Jason M. Dedrick
By Herald staff
Monday, January 22, 2007

Jason M. Dedrick of Cambridge, a retired youth hockey coach, died Friday at home after a lengthy battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 35.

Born in Somerville, he lived in Cambridge all his life. He graduated from Matignon High School in 1990, where he played baseball, football and hockey.

He also graduated from Curry College, where he was named MIA rookie of the year in hockey.

Mr. Dedrick was a retired youth hockey coach in Wayland and Revere.

He is survived by his parents, Shirley (Lavalle) and Michael of Cambridge; two sisters, Lauren of Medford and Kristen Kelley of Saugus; his grandfather, Francis of Sandwich; one niece; and many aunts, uncles and friends.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. tomorrow at St. John’s Church, Cambridge.

Burial will be in Cambridge Cemetery.

Arrangements by Keefe Funeral Home, Cambridge.

Cornelius Van Leuven Stewart, a retired attorney, died Jan. 16 of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, while on a vacation in Belize. The Stevenson resident was 70.
Born and raised in the Eccleston section of Baltimore County, he was a 1954 graduate of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., and captain of its wrestling team. He earned a bachelor of arts from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.

After teaching legal writing at the University of California at Berkeley, he moved to Baltimore and practiced law at the firm of Venable Baetjer and Howard for nearly 30 years. In 1991, he founded the firm of Stewart, Plant and Blumenthal. He retired about four years ago.

Mr. Stewart, known as Van, was a past president and board member of the Irvine Nature Center. He was a former president of the Metropolitan Baltimore Association for Mental Health and Maryland Ballet Company.

He was on the boards of the Baltimore Symphony, Baltimore School for the Arts, Parks and People Foundation and Roland Park Country School.

Services were held Monday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, where Mr. Stewart was a communicant.

Survivors include his wife of nearly 47 years, the former Clare Horsley; two daughters, Clare Winston Stewart Perry and Lillie Elliotte Stewart, both of Baltimore; two brothers, Cary McHenry Stewart of Baltimore and Warren Emerson Stewart of Fort Collins, Colo.; and five grandchildren. A daughter, Jenett Ten Eyck Stewart, died in 1977.

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Obituary: Rivera, 40, flew Marine planes around world before ALS struck

Web Posted: 01/23/2007 09:12 PM CST

Nancy Martinez
Express-News

Jimmy Rene Rivera, who as a boy stood on a T-ball field and showed more interest in the Air Force planes taking off and landing than the game, died Saturday.
Rivera, who grew up on the West Side with dreams of flying airplanes, died of ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was 40.


A graduate of Jefferson High School and the University of Texas at Austin, he was a Marine pilot who also did a two-year stint at United Airlines before joining the Marines again.

"He should have written a book about his life," said his wife, Tammy. "He was such an amazing person. He was an ambitious person and a character on top of that, just a total comedian."

She said Rivera worked on secret missions with the Marines, flying to Israel, Australia and Africa, among other places.

The couple married in 2000 on Pensacola Beach in Florida, where they met two years earlier. He was a flight instructor and had two children from a previous marriage, as did Tammy.

Jimmy Rene Rivera
Born: April 16, 1966, in San Antonio
Died: Jan. 20, 2007, in San Antonio

Military: U.S. Marine Corps

Survived by: His wife, Tammy Rivera; children Natasha, Casey, Victoria, India and Sydney; his mother, Mary Alice Rivera; sisters Ernestine Campos and husband George, and Patricia Rivera; brothers Jesse Rivera and Jacob Rivera; two granddaughters; and many nieces and nephews.

Services: Today at 9:30 a.m. at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower at 824 Kentucky Ave. Committal services will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors.



ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, according to an ALS association Web site. There is no cure.

It was in Africa in December 2004 that Rivera first told his wife about his symptoms. He fell on New Year's Eve and didn't understand why, she said. Then he began to lose his balance, and his legs began feeling heavy.

Rivera was medically retired from the Marines on Dec. 31, 2005, having attained the rank of lieutenant colonel.

"The disease was so aggressive. Some people will have it for 10, 15 years, but he wasn't even diagnosed for two years," Tammy Rivera said. "It takes everything. All of your muscles fail."

She said it wasn't long before her husband, who once ran 6 miles a day, was completely paralyzed.

With a computer from his wheelchair, he tried to keep in touch with military friends across the world and worked out a financial plan for his family for after his death.

"It's the worst disease you can have because the mind stays normal but you are trapped in a paralyzed body. But he never complained," Tammy Rivera said.

He told his wife the most beautiful place he flew over was the Kakadu National Park in Australia. He named his 4-year-old daughter Sydney and asked that his ashes rest at the park.

Rivera's friend Albert Urrabazo, 40, played T-ball with him when they were 6. He remembers Rivera staring at the planes and that his friend was always motivated to meet his goals, even encouraging him to pursue his own.

"At a very young age, he knew he wanted to be a pilot, and he knew the first step was education. I wasn't college-bound and he convinced me to take a look at going to college," said Urrabazo, now an electrical engineer.

"He went with me to take a four-hour entrance test. He didn't even need to take it, but he did it to encourage me."



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nmartinez@express-news.net

Cornelius Van Leuven Stewart,

a retired attorney, died Jan. 16 of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, while on a vacation in Belize.
The Stevenson resident was 70.
Born and raised in the Eccleston section of Baltimore County, he was a 1954 graduate of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., and captain of its wrestling team. He earned a bachelor of arts from Yale University and a law degree from the University of Virginia.

After teaching legal writing at the University of California at Berkeley, he moved to Baltimore and practiced law at the firm of Venable Baetjer and Howard for nearly 30 years. In 1991, he founded the firm of Stewart, Plant and Blumenthal. He retired about four years ago.

Mr. Stewart, known as Van, was a past president and board member of the Irvine Nature Center. He was a former president of the Metropolitan Baltimore Association for Mental Health and Maryland Ballet Company.

He was on the boards of the Baltimore Symphony, Baltimore School for the Arts, Parks and People Foundation and Roland Park Country School.

Services were held Monday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, where Mr. Stewart was a communicant.

Survivors include his wife of nearly 47 years, the former Clare Horsley; two daughters, Clare Winston Stewart Perry and Lillie Elliotte Stewart, both of Baltimore; two brothers, Cary McHenry Stewart of Baltimore and Warren Emerson Stewart of Fort Collins, Colo.; and five grandchildren. A daughter, Jenett Ten Eyck Stewart, died in 1977.

Fayetteville lost one of its biggest theater supporters on Tuesday.

Sarah Burnside, 76, passed away after a two-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Robert James, a fellow board member of TheatreSquared, the local theater group Burnside help start, summed up the city’s loss.

“ It was definitely a great loss of someone who truly loved theater, ” James said.

Burnside had a wellknown passion for theater, and she had a desire to see a strong theater scene in the Fayetteville area. That desire was rewarded on Oct. 20 when she received the firstever Premier Award from TheatreSquared.

Burnside was born Jan. 26, 1930, in what is now Bibanga, Congo. She grew up there and moved to Georgia and in 1951 earned a Bachelor of Arts from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Ga. She married Wade W. Burnside of Mountain Home in 1953. They had one daughter, Carole Bustard-Burnside, and twin sons, Kirk McMillan Burnside and Allen McKee Burnside. She ended up in Seattle, where she had her first stint with the arts.

Burnside enrolled in some drama classes at the University of Washington in 1980 to help fill the extra time after her children left the house. Her husband later decided to move the family back to Northwest Arkansas, and Burnside started working on her Master of Fine Arts in drama at the University of Arkansas, which she finished in 1987.

She worked heavily in the arts during that time. In 1978 she was named the vice president of a theater group called the Kaleidoscope Players. She helped the group set up and perform six showings of “ The Diary of Anne Frank. ”

The group disbanded five years later, and Burnside fed her passion by seeing plays in New York City and London.

Burnside became eventually a big player in the drama scene in Fayetteville. She produced the first-ever locally written theater performance at the Walton Arts Center and worked as the president of the Ozark Stage-Works, helping the group go from one performance a year to three performances a year in 1992.

In 2004, Burnside had her first experience with TheatreSquared. James said her vision and dedication helped the organization get off the ground.

“ She introduced TheatreSquared to the board and its directors, and she even personally hosted a fund-raising dinner at her own house to help it out, ” James said.

James said that involvement was one of the reason she got the Premier Award, and her passion was one of the reasons TheatreSquared survived.

“ She was willing to stand up and fight for what she believed in, ” James said. “ It was a great loss of someone who truly loved theater. ”

There will be a memorial service at 2 p. m. Saturday at First United Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville.

Honors for a veteran


Article Launched: 01/26/2007 08:30:13 AM EST


Disabled United States Marine veteran David Paradis of Townsend lost his battle with Lou Gehrig's disease this month. He was laid to rest in a private Pepperell cemetery plot last Saturday with military honors.

He had asked that the service be kept simple. Nevertheless a sizable crowd gathered reflecting a cross section of the community, from family members to Townsend firefighters in dress uniform.

Paradis was a member of Pepperell VFW Post 3291, whose firing team and chaplain took part in services.

Particularly important to David was the presence of the flag and Marines. His son, Bret, a Marine Corps lieutenant, made sure that happened. Three senior enlisted members of the 25th Marine Regiment from Devens, all Iraqi war veterans, did the honors.

Standing in uniform beside Paradis's wife, Patty, and his brother, Michael (a Townsend firefighter), Bret had the heartbreaking task of standing tall and saluting as the flag that draped his father's coffin was carefully folded and "Taps" was played. David's father and


a brother are veterans as well.
As he had when he was a severely-wounded "tunnel rat" in Vietnam, Paradis continued his struggle to live as his body began shutting down last year. An avid outdoorsman, his quiet request to be able to travel outside his home in a wheelchair became, once discovered, a well-publicized effort by Townsend and Pepperell VFWs to build him a long, wooden access ramp.

Paradis was too sick to fully enjoy the ramp, although it reportedly aided EMTs who were often called to his home.

Patty told Pepperell VFW past commander and fellow Marine, Tony Saboliauskas, that hours before her husband died, he had asked her to take him outside on the wooden ramp so he could see the stars.

Veterans who were involved in the ramp project can take at least some comfort in knowing that David knew people cared.

Bret said one of his father's last words was "Marines."

Semper Fi, David.

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Mildred E. "Randy" Riggs, a retired public health nurse, died Tuesday of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, at her Odenton home. She was 76.
Born Mildred Marando in New York City, she was raised in Delmar, Del., where her parents ran a motel.

She was a 1948 Delmar High School graduate and its class valedictorian. She then moved to Baltimore, where she attended Union Memorial Hospital's School of Nursing and earned her diploma in 1951.

She was a public health nurse who traveled throughout the city from a base in West Baltimore. She treated and identified cases of tuberculosis, among other illnesses.

From 1980 to 1995, she served as a clinic staff director for the Anne Arundel County Health Department, first at the Meade Village Center and then at the Odenton Health Center.

Services will be held at 2 p.m. tomorrow at Epiphany Episcopal Church, 1419 Odenton Road, Odenton.

Survivors include a son, Robert R. Riggs of Berkeley, Calif.; a daughter, Laura Riggs of Odenton; and three grandchildren. Her huband of nearly 30 years, Joe R. Riggs, who owned a roof truss business, died in 1985.

Carlsbad company president dies

By: PATRICK WRIGHT - Staff Writer

CARLSBAD ---- Fredrica Thode, Hot Dog on a Stick's president and chief executive officer known for her commitment to employees, died recently. She was 64.

Thode (pronounced Toad-ee) died Jan. 13 after battling an advanced case of Lou Gehrig's disease, or Amyothophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Thode, a Vista resident, spent 27 years with Hot Dog on a Stick, based in Carlsbad. Often referred to as Freddie, she became president of the 61-year-old company in 2001. The company has more than 100 locations that serve lemonade and hot dogs on a stick dipped in cornbread batter.


One company employee said Thode believed that taking care of employees was the key to taking care of customers. She was also known for her garden containing 400 roses. In Thode's honor, Hot Dog on a Stick made a $10,000 donation to the San Diego chapter of the ALS association.

Dan Smith, the company's chief operating officer, becomes the company's new president. No one has been named chief executive officer, according to a release.

Contact staff writer Patrick Wright at (760) 739-6675 or pwright@nctimes.com.

My dear friend Mike

0 comments | Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Last week, a wonderful man named Mike Andrews passed away. He was young, only 45, and had been suffering from ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, for the last four years. His wife Jana was holding his hand when he died. I hope he is at peace now, his rugged, powerful spirit freed from a body that had failed him.
Mike and Jana were my neighbors on Alexander Road in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I lived for six years. Raleigh is the place I still consider more like home than anywhere else I've lived, and Mike and Jana were two big reasons why this otherwise low-key southern American city felt so comfortable. I met them when I interviewed them for a transportation story. Both Sierra Club members and ardent environmentalists, they told me about the short-sightedness of building more major highways instead of public transportation. We ate pizza at Lilly's and, after the policy talk was over, I pelted them with so many personal questions that Mike was taken aback.
"I don't usually talk about that," he said when I, in a particularly undiplomatic and baldly stupid act, asked him about his divorce from his first wife. I had, after all, just met the guy.
"He doesn't," echoed Jana, looking as startled as Mike.
Still, he didn't shove me off and ignore me forever. Instead, we talked again and again, about Bob Mould and Texas and hiking the Linville Gorge and the beauty of the Outer Banks. I loved his sense of humor -- he had the most finely tuned sense of comic timing -- and his devotion to his two lovely, offbeat and grown-up children, Shane and Sarah. I envied him and Jana, both so compatible and full of optimism, but I did not linger on the jealousy. Instead, I was happy to know that love could be something both stable and precious, so incandescent that you marveled it, yet so real that you believed you could have it someday too.
Mike and Jana invited me to dinners and shows and camping trips, brought me Chilean bean stew (Mike's special recipe) when I was too tired to cook, and included me as family on Thanksgiving Day. Mike showed me how to kayak and anonymously mowed my lawn. Good-looking and funny, with a dynamic heart and an athletic sense of life, he was the perfect guy. I secretly wished there was a way to clone him so I, too, could have a handsome husband who kayaked and cooked and practiced environmentalism and told great jokes and said that I was beautiful, as I often heard him telling Jana.
****
The photo above was taken on Halloween 2002. Mike didn't know he was sick yet, and he had shown up to the party dressed as George Bush, complete with a scary plastic mask that so resembled our evil and dumb president. But the mask got too hot and when Mike took it off and wasn't costumed anymore, Jana came up with a plan to make him a "black-eyed pea." (See the black eye? See the P?) I came dressed as my Cretan grandfather, which nobody got, especially because, as Mike pointed out, my Cretan grandpa likely never wore a see-through blouse that showed off his leopard skin bra.
Touche.
A few months later, when we were on the remote Outer Banks island of Cape Lookout for a camping trip, Mike started noticing something was wrong with his speech. He thought the slurring had come from the copious drinking on the trip -- God knows, we all drank a lot and at least one of us, a real southern cowboy of a dude, had ended up shirtless and dancing around the campfire, singing "Beth" by Kiss at the top of his lungs -- but then he noticed that it persisted long after the flippy camping trip was over.
After numerous tests, doctors told him that he had ALS, or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal neurogenerative disease that eventually atrophies the entire body. Those who have ALS remain very sound of mind, but they are trapped in their frozen bodies.
ALS trapped Mike, one of the most physically active people I have ever known, quickly. Within a couple of years, he was in a wheelchair and could not talk. He used a special computer program to type out his thoughts, which included both the serious (about his Sierra Club work, for instance) and the hilarious, such as his amusement over one of his daughter's boyfriends, who made art that consisted of drawing facial hair on tools (think a saw with a mustache and beard, for instance).
"Is he a fruitcake?" he typed the first year I visited Raleigh from my new and uncomfortable home in Greece.
I laughed. "Maybe he is the next big thing," I said.
"Whatever," he typed in response.
The last time I saw him, in early January of last year, we were recounting the fun wedding of our friends Dan and Andrea, who got married over New Year's in a fancy remodeled barn outside of Chapel Hill. Dan and Andrea were overwhelmed when Mike showed up with Jana, who wore a sexy red dress and looked, as Mike typed later, "really hot." Mike was in a wheelchair and he was clearly tired, but he wanted to come. Andrea, not an easily emotional person by any stretch of the imagination, teared up when she saw him.
"We're so happy you came," she told him, as Dan clasped his hand.
And later, he typed: "She looked beautiful. You tell Andrea that she looked beautiful."
I was on a nervous talking spree that last day I saw him, recounting a ridiculous two-CD audio travelogue my friend Alisa and I had made for him the previous year. We had spent a week traveling around Greece, recording everything from waterfalls to old ladies to Canadian tourists to ourselves singing Stevie Wonder songs. We called our microphone "the Mikeaphone" and we tried to invoke the sense of spontaneous fun that lit all our time together in Raleigh.
I missed North Carolina very much, but I also specifically longed for Mike and Jana, and what they represented -- the bond that only friends who truly love you can offer.
In my avalanched words, I tried to tell him so, but it was coming out incoherently. But he picked up on my sentiment, if not my warbled sentences.
"We miss you Joanna," Mike typed in his last message to me that day. "Come back home."
Surprising myself -- because I tried to act all happy around Mike when I saw him -- I started to weep and tried to cover it up by laughing, to mixed success. I had this strange and unsettling feeling that I would never see him again.
****
And I did not.
When I visited again in September, he was too weak to visit. And when Jana sent me an email last week telling me he was gone, I fell into the warmth of the past, not wanting to believe that Mike was dead. When I read his obituary in my old newspaper -- he and Jana were devoted readers -- and saw a particularly gorgeous photo of him in scuba gear, I started to smile then cracked into tears. It was 2 a.m. in Athens at the time, and I was sitting in my room, wishing so much that I could whip myself back in time to that camping trip on Cape Lookout, when we made scary jack-o-lanterns and laughed in glee with dear David the drunk cowboy, who eventually switched from Kiss to Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" in his free-form serenade.
Over the last few days, I've been thinking a lot about Mike. I made his Chilean bean stew, recalled the Nick Drake song "From the Morning" that I had dedicated to him and Jana when they got married on Ocracoke island in the Outer Banks, and remembered how I made him dance with me once at a party, much to his chagrin. ("Is this music?" he wondered as I played a truly ridiculous Greek techno song and flailed around like an epileptic cowgirl.)
And I remembered the evening in Ocracoke just before the wedding, when a group of us were eating grilled fish and white trash sushi (filled with something like fish sticks and potato chips), as Jana's best friend Roommate and Roommate's man Fritz, playing guitar, sang funny songs. Mike laughed so heartily and looked so handsome, a Robert Redford from Texas, and he would not take his eyes off Jana. She was tan and her hair was that golden blond of the outdoorswoman, her eyes glittering as she sang and laughed with Roommate.
Some days before, he had proposed to her at the home they shared on Alexander Road, dropping on one knee and holding a rose. Of course, she said yes.
"You're beautiful," he told her that night, and then again and again.
And you're beautiful, too, Mike. May you rest in peace.

Labels: Friends



KARMA

http://karmacanyon.blogspot.com/2007...iend-mike.html

Teacher's legacy lives again for 100th day


Mitchell Elementary School third-graders from left, Erik Martinez, 9, Roman Munoz, 9, Samantha Montoya, 8, and Annessa Henderson, 8, react to a display of 100 earth-worms during a celebration of the 100th day of school in the Atwater School District.

By Abby Souza
ASOUZA@MERCEDSUN-STAR.COM


Last Updated: January 31, 2007, 12:30:51 AM PST

ATWATER -- One hundred discarded socks, macaroni shells, candles on a cake and live worms were just some of the items exhibited at Mitchell K-6 Elementary School on Tuesday.
In honor of its 100th day of school, each class at the Atwater campus collected 100 of something to put on display.

The celebration also was held to celebrate the life of Barbara Smith, a teacher in the Atwater Elementary School District for 17 years who died Jan. 20 of Lou Gehrig's disease.

A kindergarten teacher for 15 years there, the 54-year-old Smith always made a big deal of the 100th day of school.

"This is her kind of thing," said Shelley Bowen, a sixth-grade teacher at Mitchell. "(The celebration) really incorporates her spirit."

Every class got involved in the celebration, both collecting items and touring the campus to view the displays in front of each classroom.

Students took special interest in all the food exhibits. Doughnuts, candy bars, soda cans, and Fruit Loops caught many students' eyes and stomachs.

But the favorite display was undoubtedly the night crawlers that second-grade teacher Mike Powell had sitting in front of his classroom.

Sixth-grader Tim Janz, 11, said those worms were his favorite.

"They're cool," he said, watching the night crawlers move through the mud in their plastic jar.

Bowen said while the 100th day celebration is usually a kindergarten and first-grade activity, many teachers have found ways to incorporate it into their curriculum.

"My students will be writing about this later," she said.

The assignment will be to describe their favorite collection on display at school Tuesday and what they would suggest for a 100-piece collection of their own.

"How about 100 gallons of battery acid," said Bowen's student, 11-year-old Cody Baron.

Baron said he liked the marshmallows the best.

"They should collect 100 more," Janz chimed in.

Bowen said conversations about the collections continued in her classroom after the tour.

"Students were amazed that 100 macaroni shells were so minute compared to other things," she said.

Activities like this that make learning fun were right up Smith's alley, Bowen said.

"If we had any event, Barbara was there," Bowen said, remembering Smith's bunny and clown costumes she would wear to school.

She also enjoyed dressing up as a queen when her class was studying the letter Q, Bowen said.

"Kindergarten was her life," she said.

Third-grade Mitchell Elementary School teacher Gina Peters said Smith took a medical retirement last year when her disease made it too difficult to teach.

"She wouldn't have retired yet," if not for her health, Peters said.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis -- or Lou Gehrig's disease -- attacks motor neurons throughout the body, destroying the brain and spinal cord.

A memorial service was held for Smith on Thursday afternoon, but Tuesday's event was just as much of a memorial as anything else, Bowen said.

"This is a wonderful way for the kids to remember her," she said.

Reporter Abby Souza can be reached at 385-2407 or asouza@mercedsun-star.com.

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Inspired by ex-head's sporting prowess
A MAN whose sporting prowess and exceptional leadership skills encouraged hundreds of people to push themselves to the limit, whether walking, playing badminton or cross country ski-ing, has died.
Ralph Bailey (77), a former teacher and headmaster, died peacefully surrounded by his family in Clitheroe Hospital on Saturday.
Mr Bailey was dealt a huge blow two years ago when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Despite the rapid onset of the illness, he remained resolutely determined to fight it until the end, continuing with his regular bridge playing sessions until just a few weeks ago.
Born and raised in Accrington, he grew to love the Ribble Valley as a young man, enjoying frequent camping expeditions into the area as a King's Scout and exploring the narrow country lanes on his bicycle.
He attended Accrington Grammar School and Cambridge University where he obtained a degree in geography. His first post was at ICI prior to embarking on a career in teaching. He taught in Stockport, then at Whitefield School during which time his family lived in Mellor, on the Cheshire and Derbyshire border.
He was delighted to be offered the post as head of his old school, Accrington Grammar and to be able to move to Clitheroe. He continued his headship of the school, leading it into a new era as a comprehensive at which time it was renamed Moorhead High School.
He retired in 1983 having spent 28 years in teaching and embarked on a new life travelling abroad as a walk leader and ski instructor with local company Alpine Overland, Waymark and with Guide Dogs for the Blind.
He thoroughly enjoyed all three, but particularly the latter and, although he was held in great regard by all his customers, it was the blind and partially sighted skiers whose lives were especially enriched by Mr Bailey's teaching and ski-ing skills. 0He was passionate about the outdoors and in particular the garden he created at his Barrow home.
A member of Mellor and then Clitheroe Golf Club, he achieved his ambition to have a single figure handicap by the age of 65. He was a former member of Empress Squash Club and a former chairman of the Lancashire Schools' Badminton Association.
During Army National Service he played football for Wrexham and gained a half blue at university for football. Tennis was another of his loves, along with bird-watching.
A long-time member of Clitheroe Concerts Society, he appreciated classical music and was particularly pleased to be able to attend Clitheroe's Last Night of the Proms again with his family in 2006. A member of Clitheroe and Great Harwood Bridge Clubs, he played several times a week until recently.
A private family burial on Tuesday will be followed by a service of thanksgiving at Trinity Methodist Church, Clitheroe at 2 p.m.

01 February 2007

Dolores M. Kuehl


Dolores M. Kuehl, 81, formerly of Reeseville, passed away on February 4th in her new home at Charleston House Assisted Living Apartments, Beaver Dam, after a sudden and brief battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), surrounded by her immediate family.


She enjoyed good health through her 80th birthday party, which she celebrated with nearly 200 family and friends in May 2005.


Dolores was born on July 13, 1925 in the Town of Lowell, the daughter of Edward and Adeline (Vick) Lau. She graduated from Reeseville High School in 1942. On June 23, 1945 she married Carl A. Kuehl at Trinity Lutheran Church, Reeseville.


Following their marriage the couple resided briefly in rural Reeseville, and then lived the rest of their lives in the Village of Reeseville.


She was a cook for Dodgeland School District for over 30 years, cooking and baking at the old Reeseville Middle School on the southern village limits, then at Clyman Elementary, and finally at the Dodgeland Middle School on the northern city limits of Reeseville. Dolores was a devoted member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Reeseville and served in many of its organizations including Choir, Ladies Aid, Altar Guild, and as a Sunday School and Vacation Bible School teacher. She was a member of Reeseville's American Legion Auxiliary Unit #190. Dolores enjoyed cooking and baking and was well known for her yeast breads and rolls. She was an avid bowler both on a women's league in Reeseville and on a mixed couples' league in Watertown with her husband, Carl, and many friends. She was a very loving, caring person and a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. She will be sadly missed and mourned by many.


She is survived by two daughters, Bonnie (Howard) Kulke of Waterloo and Connie (Al) Mintzlaff of Reeseville; one son, Greg (Anne) Kuehl of Kiel; eight grandchildren, Stephanie (Jackson Wilson) Kulke of Evanston, IL, Christopher Kulke of Necedah, WI, Erik Kulke of Milwaukee, WI, Matthew (Kira) Weier of Minneapolis, MN, Vanessa Kuehl of Madison, WI, Adam Kuehl of Milwaukee, WI, and Christina and Alexandra Kuehl of Kiel, WI. She had three great-grandchildren, Alice Wilson of Evanston, IL and Logan and Ian Weier of Minneapolis, MN. Dolores is also survived by one brother, Edward (Pat) Lau of Bellingham, WA, one sister-in-law, Ione (Gilbert) Kuehl of Madison, WI as well as many nieces, nephews, and friends. She also made many brand new friends with the residents at Charleston House in Beaver Dam.


Special thanks to daughter-in-law, Anne Kuehl, for her compassionate nursing, and to Gail and staff of Charleston House for their exceptional daily care and support of Dolores as well as her family.


Carl Kuehl, her loving husband, preceded Dolores in death in May 1989. Also preceding her in death were two brothers, Alfred (Mary Lou) Lau in June 1980 and Henry (Marie) Lau in December 1993, and two sisters, Anita (Howard) Miller, in August 1989 and Marie (M.J.) Straseske, in November 2001.


Friends and relatives may call on the family at Murray Funeral Home in Reeseville on Thursday, February 8, 2007 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. They may also pay their respects at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 210 Lincoln Avenue in Reeseville from 10:00 AM until the time of the funeral service at 11:00 AM. with Rev. Donald Steinberg officiating. Burial will follow at Reeseville Cemetery.


In lieu of flowers, memorials would be appreciated.


The Murray Funeral Home of Reeseville is serving the family.


Murray Funeral Home 214 S. Main St. Reeseville, WI 53579, 920-927-5502, www.MurrayFH.com


The Sheboygan Press


February 6, 2007