THE CYCLE OF LIFE

Although our hearts are saddened by the loss of friends or loved ones, we can all rejoice when new babes are born into our families. Two of our classmates have recently been blessed with great-grandchildren!

Jerline Piel Steel proudly sends a photo of her newest great-granddaughter.  Randy Mack Tischler, her  grandson, and his wife, Sheila, who reside in Flower Mound are the proud parents of this beautiful, "BIG" little girl. 

Ali Rae Tischler

9lbs 4oz

21 in

Born March 22, 2011

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June Hash Curry sent the following:

I have a wonderful new great-grandson named Garrett Wayne Braun.  He was born earlier this month (April) to my granddaughter Danielle Braun and her husband Joe in Rosebud, Missouri (outside of St. Louis). 

Big sister Jolene and Garrett Wayne Braun

Now these certainly should warm the cockles of your heart! Congratulations to the proud great-grandparents!

Something good always happens..

Marilyn

ANOTHER LOSS SO SOON...

I received the following from Peggy Branham Krumlinde yesterday morning. Her brother, Zane Branham, was 76 and a BHS and Texas Tech graduate. 

"... I realize we are all nearing the end of our journey here, but it is still sad and hard to see it come to those we know and love.  I lost my brother yesterday after having been hospitalized for over four months.  I would like to share something from author, Mary Frye":

 

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

I am in the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush of

beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the star-shine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

I am with those I love,

I am with Him in Heaven above.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I do not die.

I know what it's like to lose a sibling, and I also know that thoughts and prayers from friends and loved ones are a comfort after such a loss. Please join me in sending your condolences and love to Peggy. May her brother Zane rest in peace.

Peace be with you all,

Marilyn

A MEMORY FOR BARBARA SHARPES BROOKS

I didn't have an obituary to run when I advised everyone of Barbara's loss. I thought that this would be a nice thing for Barbara to refer to in the future. If any of you have something important you would like for me to place on this site, please send it to me. Or send me information where I can retrieve it. I can access most newspapers. The following was in the Port Aransas newspaper.

Barbara and Tom Brooks of Goldthwaite, formerly of Port Aransas, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The couple married in Abilene on Feb. 6, 1961, at the home of the bride’s parents, Homer and Emma Sharpes. Brooks, former Port Aransas city manager, was in the Air Force at the time. His career involved assignments from Nebraska to California, Washington, Texas and Guam. He retired in 1976 and went into public service. He served as city manager in Port Aransas for 11 years, retiring in 2003. She worked in civil service, but primarily was a housewife and mother. They have four children, Cindi (K.W.) Thomas of Georgia, Marshal (Judy) Brooks of Illinois, Rob Brooks of Texas and Tommy (Mayra) Brooks of Australia. They have seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

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Tom Brooks served Port Aransas from 1992 to 2003. The longest term and one of the most respected of city managers in Port Aransas, Tomme Melvin “Tom” Brooks, died Sunday, April 3, 2011, at his home in Goldthwaite after a long battle with COPD. He was 72.

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Goodbye and good luck, Barbara.

Peace and love,

Marilyn

ANOTHER GOODBYE

Tom and Barbara Sharpes Brooks ~ 50th Class Reunion 2007

Sadly, one of our classmates has lost her husband. Barbara Sharpes Brooks sent the following email to me this morning. I know you all join me in sending our deepest sympathy and condolences. If I get more information, I will share it with you...Marilyn

"I would appreciate it greatly if you could let everyone know that my Tom passed away the 3rd of this month. He fought a good fight but lost in the end. I am devastated. 

My daughter and her husband have insisted that I come live with them in Warner Robins, Georgia. So we are now in the process of packing up a lifetime of memories. I don't know if I will ever move back to Texas, but will always be a Texan at heart. I want to thank YOU for keeping us all up to speed about our classmates, They will always be in my heart. To all of you goodbye and good luck."     

Barbara Sharpes Brooks  

A CLASSMATE REMEMBERS SUSAN

Susan Herring Stahl

by June Hash Curry

I just learned of the passing of a high school friend of mine named Susan Herring Stahl. She has been on my daily prayer list ever since I learned of her breast cancer many months ago. These are some of my memories of Susan.

We were in the same Class of 1957 at Ballinger High School and had been friends throughout our high school years. We were fortunate enough to enjoy many Friday night slumber parties with between ten to twelve girls at the different homes of our long suffering parents throughout our junior and senior years. I always thought that of us all Susan was the one totally pure at heart. She always seemed to take the high road when any issue or shocking event occurred, with a maturity that surpassed our age group. Anything ever confided to her would never be disclosed for any reason. She just had that kind of integrity. She was a cheerleader all four years of high school, and the head cheerleader during our senior year. She always excelled at everything in which she was involved and was valedictorian at graduation. Yet she always managed to blend in with any group where she was. There was a stillness about her--a quiet spirit that one always sensed. She worked at seeing both sides of any argument or issue without becoming critical in the process. I believe the word that describes her best is grace--total grace. I was always a little in awe of her.

Susan was a bridesmaid in my wedding in 1957, and I remember her coming to the church early that night and actually being the one who helped me to dress for my wedding. I sadly lost touch with her after that, as I did with all my high school friends after Grady and I moved to Midland and our babies starting coming so quickly. She left for college, and we never got together again. But I never forgot Susan or her sweetness or her quiet, loving spirit.

I know her family must feel a tremendous void with her passing, but I also know that Heaven is richer in every way due to her arrival.

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A lovely tribute, June.  By the way, to all of you reading this, June has a new blog of her own:

My Mind and Its Musings..          http://mymindanditsmusings.blogspot.com/

I think you'll enjoy her "musings".

Peace and love,

Marilyn

GOODBYE, SUSAN

I received an email tonight informing me of Susan's passing. She was such an important part of the Class of '57, I knew you would want to know. The following obituary was in the Dallas Morning News today. If any of you would like to share a favorite memory, or give a tribute to Susan, I will be happy to post it here.

Susan (Herring) Stahl, a noted civic leader and prominent champion of children and youth programs, passed away on Feb. 14, 2011 after a prolonged illness with breast cancer. Born on Dec. 9, 1938 in San Angelo, Texas to Sue and Lloyd Herring, Susan grew up in Ballinger, Texas and attended SMU, graduating summa cum laude in 1961. Susan is survived by her husband, Sidney Stahl, his two daughters, Lori Stahl and Cathy (Mrs. Gary) Golden, their children, Sara Stahl, Will Golden and Charlie Golden, and Susan's sisters Lynn (Mrs. Ernie) Crawford of Odessa, and Ellen (Mrs. Stephen) Brown of San Angelo, as well as niece Laura Alexander and nephews Charles Switzer and Chuck Brown.

Susan had a passion for community service and served in leadership roles at a broad number of non-profits during the past three decades. She was president of Texas CASA and immediate past president of Bryan's House. In 1992, Gov. Ann Richards appointed her to chair the board of the newly-created Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, the state agency having jurisdiction over all state-funded children's programs, including Child Protective Services. Her many other activities include serving as president of the Dallas Women's Council and on the board of directors of the Volunteer Center of Dallas and Senior Citizens of Greater Dallas. In addition to receiving SMU's Distinguished Alumni Award, she received special recognition from numerous other groups including the Women's Center of Dallas, the Child Care Group, the Dallas Child Guidance Clinic, the Dallas City Council and the Dallas County Commissioner's Court.

Private graveside services will be followed by a Memorial Service at Temple Emanu El, 8500 Hillcrest Road, Dallas, Texas, 75225, at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011 with Rabbi David Stern officiating. The family will receive condolences at 4 p.m. at Temple's Linz Hall. Pallbearers will be Stephen Brown, David Genecov, Gary Golden, Alan Rosenberg, Elias Stahl and Charles Switzer.

The family wishes to express its heartfelt appreciation to the wonderful people at UT Southwestern Medical Center, especially Dr. Dawn Klemow for her incredible care and devotion, and loving nurses Mary Anna Rilat and Wendy Stenzel, for their love and support. The family is also grateful for the exceptional care given at home by Debra Morrow, Eliana Wilson and Anna Willyard. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Bryan's House, 5940 Forest Park Road, Dallas, Texas, 75235, or the charity of your choice.

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I will never forget the last time I saw Susan at my home in Ballinger. She and James Hays delighted several of us with stories of their childhood... James lived in the little house I lived in and Susan lived across the street. She was such a sweet, classy lady. She will be missed. 

Love,
Marilyn

IRENE PIEL BATTS OBITUARY

BALLINGER Irene Piel Batts, 70, of Ballinger, passed away Sunday, March 14, 2010, in a San Angelo hospital. She was born on April 22, 1939, in Ballinger, to David Willie and Tillie Margaret (Sturm) Piel. She graduated in 1957 from Ballinger High School where she was voted "Most Beautiful." She and William David Batts were married on Feb. 10, 1962, in Ballinger.

She was a homemaker and a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Ballinger. She worked at Keel Drug during high school, General Telephone Company for several years, at Ballinger Appliance and Middleton's Dress Shop. Irene took great joy in her irises and other flowers in her yard. She also liked to watch the different birds come up to feed.

Irene was preceded in death by her father, a sister, Alice Piel St. John and a brother David A. (Butch) Piel. She is survived by her husband, David Batts; her daughter Amy Batts; her mother Tillie Piel Mosley and a sister, Janice Kurtz and husband, Randall, all of Ballinger; Two brothers, Gene Piel and wife, Mary, of Del Rio and Larry Piel and wife, Glenda, of Bangs, a special aunt, Jeri Rohmfeld of Ballinger and numerous nieces and nephews also survive.

Visitation for family and friends will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday March 17, at Lange Funeral Home. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 18, 2010, at the First Presbyterian Church in Ballinger. There will be a private burial service. The family would like to thank Dr. Prieto and his staff, Dr. Durham, Dr. Phillips, and the medical staff of San Angelo Community Medical Center for the excellent care Irene was given. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to a favorite charity. Friends may register at ballingerfuneralhome.com.

LOVE AND FAREWELL

IRENE PIEL BATTS
APRIL 22, 1939 ~ MARCH 14, 2010

By now many of you may have heard that we lost our "Most Beautiful ~ Class of 1957". Irene fought a long, courageous battle with cancer for nearly two years. Her darling daughter Amy was at her side nearly every step of the way. She could use all our love and support at this difficult time.

There will be a visitation at Lange's Funeral Home in Ballinger Wednesday night, March 17th from 6 - 7 pm. A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Ballinger the next day, Thursday March 18th at 2:00 pm.

She is now at peace, and suffers no more.

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Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.

~Mary Frye

MIKE FOY correctly identified his old homeplace on the blog. This is what he wrote:

"Thanks for placing one of my favorite places and bountiful memories ever. A two bedroom house with an extremely small bathroom served my brother, mother and daddy well for twenty one years before I left for Lubbock and met my soulmate. The house used to have two large Juniper trees in front of the porch and I remember my dad on one particular night was sitting on the porch smoking a cigar and waiting on me to return from a location he was not aware of. I was famous for that, although not very bright of me. I was at the time in love with PEGGY VIRDEN. She and Barbara Gleghorn had gone to a revival at the First Baptist Church and PEGGY had asked me if I would meet her after the service and walk her back to Barbara's house. My father was not aware that I was out of the yard, much less six or seven blocks away waiting on my girlfriend to exit the church.

To bring you up to date on one little segment of this story, I was not the most studious classmate that exited Ballinger High School and my parents put a curfew, if you will, on me going somewhere on school nights. You guessed it, this particular night was a school night.

The revival lasted longer than I anticipated and I knew that I was going to be in deep trouble, just didn't know how bad. To make this a shorter story, when I did finally return my father was still on the front porch waiting for me to show up. I could hear him breathing hard as I passed through those Junipers and that was when the he came to life with some choice words and planted a number ten shoe right in the appropriate place to make an impression.

Lots of memories in that house on 9th Street. Even remember the phone number. (8191) Maybe someday I will tell you some stories about our hardware store that we had in the early 50s. Love your Blog.” ~ Mike Foy

The following was sent by CHARLES FIKES:

“I was thinking of something to help Irene in someway as she goes through some tough times. I thought of the following that happened just a couple of weeks ago.

My youngest granddaughter, Katelyn (four), was staying with her grandmother when the following happened. Grandmother was trying to get her CD player to work and was getting frustrated because it would not cooperate. Katelyn, seeing this, said to her Grandmother, ’Come and let's pray about it.’ They bowed their heads and Katelyn said the following prayer, ‘I wish I may I wish I might have this wish I wish tonight. Dear God, let Grandmother fix her CD player.’ Sure enough, Grandmother got the CD player to work shortly thereafter.

So, if God will answer a simple prayer from a four year old, surely he will answer ours and heal Irene. Our prayers will be with Irene during this difficult time.”~ Charles

SWAN SONG (Maybe)

I always knew this day might come, I just did not know when. When I started this blog in October 2007, I knew nothing about blogs -- or how they were put together. I didn't know if I could do one, and even if I did, if anyone would read it! I've learned a lot in a year and a half about blogging, photography, videos, and my computer! Maybe that was the real purpose for my doing this. I enjoyed working on the biographical handbook for the 50th Class Reunion. Then I enjoyed the reunion itself, but it just wasn't long enough to visit with everyone. I thought a blog would be a good way to keep us all connected and share the camaraderie I felt with all of you who contributed to the handbook.

I have had a great time playing with this blog, but I have to admit how disappointed I've been that very few have appeared to have read the blog... and even fewer have contributed. There are 39 email addresses that this goes out to, and on a regular basis I hear from only a dozen or less. Even fewer contribute anything to put on the blog. I am extremely grateful for those of you who have continued to send me encouragement and praise. I would have been willing to try most anything you all had suggested you would like to see or read on what I liked to call "our" blog. Instead, I find it more and more difficult to put meaningful items here, and it seems to end up being more of my "personal" blog.

Thus, the photo of the swan with her "babies". Once this blog is finished, I intend to start a more personal one. I think my family and old friends read this one more than the classmates do, anyway. The babies represent my new endeavors in the future.

I have a couple of items to put here that may interest all of you. The first is from one of my faithful followers/contributors, JAMES HAYS. He wrote:

"After eight months of a partial restoration by Harold Stieber and myself, the critical gust load tolerance turned out to be one mph faster than this afternoon! Bounced around like a BB in a boxcar, but stayed controllable throughout test flight. Looking forward to several more hours of fun flying out of the bird"...JAMES

Now, if you are like me, most of you will not understand what on earth he is talking about...with the exception of the other pilots in the class like JERRY EOFF, BOB BURTON, and GLENN SMITH. However, you will all get a big kick out of seeing JAMES in his newly restored toy.

This is called a Pietenpol. And I have to say, it doesn't look too safe to me!! No offense, JAMES, I just never would have the nerve to go up in anything like this! That's why they invented "jets"!

I can't tell if that's a "V" for Victory, a peace sign, or if James is offering up some kind of prayer before taking off!

It is nice to see men of our age engaging in such good hobbies. Too many have given up "living" and seem just to sit by the television.

Here's a shot proving that this thing really can fly!

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For some reason, JERRI (PIEL) STEEL and her husband, Sam, have not been getting the notices sent when there was a blog update. This is unfortunate, because I feel that JERRI would have been a good correspondent and would have contributed some really "good stuff"! Her husband recently sent me the following:

"This is the Rosemary that is closest to the house. JERRI is holding a tape measure across the plant to show the width. It is blooming and the bees are visiting it. The milk bottle on the ground below the tape is for the orphan Barbado lamb that we are raising on the bottle. The plant behind JERRI is a rose bush."

That is an incredible bush...and I would love to have that in my yard to cook with! I love chicken breasts cooked with rosemary! Your place is beautiful!

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I have always believed that there is a Divine Order to things that happen in our lives. I just don't believe in coincidences. When I moved back to Ballinger in 2005, I could not give anyone a really good reason "why". I told myself I just wanted to live in a small town again, particularly one that held so many good memories. Having two of my best friends from high school living here seemed a good reason, too. I also thought it would be a cheaper place to live on my limited Social Security income. WRONG!

As February, 2007 rolled around and JAMES HAYS held a meeting to discuss the upcoming 50th Class Reunion, I began to see a purpose in my moving back here after all these years. I don't think I really knew what I was doing when I offered to attempt the handbook. I just felt compelled to do it. Same way with the blog. Until recently, that is.

I had a wonderful opportunity offered to me last fall by a dear friend and her husband. She and I go back almost 50 years, having met when my oldest and her two children were just wee ones. I met her right here in Ballinger, when I moved home after my divorce. Jane and Joe visited me last fall, and not long afterward, they called to tell me they wanted to buy a little house for me to live in where they live. It would be a long-term investment for them, and they will rent the house to me for the same low rent I pay here for a much smaller, older home.

The added bonus is that I will be only 45 minutes from my younger son and my two youngest grandchildren! Ballinger is so "off the beaten path", that it is not on the way to anywhere! One has to make a special trip to visit here. It's difficult, particularly for my daughter in Amarillo to visit, as the plane trip has to go via Dallas, layovers, etc. and she doesn't drive long distances alone. She gets road hypnosis.

I feel that once I move to the Austin area, I may see more of all three kids and their families. I'll be in the heart of the Hill Country... surrounded by wonderful lakes and things to do! Not to mention, I'll have the companionship of my dear friend and her husband. They are so energetic, positive, and enthusiastic about life. Lots of fun to be around and do things with. (She and I and her daughter and her friend from junior high school went on a cruise together a few years back! ) She and I have shared a lot of the same experiences and heartaches through the years. She's an example of a little plaque I used to hang that stated, "A friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you just the same." And they don't ever seem to mind my not having a "partner". I don't feel like a fifth wheel around them. Of course, I may have to be careful that they do not try some "matchmaking"!

Like my compelling move to Ballinger, I have a feeling there is some kind of "mission" awaiting me at my next location!

At first, I thought I might continue the blog, as it really doesn't matter where I live, if folks are sending me things to place on it. However, that is not the case, and I won't be around to invite out-of-towners over, go to funerals, take pictures, etc. I would love to see this continue. Perhaps if someone out there feels they would like to take it over, maybe people will contribute to that "someone" who is better known. I have already deleted most of the personal items, like family photos, etc., and Google Blogger makes it easy for more than one person to author a blog. I can put your email address on and you can start when you're ready. Just let me know. I know there must be someone out there bored, who would like to do this!

I will be starting to pack and be pretty busy before long, as I will move the first part of June. If anyone has something special they would like to share with the class before I quit publishing, let me know. Otherwise, this will be the last blog post.

Before I close, this is what my house looked like Saturday night for Earth Hour. The kerosene lamp on the dining room table was my great-grandmother's. I read for about 45 minutes, then took a long soaking bath by candlelight. Later I heard that 4,000 cities participated in Earth Hour this year to help raise awareness about global warming and the need to diminish each of our footprints upon the earth. I hope some of you did, too. I know that JUNE HASH CURRY did!


I don't know how to say "goodbye" in Swan-speak, so I'll just say a heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped make this fun for me... you know who you are. You kept it alive this long!

May each of your lives be filled with all kinds of "good stuff"...

Love and peace,
Marilyn