Judith A. Gerschefske

Posted on November 25, 2011 by rp

Judith A. Gerschefske of Carpentersville, formerly of Elgin Judith A. Gerschefske (nee Johnson), 67, passed away on Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, at Sherman Hospital. She was born Oct. 13, 1944, in Elgin, the daughter of Raymond and Eleanor Johnson. Judy was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Elgin, where she was baptized and confirmed. Judy loved her family and was always taking care of them in every way, especially with her cooking and baking. Judy is survived by her loving husband of 45 years, Jim; her children, Christina (Robert) Campbell, Aimee Gerschefske and Lynn (Jason) Dawson; her grandchildren, Ian, Rebecca and Emma Campbell, Grace and Derek Dawson. Her sister, Renee Merrill; and her mother-in-law Anne. She was preceded in death by her parents; and her nephew, Milton Merrill III. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Elgin, with the Rev. Robert Sathuri officiating. Interment will be private. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Wait-Ross-Allanson Funeral and Cremation Services Chapel, 51 Center St., Elgin, and on Thursday, at the church from 3 p.m. until the time of the services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the donor’s choice. For funeral information, 847-742-2100 or lairdfamilyfuneralhomes.com.

Posted in Obits | Leave a comment

50th Reunion

Posted on October 23, 2011 by rp

It’s Official
August 25, 2012
Hickory Stick, 875 Sports Way, Elgin, IL
Make your calendar and plan to attend.

Posted in Reunion News | Leave a comment

Seven Wonders of the World

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Roger Petersen

A group of 3rd grade students were asked to list what they thought were the “Seven wonders of the world”
Though there was some disagreement the following received the most votes.
1. Egypt’s great pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Empire State building
5. St. Peters Basilica
6. Panama Canal
7. Great wall of China

While gathering the votes the teacher noticed one little girl hadn’t turned in her paper yet. She inquired if she was having difficulty making out her list. The girl replied “yes, a little. I just couldn’t make up my mind because there were so many. The teacher said “well, tell us what you have and maybe we can help” The girl hesitated for a moment then read the following.
1. To see
2. To hear
3. To touch
4. To taste
5. To feel
6. To laugh
7. To love

The class room was absolutely still, you could have heard a pin drop. The very things we overlook, so simple, ordinary and many we take for granted are truly wondrous! Many of the most precious things in life can not be bought nor built, rather they must come from within each of us.

Posted in Tidbits | Leave a comment

George Carlin’s Views on Aging

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Roger Petersen

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions. ‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m four and a half!’ You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key.

You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead. ‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m gonna be 16!’ You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Ooooh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80′s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; ‘I Was JUST92.’

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. ‘I’m 100 and a half!’

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

Posted in Tidbits | Leave a comment

How Well Do You Know Your Classmates?

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Roger Petersen

1. Who drove a motorcycle up Abbott School steps?

2. Who owns a 200 acre ranch?

3. Who is a professional poker player?

4. Who has had both a kidney and pancreas transplant?

5. Who trains dogs in the sport of Schutzhund?

6. Who played saxophone in the 5th Army band?

7. Who helped build an orphanage in Thailand?

8. Who worked for the CIA?

9. Who was sent to Special Forces School Green Beret at Fort Bragg NC?

10. Who honeymooned in Budapest?

11. Who was employed at the Post Office for 3o years?

12. Who won 2nd place cup for Downhill Slalom in Innsbruck, Austria?

13. Who has knee replacements on both knees?

14. Who lives in China?

15. Who hitchhiked to Alaska?

16. Who was a Podiatrist?

17. Who got stuck in an elevator with 13 other people for 45 minutes?

18. Who is a cancer survivor five times?

19. Who recently took a cruise to the Panama Canal?

20. Who in 2007 received the Illinois State Ladies Runner Up in trapshooting?

21. Who does not want to go white water rafting again?

22. Who lives by an old castle?

23. What female classmate has and rides two Harley motorcycles?

Answers
1. Jim McCall
2. Sidney Drexler
3. Gerald Brady
4. Ronald Rasmussen
5. Lynn Rhodes
6. Larry Applehoff
7. Diannne Goll
8. Jim Brown
9. Lex Elswick
10. Lanny Morrison
11. John Hickey
12. John Radloff
13. Larry Studt
14. Lynn Fair
15. Joel Smith
16. Dennis Stene
17. Karen Kane
18. Ver Jean Ann Holmquist
19. Ruth Reimer
20. Judith Allison
21. Carolyn Johnson
22. Joel Smith
23. Joanne Labrida

Posted in Class History | Leave a comment

Images of Mother

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Roger Petersen

4 YEARS OF AGE My Mommy can do anything!
8 YEARS OF AGE My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!
12 YEARS OF AGE My Mother doesn’t really know quite everything.
14 YEARS OF AGE Naturally, Mother doesn’t know that, either!
16 YEARS OF AGE Mother? She’s hopelessly old-fashioned.
18 YEARS OF AGE That old woman? She’s way out of date!
25 YEARS OF AGE Well, she might know a little bit about it.
35 YEARS OF AGE Before we decide, let’s get Mom’s opinion.
45 YEARS OF AGE Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?
65 YEARS OF AGE Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

Posted in Tidbits | Leave a comment

Born Before 1945

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Roger Petersen

We are survivors! Consider the changes…

We were born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen goods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees, “the pill”, radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ball point pens. Before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes,  and before man walked on the moon.

We got married first and then lived together. How quaint can you be?

In our time closets were for clothes, not “for coming out of”. Bunnies were small rabbits and were not Volkswagons. Designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean or Jeanne. And having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent and outer space was the back of the Riviera theater.

We were before house-husbands, Gay rights, computer dating, dual careers, commuter marriages, day-care centers, group therapy and nursing homes.

We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt and guys wearing ear rings. For us time-sharing meant togetherness not computers or condominiums. A “chip” meant a piece of wood. Hardware meant hardware and software wasn’t even a word.

In 1940 “Made in Japan” meant junk and the term “making out” referred to how you did on your exam. McDonald’s and instant coffee were unheard of.

We hit the scene when there 5 & 10 cent stores where you bought things for 5 & 10 cents. Sanders or Wilson’s sold ice cream cones for a nickel or a dime. For one nickle you could ride a street car, make a phone call, but a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and 2 postcards. You could but a new Chevy couple for $600. But who could afford one? A pity too, because gasoline was only 11 cents a gallon.

In our day cigarette smoking was fashionable. Grass was mowed. Coke was a cold drink and pot was something you cooked in. Rock music was a grandma’s lullaby and “aids” were helpers in the principal’s office.

We were certainly not before the difference between the sexes was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change. We made do with what we had and we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think that you needed a husband to have a baby.

But we survived! What better reason to celebrate?

Posted in Class History | Leave a comment

Rules on wearing caps and gowns

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Roger Petersen

GIRLS
1. Wear hose, preferably white shoes with heals.
2. Wear light bluse and skirt or dress with V-neckline, preferably white.
3. Corsages, earrings and bracelets are not in good taste.
4. A simple hair arrangement is best with the cap.

BOYS
1. Suit trousers or slacks, preferably light in color should be worn.
2. Trousers or slacks should be properly pressed. Coats not necessary.
3. Wear socks that ARE NOT bright.
4. Wear dress shoes. Not sport shoes.
5. Wear a white dress shirt and tie.
6. Boys will remove their caps when a prayer is offered, and they will replace them at the close of the prayer.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS
1. Cap shold always be worn straight on the head.
2. Tassels are to be worn on the left side at all times.
3. The large portion of the cap is properly worn on the back of the head.

Posted in Class History | Leave a comment

Learn to recognize a stroke

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Roger Petersen

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke – totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Remember 3 steps – STR, Smile, Talk, Raise Both Arms

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. You can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions.

Smile Ask the individual to SMILE.

Talk Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE coherently. (i.e. It is sunny out today)

Raise Ask them to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

Another sign of a stroke is ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

If they have trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Posted in Tidbits | Leave a comment

James S Schuring

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Roger Petersen

James S Schuring age 66 of Wheeling. Beloved husband of Bobbi (nee Eliasson) for 31 years. Loving dad of Julie (Brian) Rach, Jim (Brandi) and Joel (Tracy) Schuring. Dear grampy and poppi of William, James, Caiden, Ayanna and Makenah. Loving companion of Spuds. Fond brother of Joe Schuring, Sharon (David) Wasielewski and Tom Schuring. Uncle of many.

Posted in Obits | Leave a comment