Personal Pages

ROSA MARELLI and husband Allan Reid live in Gibsons. They are embracing the empty-nest/mid-life crisis with a Harley Davidson with sidecar. Rosa is fulfilling her dream of being a writer and has Susan Musgrave as her editor. Rosa and Allan have two sons and a daughter. One grandson and a granddaughter.

WILLA BARRISCALE married Dennis McElroy in Kitimat. Together they have two children. They live in Kelowna where Willa works in the Kelowna Law Courts.

SHIRLEY KUHN is a Head Nurse for two units at the Saanich Peninsula Hospital. She has a married daughter. She also has a cat, a dog and an ex-husband. Shirley will be attending the reunion.

ARDATH NELSON (Grad 72) attended U. VIC for 2 years then married husband Kellie. They lived in Terrace and started careers and family there. They have five children and one grandchild. They now live in Victoria where Ardath works in the Home Dialysis Program run by the Royal Jubilee Hospital.

BARBARA CAMPBELL (NYKOLAISHEN), graduated from MESS in 1970. She has been married to Ken for 34 years. They have 2 sons, Robert and Michael. She writes, "We are living in Kitimat where I co-own and operate my travel agency and Ken is currently with Methanex Corporation. Having just recently become empty nesters we are continuing to enjoy our love of downhill skiing and sailing. We have traveled the world extensively and are struggling to decide what to do with our lives now that we are entering semi-retirement.

GLENYS MURPHY (ROBERTS) writes, I have been married since November, 1971. I have 3 kids, Andrew, Angie and Lisa and 3 grandchildren, Sarah, Jessica and Ryan. We moved to Smithers for 2 years in '72 and moved back to Kitimat in '75 and now live at Lakelse and will be retiring there shortly after working at Eurocan for 22 years as a temporary Admin Assistant. Nice to know some of the class keeps in touch.

MARION COLLINS [HESKE] 1970 writes "We retired to Osoyoos BC in 2000 where we spend most of our time honing our golfing skills (yup, just another ho-hum day in paradise)! Last year we spent over two months exploring Australia and New Zealand which was unbelievably exciting. We have two kids.

KAT DERKSEN [Kathie Sommer] (Class of '72) writes "I obtained my BA & BSW from UVic. I was a Medical Social Worker at VGH for several years. I then went back to school and became a Goldsmith and Gemologist. I worked in the jewellery industry for several years then returned to Medical Social Work at Richmond Hospital. From there I went to work in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside as a Mental Health Patient's Advocate and as a Mental Health Researcher. I retired in the late '90s. I am married and living in Port Coquitlam with my husband, Hen, who is a metal fabricator/welder and an accomplished musician (guitar). No children but a broad menagerie of pets over the years, which currently consists of a cat & a dog.

VERONIKA BECK lives in Smithers with husband Don Chimko whom she married in 1977. They have had 3 children together and a stepdaughter.. Originally lived at Cablecar until retirement in 2002 when they sold their business and moved to Smithers. Since then, they have spent winters in Australia and New Zealand and are presently developing their retirement property west of Quesnel.

JAN LaBOSSIERE has made Calgary her home since 1974. She has a daughter (Renee) and a son (Jeremy) and 2 wonderful grandsons (Matthew and Brandon,) and work as an Operations Assistant for a seismic acquisition company.

ROSEMARY MASON lives in Victoria with her partner of 30 years and husband of 10. "We both teach at Camosun College – I teach 1st and 2nd year biology in the areas of evolution, diversity and ecology. We have been in Victoria since 1991 where we are constantly attempting to make a 100 year old farmhouse liveable, or more likely we’re just in the garden hanging out, changing and re-changing the positions of plants or until recently playing with our Golden Retriever. Prior to 1991 we lived in Vancouver where I completed a Masters Degree in Botany (Plant Ecology) and then worked as teaching lab faculty in 1st year biology. We had moved to Vancouver to go to school. It was hard to do because Victoria had been our home from 1975 until 1991. So we’re now back here and like everyone else (I hope) living a full life and waiting for retirement or the next challenge. "

MARIA MARCOS married in Kitimat in 1974 and moved to Penticton in 1976 where she and husband Domingos Pereira still reside. They have two children. Domingos has a construction company and Maria is in Purchasing/Receiving at Moduline Industries which manufactures modular homes. They are presently building their retirement home and love to travel in the Carribean.

KELLY CROZIER lives in the Lower Mainland and has a busy social life. She has children and is a grandmother. She cannot attend but she wishes everyone well as we gather for this reunion

LYNN YESDRESYSKI left Kitimat in 1971 heading to Vancouver to further her education. After traveling full time for three years in a music band (1973 – 75) she settled down long enough to begin her family in Port Alberni, (daughter Ronee, who is an RN, married with a beautiful daughter Katelynn, [combination of her aunt Kathy Webb and mom]. Her path took her to Logan Lake where her son Jeff, [a fabulous gentleman and pipe fitter up in the oil patches in Fort St. John , was born, moving to Williams Lake, Armstrong and then back to Vancouver. Lynn's passion for people has taken her to Romania 3 times, Europe several times and most recently has fallen in love with the sights, smells and sounds of the warm Caribbean. She enjoys organization and has planned major (3500 people) international events and now is the Director of Conferences, Events and Corporate Relations for BC Human Resources Management Association in Vancouver. Jacques LeBlanc and Lynn have worked together now for almost 5 years.

CHARLIE MUELLER used a Bach. of Chem Eng. from UBC to build a carreer in the oil patch. He lives in Calgary with wife Jayne and 3 kids. He is willing to share his oil price profits with his old BC friends once in retires to the Island. His interests are still sports where his now-tired legs keep him in coaching positions. He welcomes his old friends to overnight if passing through Calgary.

GARRY BRASSARD (Class of 1977) and partner ELAINE HEPBURN have a son and live in Victoria where Garry works in mapping and Elaine works for BC Ferries.

ANDREA SZAMETZ moved to Toronto after UBC. She married a CA from Montreal who lived in Toronto and has a daughter who is a competitive swimmer. She is a self-employed communications consultant and has a nice batch of clients who keep her very busy. They also own a company that distributes European cabinetry hardware. Andrea says "We ventured back to Kitimat in 1991 for the 20th reunion (had the distinction of coming from the farthest afield) but we can't make this year's in Vancouver because of my daughter's swimming commitments."

PETER GOYERT left Kitimat in 1972 and graduated from UBC in 1978. He lives in Richmond with his partner Jill. They have a daughter and son. He is a physiotherapist who spent the last 2 decades in his practice in various BC jails.

SUSAN STIFF attended school in Kitimat from K-12. Her father was the chief x-ray tech at the hospital and mom was a maternity nurse. Parents are both deceased and buried in Kitimat. Susan has fond memories of many people from her school years but has not kept in touch. She went on to attend UBC and SFU and has taught in more elementary schools than she can count. This, of course, reflects rather poorly on our education system. Susan and husband Roland Cottell live on Bowen Island and have two sons.

RUDI SCHOLZ (1972) lives in Smithers with wife Marian. She is a pharmacist and he is a HD mechanic. They have two sons.

BOB GREEN (1970) lives in Surrey.

CLAIRE LAKODUC was at MESS from 1969-1971. She became an RN and is currently working at Vancouver Hospital. She has 2 children.

DUNCAN ROBERTSON, who graduated in 1972 is attending the reunion. He works for CHUM radio in Vancouver at present and has been in the broadcast industry since 1985. He is married and has no children

CLYDE HOWARD has been teaching in Kelowna for 31 years. He writes that he has a beautiful and intelligent daughter (he sounded as if he found it hard to believe) whose name is Chynna.

CLARA MUELLER is married to John (Twigg) Sheridan and they live in Surrey.

DAVE MINIFIE got a degree from UVIC in 1977 and returned to Kitimat in 1979. He married Elaine who is an RN at the hospital. They have three sons Nat, Daryl, and Mark. His curriculum vitae goes on for a bit about professional credentials (boring) then he got to the good part: fishing, skiing, hunting and boating at Lakelse Lk. which is how he is remembered. He looks forward to more time to do this when he retires.

DOUG GRANTsays "really nice to see all the photos and short stories of the grads. Where did all that grey come from? To add to the lot, here's a photo of Sharlene and myself during my (our) first ever official holiday during winter 2004 in Mexico. Three weeks in California and Mexico, first ever vacation. Never had time, too busy working! Need to get a life! We have two kids,

SUSAN ALLEN currently lives in Vernon and have four grown children. I also have 6 beautiful grandchildren who are all the light of my life. I “retired” in 2002 and traveled for the next three years. By last fall I was starting to get bored and decided to go back to work. UBC opened a satellite campus in the Okanagan and I am now working as a Research Grants Facilitator for Arts & Science and Health and Social Development.I am looking forward to seeing old friends with not so familiar faces!

BRUCE STUBBS and wife Wendy lived in Pt. Coquitlam for the past 25 years.

INGE BIBRICH and husband GEOFF SUMNER are living the good life in Squamish. She has two children and one grandson.

JACK FONSECA has been teaching since university graduation in 1976. First for one year in Chemainus, BC, then the remaining years in Kelowna. He spent 10 years at Okanagan Mission Secondary School, and then transfered to Rutland Senior Secondary School where he has been since. He is teaching Spanish full time. He has been married to Karen since June 1976, and have two boys----Justin and Darcy. Jack lives on a 5-acre farm growing hay and has horses. He still plays guitar in a duo, and has played in various bands locally over the years. Jack says,

ANA RAPOSO and her husband Denis have 21 and 24 year old daughters. She is "happy, healthy and active" having gone on a fabulous 6 week vacation to Europe last year. She works at Panne Rizo and lives in East Van.

JOE RAPOSO lives in Vancouver and works at the Canadian Blood Services. He has a daughter

DEBRA DINGWALL has lived in Coquitlam since 1975. She is married to Len and has 2 daughers, a son and a step-son. Additionally, they love dogs and are owned by 2 of them at this time. Currently works in retail but was a daycare provider for many years. She is looking forward to the reunion.

JUTTA HESKE and husband Daryl Porter live in Creston, BC. She reports that Daryl joined us in Grade 12 but might be difficult to remember. Clearly, he made an impact on her as they have been together since leaving Kitimat in 1972. They took a 2 year world tour then settled in Battleford, Sask. Daryl's home town. They have a daughter and son. Jutta retired as a travel agent and Daryl still dabbles in real estate. They are both motorcycling afficionados. Hmmm...leather!!! Down, boy!

LESLIE KRAFT and her husband Ray were last heard from sailing off to New Zealand on their boat the "GForce"

DIANA COLANGELI is still living in Kitimat. Married to Bill Robinson, One son - William.

ROY HARTMAN & BARB CHEYNE are married and live in Kitimat. Their plans are defined by children, grandchildren and family before even January comes around.

ALAN LINDENBACK has lived in Australia, Indonesea, New Guinea, since 1991. He married an Autralian lass and still has a connection with Canada where he spends time in Peachland, BC. H

TERESA SILVEIRA responded to our mail through her personal secretary, Will. Their interest is sailing and planning their retirement in Powell River. Teresa works at Vancouver Hospital. Their web site is www.sailorsmuse.com

SHELDON SMEADER lives in Alberta and for the longest time deleted all emails. He did not remember Kitimat, MESS, or any of the names from that era. A mind is such a terrible thing to waste. Just joking, Sheldon!

DALE TURNER and wife Wendi live in Kelowna where he works as a civilian RCMP employee.

JILL DROVER in 1991, she spoke of commercial fishing in Haida Gwaii and having her two sons Ben and Cole along with her.

JIM LANNING and wife Maureen live in Richmond. He works in an engineering firm.

ALLYSTER NORMAN is a teacher in Fernie and asks that anyone passing through should look him up and go golfing. He is wrapping up a construction project and will not require any nails pounded if you drop in.

DENNIS MCELROY and wife WILLA BARRISCALE live in Kelowna. They have two daughters. He is a motorcycle enthusiast and his claim to fame is that he once lived in the Frank Soda domicile as a basement tenant.

SUSAN MCCORMICK has to be a believer in "what doesn't kill you makes you strong." She shares with us the loss of her newborn infant in 1971 and subsequent obstacles including a "devastating" job loss from the lumber industry in 1996. She has had a variety of positions and experiences in Vancouver since then. She is married to GRAHAM SWAYZE.

LOIS JOHNSON was born in Winnipeg and moved to Kitimat in 1957. It was only by chance that this classy lady became part of our class. Grade one was full and she had to wait a year before enrolling. Living in Sidney, BC, Lois has three daughters which she describes as beautiful. Who would doubt that!

BRIAN PARKER (Class of 1972) lives in Burnaby with his partner SUSAN TARRAS. They have a daughter and a son who is a chess enthusiast.

MARILYN LAWSON and husband CHRISTOS KATSIRIS (formerly of Kitimat) have lived in Greece since 1971. Marilyn says that her English is now very poor.

DIANE KUHN left Prince Rupert and fishing in 1995. Now lives in Powell River where she has a program that teaches and facilitates young moms. She has two "kids" attending post-secondary institutions and lives with "a wonderful man".

ROBERT CHOMCEY joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1972. He was involved in the Afghanistan mission.

MARIA MARCOS lives in Penticton.

MARIA MIRANDA cannot attend as she is traveling. She is an artist living in Victoria. Check out her website via the link provided. Recently found out that she will be awarded the National Copa Award for Arts and Culture. The presentation will be held in Toronto May 6, 2006. Here is the link: www.copaawards.com This is a very prestigious award given by the National Portuguese Congress for someone who has achieved outstanding recognition within the Portuguese and Canadian community.

JOHN VERDE is married and living in White Rock where he was a paramedic until he retired. His personal photos are on the web at photobucket.com the search word is johnverde.

JOE LINGUANTI lives in Sidney BC with his wife Shelley and three children Giorgio, James and Carmen, where he works for The Institute of Ocean Sciences.

KAREN DRABIK and her husband David live in Kitimat and used to run The Chalet Motel and Restaurant. How nostalgic it is to go there and eat french fries in the afternoon at about 3:30

LIZ RAPOSO recently married a very handsome gentleman named Joe.

EDITH WALLACE lives in Lake Cowichan (or is it Cowichan Lk?).

BILL PARKER from Victoria, is an enthusiastic grandfather and looks younger than his chronological age.

MERV MOSHER graduated from U.B.C. in 1976 and moved to Toronto in 1978. He has worked at York University since 1979 in the Kinesiology Department, teaching [still] and coaching women's volleyball [retired]. Married, with 2 teenage daughters.

Merv Mosher