Former WC president Dr. Jim Boyd memorialized

Special to the Democrat

More than 400 family, friends and colleagues attended the memorial service for Dr. Jim Boyd, former president of Weatherford College Friday in Hilda, Texas, near Fredericksburg.

Boyd died Sept. 22, with his family at his side, in his home on the ranch that he loved in Doss, Texas. He had battled ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, for the last two years.

James (Jim) Thomas Boyd was born Nov. 6, 1939, to Sally and Stanley Boyd in Lampasas, Texas. He began his 35-year education career as a teacher, coach and later administrator in the Fredericksburg Independent School District. After receiving his Doctorate in Education, he served as professor, then chair of the Education Department, and, finally, Dean of the College of Education and Fine Arts at Tarleton State University. He served as president of Weatherford College for five-and-a-half years before his retirement in 1998.

He was the recipient of many awards honoring his teaching and leadership accomplishments, including the Tarleton State University Distinguished Teaching Award and the George H. Brownlee Memorial Leadership Award. Boyd initiated Tarleton’s “Effective School Project,” which evolved into one of the nation’s longest-running school improvement ventures. Recently, the Texas A&M Board of Regents honored Jim by renaming this program the “Dr. Jim Boyd Effective Schools Project.”

Weatherford College honored its former president by naming the Technology Building after him and wife Velada. Also, Boyd was awarded the Carlos Hartnett Award in 2003.

After retirement from his career in education, he authored the novel Companions of the Blest and the soon-to-be-published Lessons from Life. The latter chronicles his struggle with ALS and passes to his grandchildren some of the wisdom gleaned from a life well lived.

Jim was blessed by the love of his wife, Veleda, who was his best friend and companion for 46 years. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons, Jeffrey Boyd, his wife, Jennifer, of Weatherford, and Chad Boyd and his wife, Amy Smith, of Burns, Oregon, as well as four grandchildren: Christian, Mariah, Thomas, and Elisabeth Rose. Also surviving are his brother, Larry Boyd and wife, Sue, of Lake Buchanan, and his sister, Patricia Taylor and her husband, Hap, of Georgetown.

For those who so desire, memorials can be made to The ALS Association; the Dr. Jim T. Boyd Leadership Scholarship at Weatherford College, Weatherford; the Sally Boyd Scholarship at Tarleton State University, Stephenville; Hill Country Memorial Hospice, or the Hilda United Methodist Church, Hilda, Texas, or to the charity of your choice.

http://www.weatherforddemocrat.com:8...275105458.html

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA -

Bruce A. Harke, of McCandless, died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) on Friday, Sept. 28, 2007, at home. He was 56.

Carole Sprenger

Aug. 23, 1933-Sept. 22, 2007

Gresham resident Carole Sprenger, 74, longtime Centennial third-grade teacher, died Saturday, Sept. 22, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 18630 S.E. Division St., where she had been a member since 1968.

Carole was born Aug. 23, 1933, in Pomeroy, Wash., to Lawrence and Dorothy (Simmons) Watson. When she was 3, the family moved to Grandview, Wash., where she graduated from Grandview High School in 1951. She graduated from Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., in 1955, where she met Fred Sprenger. They were married in Grandview, Wash., on June 16, 1956.

She was a charter member and past president of the Gresham branch of the American Association of University Women, a board member of the Mount Hood Literacy Coalition and a devoted letter writer. For instance, she and her family donated to the Christian Children’s Fund to educate three boys and four girls in Brazil. She wrote letters to them every month over a period of 20 years.

Carole taught briefly in Richland and Vancouver, Wash., and began moving around Oregon with her husband, who was in the U.S. Forest Service. They lived in Grants Pass, John Day and Roseburg before coming to Portland in 1968, where she then joined Centennial School District, teaching 23 years before her retirement in 1991.

At Covenant Presbyterian Church, she served as a deacon, elder, clerk of the session, teacher and on various committees. In the summer, she and her sons delivered meals for Loaves & Fishes. She was named a woman of achievement by Gresham’s American Association of University Women. She also tutored English as a second language from 1991 to 2000.

After retirement, the Sprengers traveled in their motor home and began a series of three-week group tours Volkswalking in central Europe, Austria, Germany, Holland, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland. They traveled throughout the world. Carole enjoyed reading good books and corresponding with friends and family, regretting that in her last months she fell behind in her responses.

Carole, who wrote her own obituary, said she “was grateful that ALS came in her 70s and not her 30s.”

She was preceded in death by two of her sons, Douglas and John, and her brother, Larry Watson.

She is survived by her husband; sons, David Sprenger of Portland and James Sprenger of Central Point; sister, Kay Clark-Herbruck of Ojai, Calif.; and six grandchildren.

Memorial contributions can be made to Covenant Presbyterian Church, 18630 S.E. Division St., Gresham, 97030, or ALS Association, 320 S.W. 4th Ave., Suite 630, Portland, 97204.

Gresham Funeral chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Peter Wolff was a friend to all

Mukilteo lost one of its most colorful citizens last week when Peter Wolff passed away following a yearlong battle with ALS.
Peter died quietly at home on Monday, Sept. 24, with his wife of 25 years, Dru, and his family at his side.
A successful businessman, Peter was a founding member of the Mukilteo Business Association, a forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce. He served as president as well as other capacities, and was a champion for local business concerns as Mukilteo grew up.
According to his family, Peter started his professional life collecting and selling cars. Following retirement, he returned to that passion.
He built a livelihood and eventually his own business in all aspects of new furniture, from design to manufacturing to sales. But he also collected and sold antiques, and proved his business acumen in real estate and investments as well.
He was endlessly fascinated by and conversant in most subjects, from local politics to world events, and from art to music — a modern day renaissance man.
He loved a good joke, but was known for telling bad ones. Also known for his frugality, he was at the same time exceedingly generous.
Peter was born on March 28, 1933, in Berlin, Germany, to parents Georg and Hildegard Wolff. The family escaped from Nazi Germany in 1938.
According to Peter’s son Kevin, Peter’s father was a successful furrier who had to leave everything behind to escape Hitler’s wrath.
The family made their beds and left their home as if they would be returning. Instead, they drove to Holland and boarded a ship to America.
Peter had an uncle who didn’t escape and was killed in one of Hitler’s concentration camps.
They arrived and settled in New York City, starting over from scratch.
Peter lived a colorful life there. He studied fine arts and architecture, and as a young man lived in the Village where he hung out with jazz musicians and artists.
In 1960, Peter moved to Los Angeles where he entered the furniture business, eventually specializing in antiques.
His love of jazz and the arts continued. Son Kevin recalled his father dropping him off at rock concerts, and then driving over to the Baked Potato, a well-known Studio City jazz club, where he’d soak in the scene until it was time to pick Kevin up.
Peter found his life partner when he met Dru (Drucilla) in 1980. They married June 14, 1982, and moved to the Northwest in 1987, eventually settling in Mukilteo.
His wide-ranging interests included travel. In the winter, when business was slow, the couple would go skiing in Austria or Switzerland, or visit friends in Johannesburg. Everywhere he went, Peter easily made friends.
“His friends were incredibly important to him,” Kevin said. “But nobody was as important to him as Dru.”
Peter is survived by his wife, Dru; mother Hildegard; brother Emanuel and wife Elizabeth; sons Kevin and wife Janelle, Kurt; grandchildren Emily, Noah and Samuel, niece Glynnis, husband Cengiz and children Emre and Eren; nephews Soren and George.
Kevin said his father would most like to be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather who loved his family and had an amazing list of friends all over the world.
At his request, no services were scheduled.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be sent to: Muscular Dystrophy Association, ALS Division, 1010 SE Everett Mall Way, Ste. 210, Everett, WA 98208, www.mda.org.

http://www.mukilteobeacon.com/10307peter.html

If you were on Route No. 109, Troy Jackson Sr. did his best to get you your RDN
By Stephen E. Sowers
Published: Wednesday, October 3, 2007 11:28 PM CDT
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Troy Jackson Sr., who delivered the RDN for nearly two decades, died on Tuesday. As you can tell by this photograph, Troy’s grandchildren were a big part of his life.
Without dependable route drivers and youth carriers, our newspaper is not worth the paper it is printed on.

Fortunately, over the years our group of drivers and carriers has done an outstanding job of getting you your copy of the Rolla Daily News News six days a week.

Troy Jackson Sr. was definitely one of the best. Unless terrible weather intervened, Troy Sr. picked up his newspapers every day and ran his route, No. 109 in east Rolla. That was in addition to the maintenance job he held at the University of Missouri-Rolla.


Troy Sr. had 469 customers on his route. We were late getting around to all 469 of you on Wednesday because of Troy Sr.’s death from ALS on Tuesday night. As most of you know, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is an incurable disease of the central nervous system. At the end, a person loses all muscle control and needs round-the-clock assistance.

Troy Sr. vowed to carry on despite his illness. Until about six weeks ago, Troy Sr. was still delivering RDN Route 109. From the RDN, Troy Sr. would head east out Tenth Street and Soest Road and service all the areas along either side of both roads. The route concluded with deliveries in the several subdivisions around Oak Meadow Country Club.

Since sometime in August, Troy Sr.’s wife, Sue Jackson, delivered the route. In the past, Troy Sr.’s son, Troy Lee Jackson, another RDN route driver, helped with his dad’s route.



Our home is on Route 109. I figured correctly yesterday when our newspaper had not arrived by 8 a.m. that Troy Sr. had died, and Sue was unable to deliver the route. By later in the day, Circulation Manager Kelli Wallis had lined up Gloria Weaver to fill in for Sue and most, if not all of you, received your Wednesday RDN.

We anticipate that Sue will be back on Route 109 in the very near future.

That is good news because, like her late husband, Sue Jackson is well aware of the importance of delivering the RDN to all 469 subscribers on Route 109 no matter the varying circumstances each day brings.

http://www.therolladailynews.com/art...als/edit01.txt

Thomas Clark



Thomas Clark 32 years with the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard





SOMERSWORTH — Thomas Clark, 59, of Colonial Village, passed away surrounded by his family, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2007, at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital after a long illness.

Thomas was a beloved brother and friend, who went home to be with the Lord with his sister and brother-in-law by his side.

Born in Dover on Nov. 1, 1947, to John and Doris (St. Cyr) Clark, he attended local schools, graduating from Dover High School in 1967. In October 1967 Tom entered the Navy.

He served aboard the USS Borie, DD-704 until her decommission. He was assigned to shore duty at Glenco Naval Air Station in Georgia, where he finished his four-year enlistment. Tom was always proud of being a Navy/Vietnam veteran. He liked to wear his Vietnam veteran baseball cap. It was a conversation starter wherever he went.

After working construction in Georgia for a while, he entered Johnson State College in Johnson, Vt., where he earned a bachelor of science degree in human services. Tom spent a semester abroad in Nancy, France. During that time, on an extended spring break, he traveled widely in Europe.

After graduation he worked for a short time at the General Electric Company in Somersworth, before beginning work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In November 2006, he retired from the shipyard after 32 years of service.

Diagnosed with ALS in the summer of 2006, he fought a courageous battle against the disease. He participated in a clinical trial with thalidomide at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock ALS Center.

Tom was involved with the Granite State Post Card Collectors, the NRA, served on the Board at the Somersworth Museum until his illness forced him to step down, was a member of both the Summersworth Historical Society and the Dover Historical Society. He was a strong supporter of Help for Hospitalized Veterans and other veteran organizations.

His hobbies included an extensive post card collection, collecting Dept. 56 Dickens Village, reading, history, gardening and watching movies.

He is survived by his sister, Sheila Stunkard; his brother-in-law, Ron Stunkard; his good friends, "G.I. Joe" Dupuis, Sue Eastman, and Rosie; aunts, uncles, cousins, brother and sister in-laws, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

————

A viewing will be held at Wiggin-Purdy-McCooey-Dion on Central Avenue in Dover, on Thursday, Oct. 4, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Mary's Church on Chestnut Street in Dover, at noon on Friday, Oct. 5. Interment with full military honors will take place in the new St. Mary's Cemetery on Dover Point Road.

For more information or to sign the online guest book, please go to www.purdyfuneralservice.com.

Family flowers only. Donations may be made to the ALS Society and Help for Hospitalized Veterans.

Ruth Grover, 77, passed away September 27, 2007, in Vancouver, Washington, from complications of ALS-Lou Gehrig's disease.

Funeral services for Ruth will be held at 10:00 a.m. on October 5, 2007, at the Chapel of the Valley in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Ruth and Milton Grover lived in the Intermountain West for most of their lives, retiring to Oregon. Wherever they went, they were active in church.

Ruth loved to paint, especially while out in their RV enjoying the outdoors. She has painted scenes ranging from the mountains of the west to the ocean shores of the Pacific.

Most of all, Ruth will be remembered by her family for her kindness, open home and hearth. Friends and family were always welcome to join them.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by daughters Ellen Salyer and husband John; and April Kilcup and husband Doug; sons Stan Grover and wife Helen, Steven Grover and wife Cinda and Jonathan Grover and wife Jodi.

Ruth and Milton have 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Teens for Christ at 6951 Hannegan Rd. #11, Lynden, Washington, 98264, or Carol Elkins at Friends in Action P.O. Box 168 Mansfield, Missouri, 65704-0168.

Watch a video, fight ALS

every morning i click on this. DO YOU ?
then i send it by email to friends in my E dress book.

Every time somebody watches this video, $2 will be donated to fight ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant....view/id/382360

Views: 19745 x $2
almost $40.000 so far .

come on pals we can do better with this.
let's get this to $100.000 by next Friday.

click on it and send it to everyone.

do your part here.

thank you

Lou Gehrig's disease, and Augie Nieto's cure
By TigerHawk at 9/18/2007 02:04:00 AM


Glenn Reynolds and Hugh Hewitt link to an inspiring video in support of Augie's Quest, the campaign to cure ALS. Hugh:

website http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/ (click on ‘Watch the Videos', then click on Augie's Quest)

John Ondrasik, the man who is Five for Fighting, is constantly looking for ways to use his talent to help make the world a better place and does so without any tendentious or childish political narrative. At this link, John has cut a video to his song “100 Years” that movingly addresses the fight against ALS. If you follow the link, good will be done; Glenn Tullman/Allscripts and Bert and Cyndie Silva are each donating $1 for every time the video is played. The video, by the way, is outstanding and moving.

Once again, please click. If you do, $2 goes to the fight against ALS. And you’ll see a video that will really move you.

A good cause, and a great pop song to boot. Perhaps because I am myself 45 and, if I am lucky, half done, "100 years" moves me as few songs ever have. It is a wonderful contribution to this worthy cause.

http://tigerhawk.blogspot.com/2007/0...ie-nietos.html

Clemons, Sandra Grindstaff View/Sign Guest Book


Sandra Grindstaff Clemons
'Sandy'
STANLEY -- Sandra 'Sandy' Grindstaff Clemons, 55, of 514 North Buckoak St., passed away Saturday September 29, 2007 at Carrington Place in Matthews, NC. Sandy fought a courageous nine year battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. Her talents were endless; she loved and laughed, facing each day with a determination to make it through that day. As her body grew weaker and her voice could no longer be heard, she had a way of letting you know how much she appreciated your visit. Her spirit and body are free at last, resting in the arms of Jesus.
Sandy was born January 8, 1952, the only daughter of Senora Blackwell Grindstaff and the late Hollis Pressley Grindstaff. She was a graduate of Stanley High School and Gaston College. Before her illness, she was employed by Metrocall, Inc.
A service to celebrate the life of Sandy will be held Wednesday, October 3, 2007 in the Woodlawn Chapel of Woodlawn Funeral Home in Mt. Holly. Officiating will be Reverends Eugene Blackwell, Kathy Harris and Mr. Rod Rudisill. Interment will follow the service in Hillcrest Gardens. The family will receive friends prior to the service from 1:00 - 3:00 PM at the funeral home.
Survivors include her mother, Senora B. Grindstaff of Stanley; a daughter, Shannon M. Hazen and husband, Kevin of Kings Mountain; a son, Allan S. Rumfelt of Belmont; a granddaughter, the joy of her life, Rileigh Cassandra Hazen; special friends, Cathey Eden, Martha Stowe, and Rod Rudisill. Sandy was preceded in death by her father, Hollis P. Grindstaff; maternal grandparents, Rev. James A. and Ivalee D. Blackwell; and paternal grandparents, Arthur O. and Lucille S. Grindstaff.
The family extends special thanks to the staff at Carrington Place, and the hospice staff for the wonderful care given to Sandy.
Memorials may be made to the ALS Center, PO Box 32861, Charlotte, NC 28232.
Published in the Charlotte Observer on 10/1/2007.

David Charles Frazier
COEUR d'ALENE - David Charles Frazier, age 54, of Coeur d'Alene, went to be with the Lord on Sept. 29, 2007, due to complication of Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS).
David was born on March 22, 1953, to Richard and Annabel Frazier in Twin Falls. David graduated from BuhI High School in 1971 and went on to the University of Idaho, where he belonged to Kappa Sigma and the Blue Key and graduated in 1976. David was married to and later divorced from Kathy Emerson of Jerome. David previously owned the Christian Book Store in Twin Falls. David married Patsy Frazier on Aug. 26, 1985, and they had a son, Keum, and a daughter, Laurel. David and Patsy moved to Coeur d'Alene 22 years ago, where they owned and operated the local Flour Mill and Organic Bakery in Hayden for 17 years.
He is survived by his wife, Patsy; son, Keum; mother, Annabel of Twin Falls; two sisters, Sue Clark of Twin Falls and Nancy Buck of Corona, Calif.; two nieces, Stacy Tilson and Michelle Mueller, both of Coeur d'Alene; two nephews, Dennis and Michael Buck of Calif.; two great-nieces and three great-nephews. David was preceded in death by his father, Richard; his brother, Dan Frazier; his daughter, Laurel Ann Frazier; and one niece.
David enjoyed working with wood in his spare time. He had a strong work ethic and always helped the people in the community in need. He was a spiritual person who brought several people to the Lord. His quiet strength was his unconditional love for everyone and a fun free spirit.
A celebration of his life will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at the Light and Life Christian Fellowship, 3555 E. 12th Ave. in Post Falls. A potluck dinner will follow.
The family requests any contributions to be made in his name to the ALS Evergreen Chapter, 19110 66th Ave. S. No. G-101, Kent, WA 98032.