Comments from the reunion

Hello,


Just had to write and tell everyone how much my husband, Steve, and I enjoyed seeing all of you this past weekend. I couldn't believe how little or how much some of you have changed. But what I can honestly say to all of you, "Way to go! I am so impressed with your accomplishments!." It makes me proud to have been a fellow classmate.


A personal thank you to Jon for his diligence and commitment to the task of organizing this event. Gaylan...you should consider being an emcee in your next lifetime. Great job! Peggy...thanks for arranging the dinner with the Covered Bridge Restaurant. Our food was terrific. Steve and I both want to thank the gentleman that led the tour of the school. Isn't going down memory lane great? My apologies to anyone that I have left out since I am not certain of everyone that had a hand in this effort.


Love the blog and the inserted photos. You are invited to "Friend" me on Facebook if you wish.


Bless you all. Stay safe, healthy and most of all, continue to enjoy life to the fullest!


Nancy








I have to agree with Nancy.


It was fun to see everyone. I had a great time!


Thanks to all of you for just being special people. We have changed a bit since 1966, but only for the better. I’m looking forward to the next reunion, and hopefully, running into some of you before then.


Julie






Greetings to All Our Classmates Who Were Able To Come To The Reunion And To All Those That Couldn’t Make It !


I’m writing to tell everyone how much Mary Jo and I enjoyed seeing and visiting with all of you at the Class Reunion. Mary Jo said she hasn’t seen me so excited for an event in quite a while. The tour of the School was great and brought back many, mostly good, memories. It was also enlightening on how many high tech improvements had been made to the old school-almost made you want to go back to school. Then there was lunch at the Hwy.57 Café (Central Café) with a few classmates. Great food and conversation. Recommend to all of you if your ever in Wanamingo to go there and enjoy. That afternoon a few of us had a rousing round of golf at the fairly new Wanamingo Golf Course. Six Man Best Ball, two over par for the course, and only a couple dozen golf balls lost! The Covered Bridge dinner was awesome, and even more awesome was Gaylan’s bits of History. Cindy kind of stole the show with her cell phone battle with toilets, sinks and water! Of course there was the great toe to toe conversation and all the “good to see you” Hugs and Handshakes!!


We would like to Thank all of you for coming, and to all who couldn’t make it-We Missed You!! Thanks to All who had anything to do with the organization of this event, with a Special Thank You to “Jon” who spearheaded the whole thing.


Thanks to Mary Jo, who is a lot more high tech than me, she put together this E-mail Group, including the access to Jon and the Blog, so that we could send our e-mail address to you all and to all classmates who might read the blog that couldn’t come to the reunion—so don’t be afraid to send us a note once in a while and let us know how you all are doing.


We are with Nancy and Julie when we say Be Safe, We Pray for your Good Health, and Continue to Enjoy Life To The Fullest!


You All Are Welcome at Our “Fire” Anytime-45348 Grimsrudway, Rushford, MN!!!!!!!!!!!!! “God Bless”


Dan, Mary Jo, & Family—LIFE IS GOOD!

Gary Alme

Life has been good,


Living on the farm, surrounded by grandchildren, there are six of them. Since they hang out with Norma and I, they learn to ski, fish, swim, fix equipment, work with animals, agronomy skills, cooking and house keeping chores, and operate farm equipment. As well as all the sports programs and other school activities they are involved in. Their ages are 13 years to 3 years old.


In 2003 I sold the dairy herd, and only have steers in the feed lot. If you have grandkids, cattle will educate the children too.

Currently working as a Commercial Well Inspector, and cover part of Minnesota and Wisconsin. If you need to know about the quality of our drinking water, I work to keep it safe and its in great shape.


We do some traveling each year. August of 2010 we headed to London, England and Wales. You get a real appreciation of old age while visiting a castle, with dates of 1120 on the church walls when the first vicor was installed.

Seeing a tower than the Romans built in the year 900 standing and the roads they built was unreal.


We travel to southern California and Arizona each year. Still go skiing in Colorado with children and grandkids.

We spend the fourth of July in the Boundary Waters Area of Mn with famly.

I been the neighbor hood Ski Instructor at Welch ski Area and Coffee Mill Ski area in Wabasha.
Every weekend from Thanksgiving to March 21, I'm Skiing with grandkids and there friends; anywhere from 1 to six of them. Training them to ski safely, so they don/t get lost in the mountains.

Dan Grimsrud

"Life is good." That is our family motto. We are truly blessed with three children now young adults that are successful and have wonderful families. Everyones health has been good so far, with exception of a few aches and pains in our older age! I had a successful neck surgery that relieved me of a lot of pain last year. We keep busy with grandchildren sports, concerts, going to the cabin in Faribault. Last summer we bought a Mustang convertible and are enjoying car cruises and trips during the summer months. Mary Jo and I also enjoy watching the Twins and have gone to spring training games in Florida. Someday we hope to retire there or at least spend the month of March there to take them all in! But above all, we enjoy our new home we built in 2005 on 50 acres just outside of Rushford. The kids and grandkids love to come visit and enjoy the outdoors hunting, riding go-kart, and just hiking the woods. It’s a beautiful spot for our whole family to enjoy. Looking forward to the reunion and getting caught up with everyone!

Jon Syverson

Went to college, graduated, worked, and am still working.  Got married, had kids, got a divorce, and am still working.  Still have kids and they have children - - makes me a grandpa.  Am still working.

Ok. Let’s get serious about this. I worked for our family business after college for twenty years until it liquidated in 1990. By that time I had married and had two children. Julie and Jill. Both have continued their education and received a Master Degree in each of their chosen fields. Julie in sports medicine and Jill in social work. Julie left the mainland and moved to Hawaii and as her career progressed started her own swim school. Luckily for me she moved back stateside and again has successfully started another swim school. Jill originally started her social work career with The Salvation Army. Continued her education to receive her Master Degree. Now she has left the twin city area and works for Wright County in Buffalo Minn. Their mother and I separated and divorced in 1988.

My career got waylaid for 18 months during the 1990-1992 recession and finally I took a job selling appliances for Montgomery Ward. I was very successful (a pat on my back by myself) to the point I was offered a management position in Brainerd, Mn where I managed two departments; Electric Ave and Rooms N More. We were very successful for the two years I was there (another pat on my back by myself). It was there I met Tamara, my very significant other. I left Brainerd to return home to be with Julie and Jill as they were still in college and high school respectively. I worked for Southern Minnesota Communications for three years selling two-way radios (not as successful as I had hoped for). In the meantime Tam had moved from Brainerd to Northfield, went back to school to study CAD, and found a job at Poly-Tex in Castle Rock. In 1997 I was hired by Poly-Tex also and have been with them for 14 years now.

Tam and I have enjoyed several hobbies. In 2006 we built a Christmas Snow Village that covers almost all of our front room. You can see it on You Tube listed under Wanamingo Snow Village; pretty clever title huh? In 2009 we decided to get into car shows and after looking for several years we found what we were looking for. We bought a 1978 Chev Monza Spyder, quite rare. In 2010 we did our first full schedule car show circuit. I wrote a blog about it called Wasting Money by the Mile and Tam did all the photo work. This April Tam started her own business Gates Art Center and because she works seven days a week we haven’t gone to as many shows. It’s not as much fun without Tam.

After talking to most of our classmates in this area about why there wasn’t any class reunion, I decided we had to get it done. I am very grateful for all the help I have received and all the hard work they have put in to help make a reunion a success with the hope we will have someone else take the lead and organize them in the future.

Julie (Hoseth) Quast

I am currently divorced (have been since 1986), have 3 children, Sara, Peter, and Jessie, and 3 grandchildren, Andrew, Claire, and Marshall.   I am a registered nurse and have been a Director of Nursing in long term care for nearly 35 years!

 In 1997, I moved from Minneapolis to Rochester because of my son’s lengthy hospitalization and my need to be nearer to him.   In addition, my father’s health was failing and Mom needed additional support.  I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 and after surgery, chemo, and radiation, I am still surviving strong!!   My father died in 1999.  I bought my parent’s home in Zumbrota after dad died because Mom couldn’t manage alone, and she still lives there with me today.

 I love my flower gardens, my family, my church.  I love my job.   Being a “gramma” gives me great joy.  I also love feeding and watching birds.  And I love yorkies! 

Bruce Boraas

During the last 15 yrs- let me see. In early 1993, I was married to Christa Urban who as a nurse.   We had my son Andrew in  late November we had my son Andrew. In 2010, Christa became restless and filed for divorce and moved to Florida. Andrew lives with me in Minneapolis and he’s 17 now, so a lot of life decisions are coming up for him. He’s great kid and like video games and robotics at school.

 I have continued my work as a traditional naturopath at my clinic , the Center for Natural Healing in Minneapolis, and also have a web site  www.naturalhealingstore.com where I sell some natural health care products.

I believe in and try to use natural health care in my own life as much as possible.

 My father , Arnold  is 95 and in Pinehaven Home in Pine Island, my mother  who’s a little younger lives in the family home in Roscoe, and my brother Rodney lives nearby.  My sister Renae and her husband are in Oronoco, and my sister Bonita and her family are in Rochester.

 With my spare time I like to watch movies from Netflix.  Just watched  “ Across the  Universe” a  nostalgic period  love story with a Beatles influence, made me think of my younger years.

 I am also involved in a martial art called Aikido, which takes some time.  I find its good exercise, and I have a lot of friendships there.

 Although I date some, there is no number one woman in my life right now. Perhaps

There will be more time in the future. I have done some traveling and would like to do some more in the future as resources allow.