JUNE 2004

EDITOR'S SOAPBOX

Welcome to the latest edition of the family newsletter. For my opening, I would like to offer a picture of the old Uhl family farm house.

Dave sent me this picture. Many children were raised in this home and most of us have always looked to it as a valuable part of our heritage. Grandma & Grandpa spent many years in this home, making their living off the land, raising their children and, during the Depression, feeding many others as well. There are very many happy memories there. Reinhold & Eileen moved into it when Grandma & Grandpa retired to Strasbourg. They raised their own two children there and generously hosted family reunions as well. When Reinhold & Grace decided to move to Alberta, they sold the farm to Dave & Nancy, who have since moved out there full-time. They have also generously hosted a family reunion. Dave & Nancy moved a new home there last year and on the Easter weekend this year, the old farmhouse came down. Gone, but never forgotten.

Announcement: Plans are underway for the next family reUHLion.  We’re planning for July 1, 2, 3, 2005 so that it will coincide with the Strasbourg homecoming.  We have the Bulyea Hall booked for Friday the 2nd after 5:00 pm and all day Saturday the 3rd.  There has been a suggestion that we spend much of Sunday the 3rd at the Strasbourg homecoming festivities so that we can all enjoy that as well.  We will also be looking for any ideas on activities that we can have ongoing on Saturday or any other suggestions for the Sunday.  Please feel free to send any constructive suggestions to Helen via e-mail at:  hthalgott@sasktel.net If you know of family members who do not have access to this newsletter, please contact them.

DAD & EVELYN

Dad & Evelyn had a fairly quiet winter.  There were a few times that the weather convinced them to stay put at home rather than head into town.  They had company in March when Jo-Anne came for a week long visit.  The following week, Trevor came for a visit, bringing many pictures to show them of his welcome home party, as well as pictures of Afghanistan and Thailand.  They had 22 people in for Easter dinner, a good mix from Evelyn’s side and Dad’s side, including Jim & Maryann who came down from Edmonton for a visit.  They were in Regina in May, checking out Diane & Gerry’s house for the first time and having a look at Allan’s seniors project (No, they didn’t pick out a place of their own there). 

Evelyn’s granddaughters have all been keeping busy.  Genevieve has been living at home with Bev and the other girls recently but soon will be moving to Saskatoon where her fiancé is working as an aquifer technician.  Melissa is enjoying living in Winnipeg and is doing very well in her course.  Felicia and Zoe are still very involved in Air Cadets.  Both will be spending part of their summer at Air Cadet camps.  Felicia plans on taking her Grade 11 in Strasbourg next year. 

JIM & MARYANN BRANCH

Jim & Maryann managed to head down to Saskatoon for Trev’s party on March 20th.  Jim spent all kinds of time hassling with the insurance company about the fire at his store but was finally compensated for his losses.  He found another space to rent in the same neighborhood, but at a much better deal, and took over the lease on April 1st.  They were back in Saskatoon again over Easter weekend where they attended a car show with Don & Trudy before heading to Dad & Evelyn’s for a few days, then on to Weyburn for a visit with family there.  Jim had a Grand Opening of his new location on May 1st.

Joy, Andi, Steven & Meredith all got together and came down to Saskatoon for Trev’s Welcome Home party as well.  Reg stayed home with the other girls.  Joy unexpectedly spent Easter Sunday in the hospital, having her appendix removed.  Reg took the girls out to McDonalds for Easter dinner.  Not the usual Easter dinner but I bet they enjoyed it!

Sonya & Nick flew into Saskatoon for Trev’s party.  They arrived on Friday so they would have time to do some partying with Trev, Chris & Kelsey.  They headed back to Vancouver on Sunday.

Steven & Meredith are very happy to report that they are expecting their first child.  The due date is October 1st.  Meredith has a difficult history with pregnancy due to a rare clotting disorder.  She was very sick during the first trimester and is feeling better but has been told to stay off her feet due to swelling and high blood pressure.  Steven was recently promoted to “Photo / Electronics Manager” at London Drugs.  They are planning a 3 week trip to BC beginning June 23rd.  They will be going camping with Nick & Sonya while they are there, then attending a wedding in July, then home again.

JEANNE & FRED BRANCH

Jeanne spent most of her winter trying to decide which lottery kiosk she should go to on any particular day.  In early May she decided to leave the Northgate kiosk and take a position at the Golden Mile kiosk, working with an old co-worker who had been at Northgate with her.  Her #1 kiosk is still Ger’s at the Superstore, of course.  Tax time kept her very busy again this year and the Mystery Shopping kept her hopping as well. 

Jeanne & Fred were over at Jackie & Wayne’s for Easter dinner.  Fred spent much of the winter painting the interior of their home.  With all that new paint and a whole new look, Jeanne felt obliged to go out and buy some new living room furniture to go with it.  Fred is also the general handyman/mechanic for his brothers and sister who live nearby and that keeps him very busy at times. 

They attended an 80th birthday bash for Fred’s Aunt Olga Maier (widow of Walter Maier) at the end of April.  It was a great time, with a group of Southey German singers as entertainment.  They are now trying to get the garden started, though it has been very damp.  So far just radishes and lettuce have been started.  Jeanne got to do a survey at the Golden Mile recently where she was given a large bottle of liquid Tide to use.  They plan on interviewing her about the results later.  I wonder if she will tell them that her washer broke down during this time frame and she had to get a new one.  Could it have been the Tide??  Garfy the cat was impatiently waiting for the rainy season to end so he could get out in the garden and try to wear off some of the weight he picked up over the winter.

Terry, Judy & Danny had a very difficult time in March when their dog, Shelby, injured her leg.  She has a congenital muscle problem that is common to labs and needed immediate surgery.  She’s been through this before with another leg and is recovering nicely, thank goodness.  They also have a new e-mail address and it is:  triffo@northwestel.net 

Danny was involved in a major school project.  He chose his subject to be Citadel Hill in Halifax with the Town Clock as its centerpiece.  Because he had been there personally, he had many pictures of his own and personal experience to relate.  He took first place in his school for this project and did quite well at Regionals too.

LARRY & SHARON BRANCH

Larry & Sharon both went to Saskatoon for Trev’s party in March.  Larry has been gearing up for his usual busy season and has been spending a lot of time building fence to keep the cows in.  They had a batch of puppies in May.  Sharon has been very busy preparing for her parent’s 50th anniversary celebration on July 3rd.  It will be a come and go tea and supper for family and friends. 

Amber is living at home again while she works on a farm in Lumsden area. 

This is a picture of a gorgeous numbered print that Amber won recently.  Even better than the print, some neighbors down from the farm where she works recently gave her a mini-horse for her birthday.  His name is Casper and he’s a 2 year old gelding. 

Dylan graduates in June.  He has been working part-time on weekends at the lumber yard in Strasbourg.  He was offered an apprenticeship in carpentry so he’s looking at that possibility.  He’s also considering working on the pipe-lines.  Lots of options. 

JO-ANNE & ROY BRANCH

In the middle of February we had a winter “storm of the century”.  Seems funny they’d call it that, because we already had a “storm of the century” in September with Hurricane Juan.  Many people simply dubbed this storm “White Juan”.  We got 97 cm of snow in only a few hours and it was total pandemonium.  Actually, from 10 floors up and without losing any electricity, we found the whole thing quite fascinating to watch.  Our work-day commute is just down the hall to our office anyway. 

In March, I headed home for a week so that I could attend Trev’s party.  We hadn’t seen each other in nearly 10 years and it was great to be together again.  Shortly after I returned home, Roy & I spent a few days on PEI.  That was a lovely, relaxing trip where we stayed in a heritage home that was just beautiful.  We went to Susan & Rob’s for Easter dinner. 

We had a birthday celebration April 30th.  Our friends Kim & Michelle were over because Kim & Roy share a birthday.

A friend of ours who owns a music store recently acquired a lovely used guitar.  He has a good friend who makes and sells guitars to many famous people.  He has supplied the Rolling Stones, among others.  Keith Richards of the Stones recently had a small accident with his favourite guitar (one of his grandkids stepped on it) so he returned it to the guy here to repair.  Then he decided to just have him make him a new one and he told him to keep the one he repairs and to go ahead and sell it using his name.  He sent a couple of pictures of himself playing it.  Our friend, Bruce, now has the guitar in his store.  Roy was in there recently and very much enjoyed playing Keith Richards’ guitar.  Though he did play a country song on it so I’m sure Keith Richards felt a shudder go through his body at that moment.

The Kidney branch of this family is doing perfectly fine.  Alex and Erica have attended more than their fair share of birthday parties in recent weeks, including their own.  (Alex is now 10 and Erica 6)  I have a couple of pictures here of Erica’s party. 

In one, she and her friends have discovered that it’s fun to beat up Daddy with balloons.  In the other picture, Erica is wearing blue and is seated second from the right in the front. 

Alex has recently been through some assessments with Sylvan Learning Centre.  He missed so much school when he was younger because of asthma problems that he is having some trouble catching up.  After exhaustive tests his Mom and Grandma have decided to go with the “mommy/grandma torture, uh, I mean, tutor” approach for the summer.  He has also been very busy with Lacrosse, which he enjoys very much.

ALLAN BRANCH

Allan spent part of February and March working on organizing a welcome home party for Trev.  He has been working hard at his project in Regina, trying to get it all finished with all the loose ends tied up.  He’s looking forward to some free time when it’s all over.  He has managed to spend more and more time in Saskatoon anyway as it winds down.  He got together with his 3 kids for a lovely lunch on the Victoria Day weekend. He will be in a golf tournament early in June in Saskatoon. 

Kelsey is finished with university for the year and is looking into going to Simon Fraser in B.C. next year to continue her studies.  She passed all of her courses with room to spare, which was a relief because she had quite a gruelling schedule for the last semester.  She has been spending her spare time looking for summer employment and having fun with her friends.

Trev was very happy to land back on Canadian soil in February.  He packed up his place in Petawawa fairly quickly, made a quick tour of the area to say goodbye to his friends, then headed to Edmonton in March.  He is currently living on base.  His stuff (most importantly his jeep) arrived very shortly after he did and he has been exploring his new home.  He’s very pleased with the move to PPCLI.  He has made several trips home to the Saskatoon area since he moved to Edmonton and is very happy that he only needs to spend a few short hours on the road to get there.  He spent about a month in Fort Benning, Georgia, doing some training in May. 

Chris has been keeping busy.  He has been photographer at a couple of friend’s weddings recently and enjoys that particular hobby very much.  I will add a link to his web-site here so that you can check it out.  http://uhler.smugmug.com/ Somewhere within his site are a number of very good pictures that he took of Trev’s welcome home party.  Chris remains committed to his sports, keeping busy with squash, slo-pitch and volleyball.  When Trev came back from Georgia he spent a few days with Chris.  Chris recently bought a new car (Civic).  This one has air and cruise, which will come in handy when he and Shanin drive down to Las Vegas from Aug 15-20th for a vacation.  Shanin plans on moving in September.  She’s also very busy with work and with her sports as well.

Trevor’s Welcome Home party was held at Brian & Darlene Molberg’s home in Saskatoon on March 20th.  It was very well attended, with nearly 20 people from each side of his family there to celebrate his safe return from Afghanistan. 

The morning after the party, nearly all of the Uhl relatives met for brunch and had another good visit before everyone returned home. If you wish to see the pictures that Jo-Anne took at this party, please visit this link: http://shipping.accesscable.net/20040320/

CAROL

Carol & Kelsey have been in a quartet called Just4Now – a Sweet Adeline barbershop quartet.  They formed the quartet last October so they could sing on the Chimo Chordsmen show (that Carol co-directs) on May 1.  In January they joined the Sweet Adeline International organization, picked some songs and costumes and started practicing for a competition in April.  There were 14 quartets competing and they took 5th place overall, plus they won the Novice Quartet Championship!  It was a great accomplishment and the men in the family were all there cheering them on.  After that they performed on May 1st  with the Chimo Chordsmen, then at the Afterglow where they sang with the Gas House Gang,  International World champions from 1993.  Pictures can be found on Chris’s website.  Carol will be going to Missouri for Director’s College in August for her 3rd year of training.  There are usually about 700 there so she won’t be bored or lonely. 

GERMAN BRANCH

Axel, Petra & Linus have moved to another part of Germany, in the Walldorf area.  Axel has accepted a position with SAP as of June 1st.  SAP made him an offer he could not refuse.  They are very excited about the move and the work he will be doing.  Personally, I think he’s mostly excited because Walldorf is very close to the Hockenheim race track where he has been known to race his motorcycle.  It is also not very far from Heidelburg and the Odenwald area, which is beautiful for riding motorcycles. 

Axel, Petra and Linus found a new home and their address, as of  July 1st is:  Dielheimer Str. 49, 69231 Rauenberg, Germany.  Their new e-mail address is:  axel.uhl@gmx.de

Axel was in Seattle recently on business and had the great pleasure of wandering around a Barnes & Noble bookstore, where he came across the book that he co-authored sitting there on the shelf.  I really think he should have signed it.  He has also sent me an updated picture of young Linus. He's a real cutie!

OLD MEMORIES

Of course you all know that I love to put in old pictures from time to time.  A family member sent me this one.  I’m sure you will all know her.  This was taken back when she was still rather quiet and shy, a very, very, very long time ago.

DON & TRUDY BRANCH

In February they made a trip to Calgary to put Nicole on a plane for Australia again.  They spent some time visiting with Danielle while there.  To take Trudy’s mind off of “losing her baby” to another continent, they decided to find her a “new baby”.  They brought home Spike, a 6 month old female black & tan deer Chihuahua. 

Don & Trudy went to Saskatoon for Trev’s party.  They were back there again over Easter weekend to attend a major car show.  Jim & Maryann joined them for that one.  The sewer truck continues to be very busy with people out at the cottages so much and more people living at the beach.  The transmission went out of the school bus around Easter time so Don, Trudy and Justin were driving “school cars” for 4 days.

 Trudy’s Mom, Ady, has been keeping very busy and has a small garden in.  She has lots of visits with relatives and is considering a trip down to the US to visit more relatives there.  She keeps busy playing rummy and going for coffee with her neighbors.  Mark has been working hard at getting the crops in.  Kelly has been working at the Credit Union in Weyburn.  Their kids Lindsay and Chase have both also been working and Devon and Braden are still in school.  Mark & Kelly have started adding on to the house.

Don & Justin are working at fixing up various vehicles.  There is always some sort of fun restoration work to do.  Justin is working primarily on Danielle’s old Swinger, which he hopes to enter in some car shows.  Justin has been working a lot at User Friendly in Strasbourg and is still raising funds for the Lutheran Youth Gathering in Hamilton in August.  A bunch of the kids from that group in Southern Sask got together for a sleepover at Faith Lutheran Church in Regina.  Why they call it a sleepover when nobody actually sleeps is the big mystery. 

The Last Mountain Theatre Company is hosting the Provincial One Act Plays this fall.  Don & Trudy are both involved in getting ready for that.  Don is the Assistant Director for their play. 

Early in the year Danielle took a Nutrition Course.  She went to the Glenbow Museum to see the “bog people” exhibit, which was mummies from thousands of years ago.  Danielle & Neil went to see the movie, “The Passion of Christ”, which she found very moving.  The Calgary Zoo was hosting some polar bears and a white tiger over the winter so she and Neil went to that as well.  Danielle was in the right place at the right time for an invitation into an area where they feed the animals.  An employee took her into the area so she could get some sensational pictures.  Danielle moved into a new apartment in March and is very happy there.  It’s a very large basement suite.  Her new e-mail address is:  d_uhl@telus.net  She took the bus to Sask for Easter so she could have a good visit at home.  She tore a muscle in her back in May and is hoping that massage and physiotherapy will help with that.  She went to the Lilac Festival late in May.  She is planning a trip home for a visit in July and again in September.  She has another week off during the summer but hasn’t decided what to do with that time.  She may head into the mountains or even to BC. 

Nicole is back in Australia!  While on the way there, her flight took her to Taipei, where she ran into one of her rugby friends that she had met previously in Australia.  Talk about a small world!  She immediately threw herself into running and working out so she could keep in shape.  She also joined a girls’ rugby team so she’s keeping her skills sharp in that regard.  I will provide a link here to her web-site where you can check out any pictures she has posted and read her information on what has been going on with her.  http://www.geocities.com/n_uhl/home.html She has had several short-term jobs.  You don’t want to work for too long or you don’t get to spend as much time traveling and exploring.  Nicole & Matt are planning a trip to Canberra soon and also hope to get to Melbourne before she comes home in August.  They have recently done some 10 pin bowling and had a roller skating date with friends.  For Nicole’s birthday (June 9th) they are heading out to an amusement park, Lunar Park with friends.

JACKIE & WAYNE BRANCH

Birthday parties have been the name of the game in their household.  There was a party for Craig in March. April was busy with parties for Taiva, Cairo, David and Jess.  That was also the month that Jackie & Wayne celebrated their 27th anniversary.  Early June saw birthday celebrations for Cory & Tyler, as well as a remembrance for baby Carissa. 

In May Jackie, Jeanne & Fred went to Boston Pizza where the service was positively underwhelming.  Jackie was in touch with the head office and has since been invited back, receiving coupons for their next meal there, which they will have on June 9th, Jeanne & Fred’s anniversary.  Jackie & Wayne bought a pile of new furniture when they were invited to a special sale for Sears employees.  On May 29th, Jackie & Wayne did their annual “Ride for the Breath of Life” motorcycle run to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis.  They rode from Huskie House out to Fort Qu’Appelle and through the valley to Indian Head for an indoor barbecue in the skating rink.  They came back to Regina and spent the evening at the Plains Hotel.  The turnout was low because of the rain, but 116 riders raised a total of over $24,000 with $300 of that coming from Jackie & Wayne.  On the Father’s Day weekend in June, Jackie & Wayne will be going on a bike run to St. Victor.

Cory had a scare in January when he appeared to be having heart problems.  He ended up being diagnosed with hypothyroidism for which he is taking medication.  Unfortunately, in taking the required amount of time off work in order to regain his health, he ended up losing his job.  He has since started working at the Upgrader again.  Jess is still busy taking all of her courses, recently writing tests in Psychology and English.  She will be taking 5 courses for the summer.  They also have hosted birthday parties for the children at their house. 

DIANE & GERRY BRANCH

Frank took a job with Coke back in April and he’s been enjoying it very much.  Niki bought herself a new car in preparation for her 16th birthday. 

She is the proud new owner of a 2000 silver Cavalier.  Niki spends a lot of time visiting back and forth with her friend Morgan in Strasbourg.  She has been getting all the practice driving that she possibly can, including a reported drag race with her Auntie Jeanne down Albert St! (the more experienced driver won)  She is now busy preparing for a basketball tournament at one of the Mac’s stores.  She’s been getting a lot of basketball practice in the driveway with Frank, who usually beats the crap out of her. 

Diane spent a few days in Richmond, B.C. at the beginning of April.  Mac’s was having a “summit” there.  She was back to Fairmont, BC for a week late in May.  That’s one of those things where they pretend to be working hard at planning meetings and team building but they’re all just having fun and eating themselves silly.

Because Diane has been doing so much traveling for her job in recent months, Gerry has acquired a new name. Just call him Mr. Mom. He seems to have adjusted to that new role very nicely. I'm thinking he should be getting aprons for Christmas.

RELATIVELY SPEAKING

A big 85th birthday party was held for Uncle Fred in February.  They had a come-and-go tea with about 60 people dropping in for a visit. 

Aunt Edna was in the hospital for several days early in March and again in April.  She passed away from cancer May 7th with her family by her side.  Along with her loving husband Fred, she is survived by their 6 children: Viola (Ross), Glenda (Rob), Lorrie (Garnet), Joselyn (Don), Ardys (Ed) and Garnet (Pam). 11 grandchildren: Rick Smith, Noel & Terryll Loffler, Cristy and Collier Anderson, Skylar, Branden and Cody Andrews, Donnelly and Harley McEwen, Alexis and Jared Hosh and Karly Uhl. 10 great grandchildren: Megan, Chelsea and Rilea Smith, Aries and Chase Loffler, Jaden, Keegan and Kieran Anderson, Belle and Hudson McEwen.

As a personal tribute, I would like to say that she was a wonderful woman who will be missed by many.  Her entire focus in life was on her family.  She and Uncle Fred happily raised a large family that they have always worked hard to remain close to, although neither of them would ever say it was “work”. 

In visiting with them, every conversation with Aunt Edna began and ended with her talking proudly of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  She rarely focused on herself and the health problems she has had over the years; it was much more enjoyable to her to talk about her family. 

When they lived down the back lane from us, she generously became my “other mother” when my own Mom had such poor health during my early teens years.  In Aunt Edna's house there was always room for one more.  I must confess that every single sewing project I ever had in Home Ec was done primarily by Aunt Edna, not by me.  She would say, “Oh, that’s not so hard, here let me show you.”  Before I knew it, the project was done.  She earned me some very good marks in that course. I remember their home mostly as always being filled with “happy noise” and lots of fun. 

Uncle Fred suffered some ill health himself after she died.  First he had an angina attack, then pneumonia, but is recovering with the help of his children.  He has recently made arrangements to move to a senior’s complex in the Cathedral district and his plan is to move in August 1st.  He spent a Saturday visiting with the relatives in the coffee shop in Strasbourg early in June.

Wes & Karen’s daughter, Kim, married her longtime boyfriend, Doug, on February 10th. 

Brook received some great news in February when she was offered a position as Marketing Officer at the bank where she’s been working.  It’s a permanent, full-time position that is exactly the sort of thing she’s been hoping for.  She also moved into a new apartment in late May.  Brook went to Seattle with her boyfriend, Chris, for Easter weekend.  They saw the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and the original Starbucks.  In the “really cool concerts” department, Brook has been to see Barenaked Ladies, Sting, and Annie Lennox.  She recently met Chris’s mother who lives in Winnipeg and they got along very well.  She has sent me a picture that I believe was taken a year ago Easter.  Do you recognize these people sitting in the Strasbourg Bar?  I see one lady trying to hide behind her beer bottle.

Brook & Chris went to the LaConnor Tulip Festival and she plans on heading home to Sask for a week-long visit in early August.

Helen & Wendy flew out to Vancouver together at the beginning of June.  They planned on visiting with Brook at her new apartment and generally “tearing up the town”.  Originally they were thinking they would attend Brook’s convocation but have since learned the diplomas won’t be handed out until the fall. That works out well though because it means they have more time to shop!

Wendy & Dick have been pretty busy.  Dick is preparing for another busy park season.  Wendy had a couple of weeks lay-off so she was able to catch up with things around the house and yard.  Chris is still enjoying his job in Saskatoon.

Agnes & Ron had a wonderful time in Arizona over the winter.  It was particularly rewarding for Agnes when she put $4 in a slot machine and won $3000.  It occurs to me that if that was U.S.$, it’s probably worth about 100 times that in Canadian money!

 Here is a great picture of Dave standing in front of the fire where they burned a lot of the lumber from the old house, which was torn down at Easter time. 

Amy was visiting at Patty & Art’s in Calgary in February.  She was taking a tour of SAIT, where she plans on going later this year, taking Respiratory Therapy.  The ulcer that troubled Amy so much is pretty much under control now.  Patty’s girls are as busy as ever.  Jordan was back into lacrosse in April and planned on taking guitar lessons too.  Jess was planning on spending a lot of time doing power skating and taking swimming lessons.  Art has been working with Sun Microsystems and with Telus so he sure didn’t take much time off after his last job. 

Reinhold & Grace headed to Saskatchewan late in April for a few days.  They went to Saskatoon to see Grace’s Mom who just had a leg removed because of diabetes.  Unfortunately, her Mom passed away while they were there.  Then they went to Strasbourg to do some visiting.  While there quite a few family members got together for dinner in Strasbourg:  Reinhold & Grace, Dad & Evelyn, Ingolf & Elinor, Helen & Fred, Don & Trudy.  Grace spent a few days in Edmonton visiting her daughter in May while Reinhold held down the fort at home.  Early in June Reinhold & Grace drove up to Cold Lake to have a visit with Michele & Steve.

At the end of June, Michele & Steve will be moving out of Cold Lake to Gibbons, Alberta.  Their new address will be:  4827 – 44th Ave., Box 251, Gibbons, AB, T0A 1N0, (780) 923-3635.  Steve is retiring after 25 years in the military.  They hope to be settled in their new home in the first week in July. 

Michele has already lined up a job in the Release Section on the base in Edmonton.  Steve has been training since the end of March to be a house/home inspector.  There is a shortage of inspectors in Gibbons so that should work out well.  He will be establishing his own business for that.  Their youngest, Brendan, will be entering grade 10 in Gibbons and is really looking forward to that opportunity with a huge variety of courses available in comparison to his last school. 

Kristina, Ted & Emma are doing great.  Kristina will finish her cosmetology/hair design program in Moose Jaw at the end of July. They will be moving to Olds so Ted can go to college there, majoring in floral design.  They already have a place lined up and are looking forward to being so close to their family there. 

Aunt Elsie was in hospital for several days in mid-May.  Her heart had been racing uncontrollably.  Her pacemaker is fine but they had to do some fiddling with her medications.  They are referring her to Edmonton where she will have a specialized procedure that should regulate her heartbeat.  Unfortunately, the waiting list is about 8 months long.

Erwin & Joan’s daughter Robyn moved to North Vancouver with her children in early June.  Joan decided to move to an apartment in that neck of the woods as well.  Erwin remains in the family home.  Erwin headed down to LaConnor, Washington in April to check out all the fields of tulips and enjoy spending some time in that popular tourist location.  Joan had spent some time earlier in the spring visiting with Robyn, while Robyn’s husband and daughter Summer went to Alberta to visit his folks. 

Bridget was in Vancouver to visit in April as well. I was sent this lovely shot of Bridget, taken while she was in a play recently.  At least I think this was while she was in the play, or maybe she looks this way all the time – not sure. I'm sure someone will be happy to straighten me out on this at some point.

I had a good telephone visit with cousin Sam early in May.  He’s looking at getting on the list for a liver transplant.  He is planning a trip to Edmonton for the assessment soon.  In the meantime he’s doing some freelance work in the computer industry and recently received funding to start his own business.  He says that his brothers are keeping busy also – Ken has been working hard at laying carpet and Tom has a job as a yard supervisor for a company that builds grain hoppers.

I’ve been in touch with Marilyn a lot recently.  She and Joe are doing well and planning a trip to a family wedding at Grand Prairie in mid-June.  Terry recently went back to school to get her grade 12. She did very well and received an award of Distinction for having the highest marks.  She plans on taking a course in Office Administration in the fall.  Shawna spends every spare moment in her garden.  She spends so much time and money at the local nursery that they gave her all their spare bulbs and flowers when they were finished selling for the season.

Now, Bob Sikma isn’t technically a relative, but I know that many in our family think of him that way.  He and Val recently purchased a cottage at Sorenson Beach.  They’re looking forward to spending much of their summer there, and because it’s winterized they can use it year round.  It’s not quite lakefront but is only 3 rows back.

MANITOBA UPDATE

Johnny Uhl passed away April 1st.  He had the distinction of being the eldest of Grandma & Grandpa's grandchildren. His obituary is as follows:

JOHN UHL It is with deep sadness and sorrow that the family of John Uhl announces his peaceful passing on April 1, 2004 at the age of 69 at the Beausejour Hospital with his family by his side. John will be greatly missed by his loving wife Marian (nee Fuerst) of 47 years, daughters, Kimberly (Harvey) Steinke and Linda (Mel ) Gmiterek, grandchildren, Melissa, Brenda (Brent), Kristen and Ashley; brother Bob (Doris); mother-in-law Nellie Fuerst; brother-in-law Al Kuly; sisters-in-law, Joan (Eric) Purse, Donna (Joe) Lotecki, Kathy Fuerst and Laveine Uhl also many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his infant daughter Debra, parents Tillie and John Uhl Sr., father-in-law August Fuerst and sister Norma Kuly. John was born in Strasbourg, SK. He moved to Beausejour in 1951 where he met and married Marian in 1956. Dad was a hard worker who retired from CP Rail in 1997. He was a sports enthusiast; he played baseball and loved curling in his younger years and in later years he was an avid sports fan. John was a kind, gentle man that touched the lives of  those who knew him. He loved spending time with his family and genuinely enjoyed the uniqueness of each grandchild. His example of courage and strength as he relied on his faith in the Lord will live on through his family.

In other news from the Manitoba branch, Johnny’s granddaughter, Brenda was married recently and will be having a celebration in July for the relatives in Manitoba who were unable to attend the wedding in Alberta.  Corey LeGrand is working this summer with the Manitoba Provincial government before returning for Year 3 at university.  His brother Tim is working in landscaping for the summer before going back to university in the fall.  Paul is taking a driving trip to BC and California and then returning to full time work.  His younger sister Megan will be going into Grade 11 in the fall.  His folks, Don & Cheryl Meads have decided to move from Pinawa back to Beausejour because it is closer to their work in Winnipeg.  James Kuly is doing well.  Al Kuly had some health problems near the end of the winter but is doing great again.  He and his wife, Vi, are off to California this summer, accompanied by Paul.

I couldn't resist adding this one in late. It's a picture of Denise's daughter, Tessa, playing with Dad, her Great Grandpa.