to my travel map. I'm up to 21 states and 3 country's in Europe, Germany, France, and Our flight stopped in Ireland, so I can say "been there".)

During the month of October, I took a flight with Nichole to Texas. Joe is presently stationed in San Antonio, at Randolph Air Force Base. We did some touring during the 10 days there. We visited the Alamo, and four other Missions, around the city, we also took the boat ride on the "River Walk," they were already hanging Christmas lights in the trees on the banks of the River when we were there. Also we visited the Natural Bridge Caverns, it reminded me of the Crystal Caves, only bigger.

During the World Series, David had a front row seat, this year, along with Mom, Dad, Jim, Joan and Jennifer. ( Cinda, I don't think the" Braves" have tickets for these front row seats.) I could just hear David saying "Justice is due," and he got the homer for the Win, with a little help from our "Heavenly" family.

I have been busy with several things, like getting the kitchen floor updated, and the refrigerator up graded, and working, working, working. The plants at the nursery are still responding very well. I had the computer at work quit on me and it is up and running again now. I lost everything that was on it. It will take some time to get all the information back in the system. We had to put a new floppy drive in it.

By the way Dan, Kathy & Kelly's Anniversary is July 30th, not the 29th like I said on the phone the other day, you know, Grandma's sometimes make errors once in a while, that is all the mistakes I can have this year.

From: Marie's clan -
Well, here's what's going on with Tiffany, Chris, and I (Marie), Chris has been playing baseball, and football, and getting pretty good at both, we all miss having Grandpa there cheering in the stands. But we know he's there in spirit. Chris has been doing very well in school, and keeping those grades to the A's and only one B. He's in the fourth grade this year and working on the fifth grade math level. And doing very good at it. He's growing taller and getting along with his Dad a little better this year.

Now, Tiffany as you know had a sister, her name is Nichole Carr, (that's what she told everyone that saw us with her.). We had a good year, till Grandpa went to live with the angel's, (the movie "Angel's in the out field ", helped a lot. it showed the girls what "angels" were and that they came from above.) The girls did good in daycare, and at Chris's games. They have grown a lot and now sing " Barney songs,"" the ABC's " besides playing hard. And as you know Nichole went to live with Dad (Joe). The girls now talk on the phone. And Tiffany can't wait till Cole' comes home for Christmas. She says they have some playing and stuff to do.

Tiffany and Chris spends every other weekend with their Dad , (And a lot of the time I get "do I have to. "from them,) sometimes their Dad tries to get out of his weekend, but I won't let him. As they need to know who and what he is for their own good. Plus I get a break, without a baby-sitter. That's about all. Oh yeah!, We have a new addition to our clan, a Cockatiel, (my animal lover, Tiffany,) named "Nugget". If she had her way, we'd have a zoo. Well, that should do it for this part of the Carr's, and Chris & Tiffany Metcalf-Carr (as Tiffany say's "My name is Tiffany Carr).

Love you all, Marie

From - Jerry & Kelly
Well, I guess it is my turn to say a little something about what has been going on in are home. Jerry has started a new job, with Entergey Systems and is traveling a lot, within Florida. Jessica is getting bigger and learning a lot she will be 3, on May 17, and loves to play her games on the computer, therefore, I can hardly get on the computer, to do my work. On May 12, we should have a 2nd bundle of joy, we just hope and pray that it is health and hopefully a boy, on Dec. 12th we should hopefully know the sex of the baby. I have started a new job within Aetna, credentialing Dr.'s for the HMO, and loving it (I love having the power in my hands to say yes or no). Well, I really don't know what else to say except for see-ya soon.

From - Kathy & Kelly
1995 was a very unforgettable year. I want to "Thank" everyone for all of the support and love you gave our family in our time of need. I know we wouldn't have made it through without all of you. It is a comforting feeling to know you have such a great group of people around you.

I miss my Dad very much, and think of him every day, he was so excited about the forthcoming birth of his new "Grandson." Which he never got a chance to hold. Wesley Hunter Himes was born on 7-31-95, weighing 8 lb. 14.1 oz. and measuring 21-3/4 ". He is my pride and joy, he's always so happy and he has always slept through the nights.

He's Sooooooooo cute! Justin is so proud of his baby brother but can't understand why he isn't walking or talking yet. When he is not at our house, he calls just about everyday to find out what Hunter is doing.

Kelly went hunting in Montana this year, and got a nice 10 point whitetail deer. He saw a lot of snow, but loved the country and big deer. He hopes to get back to Montana again soon.

From Thom -
This last year has had many changes , first my medical discharge from the service. Then Dads untimely passing, and my looking for a job. So far I have been unsuccessful, due to the layoffs in the job force, in this area. Busch Gardens is cutting back along with everyone else in town it seems. It doesn't help my plight any. Perseverance will prevail, so I just keep on trucking in my search for that one job that is out there for me.

Meanwhile, I'm attending technology school (ITT to be exact). There were some education benefits left to me, unbeknownst to Dad, from the VA. With this benefit , I should be able to complete the present course of studies and receive an Associates of Applied Science degree within two years, and then continue for another year and get an Bachelor of Applied Science Degree.

Love Connie

FROM BARBARA:
"Happy Holidays To All " from all of us Rock n' Rollers here in Shakey California! We have felt the earth move quite a bit this year and enough is enough already! Just when things were finally quieting down, we just had three more small shakes in the past few days. Ridgecrest was pretty popular with the news media for a while. Thank God there was no major damage anywhere, but it does tend to keep your nerves on edge somewhat. Enough of that!

Our ski season was great and lasted right up to July. This year not one inch of snow as yet in the Sierra Nevadas. Hopefully it will snow soon, alot of people depend on it in the resort areas. We need rain badly and along the coast there are brush fires all over. I just heard on the weather report that there is hope for some rain and snow next week.

This past year was fairly good for our family.. We had a wonderful vacation with a bunch of rowdy, fun loving family members who decided to meet in South Dakota of all places, and wouldn't you know, we all got along great and had the best time despite the cold and rain. Thank you again Aunt Hilda and family for making our stay with all of you quite wonderful and we will treasure that forever.

We were all saddened by the passing of Joan and David. We have alot of fond memories of both. Both Joan and children and David, Connie and children visited us a few times when we were in Stuart and we shared over 30 years of love and friendship. David and Connie were there when Dan and I were married and they are Laurie's Godparents. Even though Laurie, Danny and I could not come to Florida physically, please believe that we were there in mind and heart.

Danny flew Briana down for a week at the end of August and we had a great time being with her.

The entire crew of us went to Disneyland and we had a great time. Briana loves the daredevil rides and Nick was excited because he was able to talk to Mickey Mouse and even got to wear his Wizard Hat for a while. Briana is still petite and very pretty, she looks alot like Danny and Evan. Evan makes facial expressions and looks alot like Briana when he does. Briana is the sweestest, cutest little lady ever!

Everyone was together for Thanksgiving and Tony came down from San Jose. Tony has moved to California in November and started a new job with Loral. So far he is doing okay with the new job but he is happy because he is closer to Nicholas and should be able to visit more often. It takes about 6 -7 hours to drive one way. He will be here for Christmas also.

I'm home now with Nicholas who has been sick with fever and croup. I'm trying to get over my bout with head, sinus conjestion and bronchial cough. Dan and Danny had there share and Laurie has somehow escaped most of it. Dan stayed with Nick this morning and I'm on the afternoon shift. We are hoping he will be able to go to school tomorrow. Well, its been a few days since I've started this and now Laurie is down with this bug.

We all stay busy with work and hobbies. Santa's Art Shop was this past weekend and we had Dan's names at the show. We sold quite a few names out of the stock and took several orders for names so he will be kept pretty busy making names to meet a Christmas deadline.

Dan's job ends in March and he is not sure what he will end up doing. Since the A-6 program is ending he will have to find something else. He may be able to get on a short term billet but who knows what will be available when February rolls around. The Base here is facing a RIF (Reduction in Force). They have to cut back even though several personel have retired and they have offered several incentives for early outs. The numbers haven't decreased as much as they need to so they have asked for a RIF Authority from Congress. More than likely it will get approved with the way jobs are being cut. My job should be pretty secure in service contracts so I'm not too concerned about my billet. I'm sorry that so many will be out of work though. I'm not sure when all of this will occur. From the looks of it, there is a bill getting ready to be signed with the authority to contract out all of base service operations, if that happens at China Lake, we will need a few more contract specialists as the three of us are so busy now, we would never be able to handle all of it.

Laurie and Danny are doing pretty good. Laurie is still working at Benchmark Cablevision, doing hair and keeping busy with Nicholas. Benchmark has sold to another company named Mediacom LLD. We are hoping Laurie will have better benefits or at least the same as she has now. Laurie is now in the inactive National Guard Reserves instead of the active reserves. It works out better as she doesn't have to go to montly drills. Laurie also moved into a nicer apartment with more room, a garage and a small backyard for Nicholas. Both are alot happier with that.

Nicholas spent 3 weeks in Florida with Tony and his Oma and Opa and had a great time going to the beach everyday. He looks more and more like Tony everyday and is getting tall. Nicholas is the cutest, sweetest little guy ever! Oh yeah, he started kindergarten and he didn't like it at all when he first started but I think he likes it okay now except for the " time outs".

Danny is still working with the OAO company. OAO was awarded the contract over Boeing in support of the base. He does alot of networking. He still is active with his band "The Burners". Evan is growing like a weed, looks more and more like Danny everyday, talking up a storm and is the cutest, sweetest little guy ever!

Laurie and Nicholas and I flew to Orlando at the end of November. Nicholas stayed with his Oma and Opa and Tony for a week. Laurie and I drove to Fort Lauderdale and hopped on a day cruise ship to Grand Bahama Island for a few days. I got sea sick but those ships are huge and like a city on water. We had a real nice time, mother and daughter wild and free! Florida beaches are so much prettier and nicer than the beaches over there although the water is beautiful shades of blues and greens. Florida is alot more tropical too. I was kind of disppointed but we did have a great time shopping and relaxing. Laurie even had her hair braided and I even had a few braids done.(Hidden in the back of my hair,underneath) Thats what people do in the islands! We found food to be very expensive. Coming back on the ship we were in a storm all the way. This time I was smart and headed right for the pursers office and got some sea sick pills. I never got sick coming back and we went through some pretty rough seas. All in all, mother and daughter had a great time! This was a birthday present to me from both Laurie and Dan.

We all want to wish everyone a "Very Merry Christmas" and "a Blessed New Year". May all your days be sunny and bright through all of "1996". God Bless all. BARBARA

FROM CINDA:
Greetings to all from Atlanta! Well, they finally made it. "How about them Braves!".
On January 1st this year, the new Delta and AT&T Company named TransQuest became Ben's and my new employer. Ben literally still sits in the same desk in the same building working on the same things reporting to the same people as before. I had three months to assist in transitioning my old workarea into the new setup where some people would remain Delta and others would move into new areas in TransQuest. On April 1, I moved across the runways to the newest Delta Technical Operations building, the paint hanger. (They can paint an aircraft in 11 days now instead of 30-45!) Anyway, in spite of the pain and hard decisions that accompany big career moves, we are very aware that we are personally so blessed with our current jobs.

We had a year with a few other significant changes as well in the Rawlings' family....

Becky graduated from high school in May. She worked through the summer at Wolf Camera continuing to learn more about her interest in photography. In September she began her first quarter at Clayton State College.

Lexi and a fine young man named Chris Lupfer (also a mechanical engineer from GA Tech) were married in early June. They had both landed good jobs in the Charlotte NC area , and they have just bought their first home there.

Unfortunately, we missed the most fabulous family trip of all time to Aunt Hilda's in June. We still regret the loss, but are grateful for all the pictures, so we can at least share in the experience in that way. Thanks, everyone for documenting the trip so well!

None of our lives will ever be the same without the love and laughter from our beloved Joan and from David. We are so blessed to be part of such a special family. July proved that beyond any doubt. I would like to say a special thanks to Herman Schrader for his hospitality in letting Ben and me stay in his home and for giving our whole family a much needed respite from the pain that Sunday afternoon at his lake house. Herman, you're the greatest!

In October, Ben and I had a really fun trip to Hawaii to visit Susie, Mike, Jennifer, and Michael. Susie and Mike are the perfect hosts...a highly recommended trip for anyone who gets a chance to go there. Our fall has been unusually cold already, but we warm up just thinking of the warm days and tropical flowers and nice time we had that long weekend. Many thanks to the Davidson's!

Caesar, the world's most spoiled boston terrier, went on his first vacation to a Bed and Breakfast Inn this fall. We took a couple of days off to go to Augusta (GA) to relax and to check out a new vacation spot. The Oldetown section of Augusta has a place called the Telfair Inn that allows pre-approved pets to accompany the guests. The Telfair consists of 17 restored victorian manor houses within a two block area of Oldetown. Our suite took up half the downstairs area of one of the houses. It had a fireplace in the parlor and in the bedroom. (They delivered firewood upon request.) It truly was relaxing. Caesar's favorite part of the trip was the time spent at the River Walk (a really nice park along the Savannah River which flows through the center of Augusta). [Laurie, this trip showed a prettier side of Augusta than what you and I saw while at Fort Gordon a few years back!]

We've gotten to see and visit with Bernie and Jennifer several times this year. Matthew even invited Caesar (and us) to his birthday party! Hope we get together even more in '96!

By the way, their phone number and ours have new area codes as of Dec 1st....770 instead of 404. (Our work numbers didn't change, though, since our offices are "inside the Perimeter" highway that encircles Atlanta.)

Wish we could be in two places come December 9th:

1..Mike, we congratulate you on your very special accomplishments in your career with Newport News Shipbuilding, and on the commissioning of the new aircraft carrier, the Stennis.

2..Mary Beth, we are looking forward to your and Gene's special day, and to seeing everyone in Florida again.

Love and happy holidays to all from Georgia! Ben and Cinda

FROM MELDA:
Hello to all! Received Dan's reminder--it's time to reflect on the past year. In January, Rebecca transferred to the University of South Florida, changing her major from engineering to finance. Its wonderful having her back home even though she is so busy with school and a job which she started in June [in the corporate offices of Haagen Dazs Ice Cream doing financial reports/analysis] that we hardly see her.

In February, I started making the preliminary plans for our reunion trip to South Dakota. I also joined an investment club to learn more about the stock market and investing.

In early March, Rob traveled with the USF Bulls to the Metro Conference Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky. It was a great experience for him. The Bulls earned an invitation to the NIT and reached the quarterfinals before losing to Marquette. (This Fall, USF has become part of a new conference, Conference USA, which is entering the season ranked the third best conference in college basketball. We're looking forward to another exciting year.)

In April, things started shaping up for our South Dakota trip scheduled for June 5th through the 12th. Aunt Hilda sent us pictures of two snow storms that passed through that area in mid and late April--sure looked cold!

May flew by and before we knew it, June 5th was here. Margie, Connie, Monica, Ralph, Paula, Jack and I packed our bags and we were off. Met Dan and Barbara in Rapid City, South Dakota, so there were nine of us in all. Sometimes it still seems like a dream, but we do have pictures to prove that it really did happen. We sure missed Cinda and Joan on the trip, and wished Sara could have been there also. Many, many wonderful memories were made. Aunt Hilda's family is remarkable, so warm and friendly--felt even though we were strangers, we had a common bond. I cannot thank Aunt Hilda enough for the opportunity to make the trip happen.

Enjoyed getting to know Joan and Clem's family again who have spread across the United States and at times, the world. As years pass, unfortunately we kind of get caught up in our goings and comings and lose track of what each of us is doing. Making the most of a very sad time when we lost Joan and David, it was good for me to have an opportunity to visit with family. Susie spent a couple days with us prior to moving to Hawaii in August. She was with us when one of several hurricanes passed through or near this area. We were very fortunate that we had no substantial damage from any of the storms.

We are hoping to sell our house in Tampa, build a home and move to the property just north of Margie and Jimmy's residence sometime in the upcoming year. We are excited about the prospect of having a little farm in the country.

We have a great family--hope each of you has a safe and wonderful holiday season and that next year brings much happiness and prosperity to all of you.
Love, Melda

FROM MONICA:
Holiday greetings to all! This year has been a journey with many twists and turns, expanding horizons, vibrant scenery, and quiet sunsets. It has been a year of reflection, inspection, and redirection. But above all, this year has been the year of the family.

Shelley graduated from Pasco-Hernando Community College with her Associate of Arts Degree and was accepted at the University of South Florida. This she accomplished while working part-time as a Permitting Specialist at Huss Drilling (she has been working there for the past three years), being a very active officer for the Pasco County Cattlewomen, being the leader for the youngest group of 4-H'ers "Cloverbuds", baby-sitting, house-sitting, and, of course, being a busy mom to Luke. In the last few years she has developed quite a talent for ceramics, and last year made some remarkably beautiful pieces. She has also started working on a quilt. Luke is now 3 1/2 years old, and all cowboy -- boots, black cowboy hat, black jeans, black belt with fancy buckle, and a down home "Yee-haw!" He still goes to Sacred Heart during the day (where he loves to play with Jake Denney), and goes with his Mom when she babysits for several families. He is learning to ride his bike without training wheels, and can't wait until he is 5 so he can learn to ride a motorcycle (Nanna thinks his Mom is a little too brave).

Natalie finished her first year of teaching at the Discovery Tree (Nancy Brock Johnson's pre-school for 3 and 4 year olds). She learned early in the year that she and her fiance, Chris Helms, would be parents in September. As the year progressed, they were told she would be having a little girl. All went well, and on September 13, 1995, Christopher Tyler Helms was born -- once again proving that sometimes God likes to surprise us! Tyler is growing like a weed, and is a delightful little boy. He is quiet and smiles easily. Natalie has taken off of work until after the New Year, when Tyler will start staying at the Sacred Heart Child Care Center while she works. Natalie's fiance Chris is working for a company based in Ridge Manor that does lawn care in some of the nicer subdivisions in Tampa. Once he passes his GED, he plans to join his Dad working at C-F Industries in Plant City.

Mandi has really blossomed into a young woman! She is a Junior in high school, started her first job at Wendy's (where she has been working for over six months), and is making plans to make her first trip abroad! She has been taking Spanish for two years, and is going to France and Spain next summer with a group from school. She (and we) are very excited about this adventure. Despite her busy schedule, she has managed to maintain high marks in school, and often helps take care of her little nephews (they love their "Mimi").

Joseph has had an eventful year. He started the year with some medical problems, and was eventually diagnosed with narcolepsy. Most people go into a light sleep, and then their brain disconnects their body -- so that they don't act out their dreams, sleep walk, etc. Joe doesn't go into a light sleep, but rather goes directly into a deep "REM" sleep. What happened was his brain disconnected his body while he was still awake, resulting in paralysis and numbness in his arms and legs. He also was diagnosed with a form of Attention Disorder, but was started on medication that seems to be helping him a great deal. Although it took about six months to figure all this out, that is very quick -- it is unusual for a teenager to be diagnosed with narcolepsy, and according to some of the information I read, the average time that elapses before a correct diagnosis is made is fifteen years! We were very fortunate. Joe decided to join the band this year, and started playing drums in September. I thought it was kind of neat to have another "Dan" around the house. In October, Joseph found out that he had been selected to participate in the Duke Talent Search Program, and took the SAT (the same test taken by most high school juniors) at USF December 2nd. If he places high enough, he could qualify for special recognition or could qualify for some summer programs at Duke University. In any event, it has been an honor to participate in this program.

In February, Joseph and Bill started taking Tae Kwan Do at the First Baptist Church in Dade City, under the fourth degree black belt, Randy Bush (who works at Coleman-Ferguson and helped us with some difficult decisions in the last few years). Randy's mom, Vivian, works beside me in the real estate department at Schrader, Johnson, Auvil and Brock, P.A. The boys have progressed from White Belt, through Yellow Belt, Gold Belt, and tonight, earned their Orange Belts. In addition, they are learning self discipline, respect, obedience, and how to drop and do push-ups when they mess-up! They really are doing very well!

Bill is in the Fifth grade at San Antonio Elementary School, and his teacher this year is Mrs. Robinson (who speaks with a German accent, and is teaching Bill some German). He also decided to join the band this year, and chose the Trumpet, so I have "Ralph" at home, too! They didn't know about the instruments played by my brothers, so when I told them, they got a real charge out of it, too! Bill also raised a bunny , "Cinnamon" for 4-H and earned Second Place at the county fair.

Herman had quite a year adjusting to my family. There seems to never be a dull moment! He picks up Joe and Bill on Monday and Wednesday nights, takes them to his house and feeds them supper (while I am at school), and saves me a plate, so when I get there at either 10:00 or 10:30, I have a hot meal. This is very nice! He also makes sure the boys have done their homework, so when I finish eating, we go home and they can go straight to bed. Herman did manage to do a little hunting and shot a six point buck on opening day! He didn't go to Colorado or Alaska this year, but he did buy a big kicker for his pontoon boat, and now the kids can hydroslide and ski behind it! The lake is high, and the fish are definitely eating the grass -- it will probably be a while before they get it completely under control, but now there are "holes" where a large portion of grass has been removed. We all certainly enjoy the lake and appreciate everything Herman has done for us.

I continue going to school. I have a final in Systems Analysis and Design tomorrow night, then I am out until after the New Year. Next Term I am taking Cobol II and C Programming, then next summer I have Advanced Lotus, then I am finished! I will have an Associate of Science Degree in Computer Programming, and I will have gone to school half-time for four years! I can hardly wait to finish this endeavor, and I hope to start as a junior programmer not too far from home.

This summer we made a pilgrimage to another land -- to the land where Mom was born, played as a child, rode horses, and grew into a young woman. We visited some of the landmarks near where she lived and met lots of relatives. It was a trip I will always cherish, not only for the time spent with new-found relatives, but also the wonderful time we spent together as bothers and sisters! Many thanks for all the memories!

We were barely home from the trip when Joan had to go to the hospital, and began her trip "Home". She was a good friend to me as well as a sister, and she is sorely missed. I often wish we had "downloaded" some of the information in her head -- we could sure use it! She knew so many things I don't. Although that week was difficult, it was also the first real chance we had to get acquainted and re-acquainted with those nearest to Joan -- Clem, her childen and their spouses, and her grandchildren. Joan truly has a beautiful family.

David's loss was quite a shock to all of us. He was always there with a helping hand, always ready with a smile and a word of encouragement. He was an overcomer -- taking on extraordinary obstacles as though they were only ordinary. David is missed, and Connie and her wonderful family are always in our hearts and prayers.

I enjoy wonderful good health, and although I do sometimes put off routine tests, I eventually do get around to having them done. Such was the case this fall when I had my mammogram done, they required more tests, more tests, then a biopsy procedure. Yesterday morning I got the word that everything was benign! What an early Christmas present! Many thanks to all for their support and prayers!

There is so much more to say -- Melda's constant helpfulness -- Melda and Jack's property is beautiful (they are doing a great job) -- Mary Beth and Gene's wedding was fabulous (a real fairy tale wedding) -- Cinda and Ben's visits (medicine to my soul) -- Ralph and Paula's hospital helpfulness -- learning more about nutrition (especially from Shaklee and Ralph and Paula) -- Margie appearing in my office when I didn't know where to turn -- Jimmy Denney's taking the boys fishing last summer -- seeing Lisa, Teresa, Mike, Melinda, Bonnie, Sam, Fred and their families -- the wonderful family day at the lake last summer.

Merry Christmas to all -- I love each and every one of you. May God Bless and Protect you in the coming year!
Monica

From Paula and Ralph:
This year's newsletter is like a roller coaster, lots of highs and lots of lows, so hang on, here we go!

Paula's uncle Sy (Dehn) had a heart attack in late January while at home. He was able to call 9-1-1 and was rushed to the hospital where they were able to stabilize his condition. Sy has made a good recovery, and with medication is very much his former self (though now without cigarettes).

Our vacation to South Dakota in June with our siblings was a "once in a lifetime" event. Words and pictures don't even begin to re-tell the adventure, beauty, and love we experienced. Awesome! Starting with our trip to the airport, the plane ride, playing PowerBall Lotto in the Minneapolis Airport, meeting Dan & Barbara in Rapid City, seeing the two deer on our way to our cabin, the Black Hills, the cave, Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood dinner & games, the dash to Montana via Wyoming (cold,cold,cold!), Wall Drug, the Badlands, the Rosebud Reservation, Winner and Gregory, South Dakota.

Then the time we spent with Aunt Hilda, Deletta, and Sue was great. Just hope to do it again soon. Meeting Jack and his family, and our other cousins at the reunion was very special indeed!

The "three hour tour" of Colome, Carlock, Gregory, the homesteads, and the church at Paxton, turned out to be more like five to six hours as I recall!

This "Excellent Adventure" had so many highlights, it's very tough to condense it down to just a few paragraphs.

Thank you Aunt Hilda for inviting us and taking such good care of us. Thank you Melda, for telling us over and over again that we could make it a realty!

July 1995 in many ways seems so long ago, and in other ways, merely a few days back.

Paula's dad (George Tubbs) had a heart attack in the early morning hours of July 11 and was taken to the hospital where his condition was stabilized. Like Uncle Sy, he is doing quite well with some medication, better nutrition, and exercise.

The loss of David and Joan was very difficult. Our love and faith in God, along with the love and support of this family, was what got us through. We do miss them both.

The time spent with everyone was one of the positive aspects of going through such tragedy. We enjoyed having Mike, Nancy, Sarah, and Caroline stay with us. It was the first chance we've had to spend time with them. Next time, it will be under more pleasant circumstances.

The month of July ended on a happy note with the birth of Wesley Hunter Himes on the 31st!

Paula was asked to be on the Finance Committee for our church in June. Ralph is on the newly created Building Committee, whose task is to plan and oversee the construction of our new church building(s) at our new location.

Our Shaklee business is growing. Paula reached the level of Supervisor in March and qualified for an expenses paid trip (for both of us) to San Francisco to their New Supervisors Convention. I went along "for the ride" and attended the two half day seminars with Paula. Suffice it to say I was quite impressed with what I learned about Shaklee, both about the company and it's products. The more I learn about the products, the more I want to learn. It truly is a great organization with superior products.

Animal Update: The health of our schnauzer Nole continued to decline until September 25th when she died. Another tough one. Christine (the cat) is doing very well and loves eating, chasing her tail and sleeping. What a life!

We wish everyone a Happy Holiday, and a Blessed 1996! We love you!
Paula and Ralph

FROM COUSIN SARA:
Ken & I continue to enjoy our "retirement" together! Our suitcases saw considerable use this past year: The Cayman Islands in February, attended Ken's niece's college graduation at Flagstaff in May, with June come a weekend in Dallas, and another weekend in July visition with friends at their home on the Lake of the Ozarks, in September we were off to Yellowstone & Jackson, Wyoming, to Gregory in October, and now we are looking forward to a 3-day quail hunt near Tucson in mid-December. Around all the travel, we enjoyed our days at home - me, repainting the inside of the house, in the yard with the flowers & vegetable garden, and continuing with genealogy; and Ken, getting ready for the fall hunting seasons! He has also enjoyed shooting sporting clays - like "golf" with shotgon! All times aren't happy times... Early in January, Ken's only cousin was murdered in Kansas. In March, our #1 hunting dog, Duffy died. And, of course, this summer, the tragic losses of David and Joan. Each year seems to bring a share of joy, as well as sorrow.
It is our wish to all the family that 1996 will bring many smiles and few tears. Love, Sara

FROM AUNT HILDA:
Not many changes have occurred in our family during the past year. we do have a new addition. Blaine Christopher was born June 27, 1995 to Patty, Jack,s daughter, and her husband Chris Finney.

Amy, DeLetta's daughter, has moved to Austin, Texas and is working as a nurse with an endocrinologist. Two grandsons are in college: Tim Manning at Brookings, S.D. and Kyle Krage at St. Cloud, MN.

Two storms during the later days of October gave us 20+ inches of snow. It melted quickly but left the fields muddy for harvesting. However, crop yields are better than expected because of the late planting.

Healthwise, we are all fine and busy as usual. we have happy memories of our June get-together and hope that there can be more of the same.

I plan to go to Jack's on Thanksgiving morning and back on friday.

Our wishes for very happy holidays are exended to all. Hilda

May God Bless Each of you throughout the coming year. Love,Margie

To Everyone... all of our love and prayers and best wishes! God Bless You All! FROM THE JIM BARTHLE CLAN

On behalf of all of the Petters' families located around the world, I'd like to wish each of y'all a very holy, healthy, safe, and happy holiday season and new year.
Mike Love Connie

We all want to wish everyone a "Very Merry Christmas" and "a Blessed New Year". May all your days be sunny and bright through all of "1996". God Bless all. BARBARA

Love and happy holidays to all from Georgia!
Ben and Cinda

We have a great family--hope each of you has a safe and wonderful holiday season and that next year brings much happiness and prosperity to all of you.
Love, Melda

Merry Christmas to all -- I love each and every one of you. May God Bless and Protect you in the coming year!
Monica We wish everyone a Happy Holiday, and a Blessed 1996! We love you!
Paula and Ralph

It is our wish to all the family that 1996 will bring many smiles and few tears.
Love, Sara

Our wishes for very happy holidays are exended to all.
Hilda

GOD BLESS ONE AND ALL, AND TO ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR--------DAN
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