Some emails we have received:
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Heard Gary Sim died Dec/2009
SIM, Garry David - (1944 - 2009) It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Garry into the hands of his Higher Power on Monday, December 7, 2009. Beloved and devoted father of Mackenzie. Garry will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by Mackenzie's mother and best friend Carole Miron. Survived by his only sibling Leslie Miller (husband Ron Miller) from Kelowna, BC. Garry will forever be held dear in the hearts of his many relatives, friends and colleagues. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at Unity Church of Mississauga, 3075 Ridgeway Dr., Mississauga, ON, L5L 5M6, 905-608-9310.

Received 27Jul/10 from Carol (Osmond) Kilner
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Have just learned another 1962 Grad member has passed away.  Ralph Gunther Baumbach died of stomach cancer April 9, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas  where he had been retired from the US Army.   Please add his name to the Memorial List.  (The information comes from his brother, Fred Baumbach, also a 1962 Grad.)

Received Jun/10 (?)
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WINGFIELD, Michael Howard 1944 - 2010 With sadness we say goodbye to our good friend and husband Mike Wingfield. Mike left us on June 24, 2010 and will be missed by his loving wife Ellen and the many other friends he made while living in the Clinton area. Mike was raised in North Vancouver, was a fireman for a number of years before taking up a successful career in sales. He was a sailor, a biker, a fighter, a handyman and an extraordinary raconteur. He attacked every new project with enthusiasm and excitement and crammed as much living into his life as possible. No formal service by request. Do not stand at my grave and weep; I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glint on snow. I am the sun on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awake in the morning hush, I am the swift, uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight. I am the soft starlight at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry; I am not there. I did not die. By Mary Elizabeth Frye (1932) Arrangements entrusted to Kamloops Funeral Home 250-554-2577 1-866-420-7758 (Toll Free) Condolences may be emailed to the family from www.kamloopsfuneralhome.com .
Published in the Vancouver Sun and/or The Province on 7/4/2010

Received Oct 1/07 from Bill Mitchell

Hi Pete, ran into Bill Gooding and he would like to be added for futures.  His emails are: bill.gooding@telus.net or  bill.gooding@telefonica.net.pe
He splits his time between Lima and North Van.  Thanks,  Bill
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Received Oct 1 from Mike Jorden

Thanks for this listing.  For your records, my name is spelled Jorden and I am now in Osoyoos so phone # has been changed to 250.495.8184.  How are things at Sunset Ranch?  Was by Kelowna last week on way back from Banff.  I missed the reunion although fully intending to go.  That week my wife was admitted to Royal Columbian needing urgent surgery for a valve replacement.  Although fit and otherwise healthy, she turned out to have a congenital problem that took 60 years to crop up.  The surgery was successful and she is completely recovered which is why we were climbing an Alp last week.

 Cheers and I hope we continue to keep in touch.

 Mike Jorden

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Received Oct 1 from Jim Sotvedt

Thanks for the message. I've had a look at the site and it looks as if you had a lot of fun. Sorry I couldn't make it. Maybe next time (he said optimistically). With both my parents and my only brother deceased I don't really have much incentive to visit Vancouver any more - we're living in the Annapolis Valley  in Nova Scotia. I saw Marv Norden off and on for the past few years - we're both duplicate bridge players - but he has moved back to BC - Oosoyoos I think.
Yes I knew about Phil. He visited us in when we were in Dallas. Unfortunately the last few times we spoke he was in pretty bad shape.
Hope all is well with you.
Jim

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Received Jun 18 via Classmates from JimWarwick
Hi Peter, i just renewed my membership today and find i have missed another reunion. Damn. i hope it went well for everyone and i am not too old for the next one.

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Received Jun 5

Dear Peter and classmates:
 
      I am so sorry I couldn't be there for the 45th re union.  Penny Davey has filled me in on the evening.  The pictures are wonderful.  Great fun to try and figure out who's who.  Can't wait to get together with Penny so she can put the names to the faces for me.  I would like a list of email addresses if that's possible, there are many people I would love to get in touch with. 
 
    For the past 5 years I have been living between Christchurch, NZ and White Rock - it works very well for us as we "don't do winter".  My husband is a New Zealander, retired, with family in NZ.  I am a grand mother to my husbands teenaged grand daughters, which is great fun, and am still waiting for my son and daughter to find their soul mates and settle down.  Daughter Sara is returning to studies at Bastyr University in US to complete her food sciences degree, and son Scot, who has been working in the LA area for the past 6 years is moving to Auckland, NZ, having been offered a very good position with a landscape architecture firm there.  It will be nice to have him closer to visit.
 
    Life has been very good, we love to travel and have made many new friends along the way.  We both enjoy the outdoors, trekking and cycling.  I'm a golf nut and Vin loves tennis.  After many years of volunteering and working for the Peace Arch Hospital Auxiliary Society as Administrator for 8 years, I am enjoying retirement. 
 
    We are here until Sept 30th and I look forward to reading your emails via this web site.
 
Regards,
 
Carol Procter  (Worobey)

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Receive on May 28

Hi Peter
 
What a fantastic evening!!  You and your committee did a wonderful job organizing this event and I'm sure I speak for all of us when we say a heartfelt "Thank You"!!
 
I so much enjoyed seeing all the classmates and taking the trip down memory lane together.  I think as we get older, we realize with greater clarity how wonderful our school years actually were!  Now I'm looking forward to our 50th!!!!
 
I liked Sharone Elizabeth (McDonald)'s idea of having our classmates give their life stories and photos for everyone to share.   How do I access the e-mail addresses that she mentions?
 
Take care and keep in touch,
 
Elizabeth Booth (nee Liz Metzner) 

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Peter, although I didn't graduate in 1962 with my classmates ... kinda went sailing for 28 years many of the names were very familiar.  One in particular Peter Triance ... I was surprised to see his face and recognize it immediately.  If possible could you pass on either mine email address to him or his to me.  Thanks a million M. F. (Skip) Whitfield.

P.S.  Please keep me in the loop for the next on in 2012 ...

Skip (Whitfield)
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Hi Peter,

Just a quick word to say Thank You for having organized the 45th reunion. It was a pleasure to get together with old friends and classmates in a nice
location. Well done !

Will you keep your website open in case we have a photo or two to send ?

John

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Received on may 23

Dear Peter:  The '62 North Van High Reunion was perfect!    I really appreciate your work and the contribution of the committee----what a delight to see my classmates after 45 years in the frame of the Seymour Country Club with a delicious buffet----I wish I could have heard Dave Wiseman over the mike----we couldn't hear his story---I am sure it was very interesting but  I only heard "bits and pieces"  May I have your address to send  personal thanks to you & your committee for organizing the "grand event"---  much appreciated --Sharon Mc Donald (Sharone Elizabeth)  p.s. as you have everyones emails perhaps you could ask for photos and life stories of  members of the "62 class over the email---I was only able to find the # of children and grand-children and what each person did for a "living" and I am sure there was much more, so much more
 

Sharone Elizabeth (McDonald)

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Received on May 21

Greetings All,
My sincere thanks to those '62 Grads who so skillfully organized the classy reunion at Mt. Seymour Golf Course!
A special thanks to Dorothy, Pete, and Marilyn for their part in the organization...much appreciated. (I'm sure there are more of you, but these are the ones of whom I am sure!) (Dan London)
 
Bob and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening. The buffet was scrumptious, the ambience relaxing, and the  conversations retrieved many happy memories.  The only person that I keep an intermittent contact with over the years is Sandra Melton (Mellish), so it was fun to reconnect with people such as Marilyn Garriock, Diane Majer,  Barb Carlsen, Penny Davey, Shirley McDonald, Melynda Smith, Sherry March, Sharone McDonald, Marg Burns, Liz Metzner, Virginia Obalek, Norah Johstone, Sandra Dyer, Bill Lightfoot, Leagh Martell, Bob Wilson, Bob Evernden, Bill Mitchell, Tom Oakley, Peter Fraser, John Dear, Dave Wiseman, Angus Gillard (who discovered that we were in Grade 1 together at Keith Lynn!), Ross Bock, Dave Wiseman, Doug Hargrove, David Shirley, and Doug Hargrove.  I even visited with a neighbourhood friend, Diane Gardiner, from Grade 3! It certainly was a walk down memory lane.  I particularly enjoyed the gales of laughter from a few people when they found out that I teach math to adult learners at UCFV (they must have been in my math classes, I guess....or maybe they were one of my tutors!) Regardless, I was an early bloomer in some respects, but a late bloomer when it comes to math!! :-)
 
To those of you whom I missed a chance to talk with, we will catch up at the 50th!
 
Barb Watson (Stirskey)
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Received on May 20

“Great” evening!!!

Just a note to thank you, Peter and all your committee for putting this together, we really enjoyed ourselves.  It was great to see so many people.

Jim & Arleen Gillett

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Received May 18

Peter,

Thank you for keeping me in the loop of the '62 grads and for all your  hard work in putting this together. Unfortunately, I cannot make the
reunion as I am off to Italy on the 19th. I am going with my soccer club to play (yes play) some "friendlies" with, I hope, an age
appropriate group. I am into my fifth year of retirement from school administration. I highly recommend retirement as I am thoroughly
enjoying golfing, curling, playing soccer and baby sitting my three grandchildren (with two more on the way).

Once again thank you to you and your committee and I hope everyone has
a good time

Colin Atkinson

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Dear Dorothy  (copied from a letter send on 23Mar07)

      Hi! Thank you for the letter regarding our high school re-union on 19 May/2007. I am not able to attend this event as I will be doing a 900km hike through France and Spain. I will be leaving Vancouver on 12May to begin “El Camino de Santiago” and I ‘m sure it will be quite a challenge! I’m going with three of my hiking friends, and we plan to do 25-30 km/day. We’ll hike over the Pyrenees Mountains from France and into Spain. We will be staying in “Alberques” (hostels). There is no pre-booking the rooms but priority is given to the hikers who are doing this pilgrimage. I have taken a night school class for conversational Spanish and will be carrying an “Ingles – Espanol Diccionario”

     I retired from Nursing in November/2005 after forty years. I truly enjoyed my profession and had many wonderful experiences. I now do voluntary Palliative Care for people who wish to remain in their own home rather than being hospitalized.

     I was very active in the B.C. Nurses’ Unions throughout my career. I now belong to C.O.S.C.O. (Council of Senior Citizens’ Organization of B.C.). I am the treasurer of our Sunshine Coast Branch, which continues to fight for the rights of Seniors, especially the Medicare issues!

     I hope everything is going well with you and all our classmates. I wish everybody a very successful re-union! I’ll be thinking about it on 19 May!

Sincerely
            Annabelle Dick (MacKenzie)
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From Peter Beaudoin 7May07

I am sorry to say that I will not be able to attend the reunion.  I am still working and work has intervened again on my best laid plans, ie., attending the party.  Please tear-up, burn, or shred the $164 cheque that was sent as the price of admission for myself and my wife Vickie.

 I can’t really complain about working; I was laid off from Placer Dome Inc. in 2000, along with about 200 other people, after working for them in various capacities for 32 years.  I have experienced long stretches of doing nothing more than exactly what I wanted to do (actually whatever was on the SO’s job list) and found it quite appealing, from a relaxation point of view.  The one big hangup with being retired is that there really isn’t enough money in it to be able to do the things you really want to do.  I’m sure that there are many of us 62’ers that don’t have this problem, but I am not one of them. 

 With the rise in metal prices over the last several years and the resurgence in mining activity it was not difficult to join the ranks of employed mining engineers once again.  I have been working since early 2004 on a contract basis and enjoying every minute of it.  As mining companies often do, they explore for and try to develop mining opportunities world wide and my present employer is no exception.  Hence the reason for by absence.  On May 19 I will be in China on business.

 Have a great get-together!!  A toast to you all from the Orient!

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From Sharone McDonald (Elizabteh) 19Apr07

Hi Peter: appreciate your efforts in organizing reunion------I travel in business but will see if I can arrange schedule to come-so I will register near May 10 cheers Sharone McDONALD (ELIZABETH)

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From Bob Steel (09Apr/07)

I'm retired (sort of!).   I officially retired a couple of years ago ...... but was asked to come back on a consulting/parttime basis.
The island is great .... we're 5 min from the ferry, 5 min from the airport, 5 min from sidney and most important 5 min from the marina!!!
Looking forward to catching up with you at the reunion!

Bob Steel

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From Judy Lloyd (Hunter)(07Apr07)

Thanks for putting the reunion together Pete but unfortunately we will be unable to attend.  Al is waiting for a surgery date to have a hernia fixed and as his appoximate date is May 15th we dare not make any plans.  We are still living in the semi frozen north (31 years this year-the years go by so fast).  He is still logging and still loving it so who knows when he will retire.  I have been retired since 2003 and am not missing working at all.  Too busy being a grandma and doing volunteer work for the Canadian Cancer Society (I am a cancer survivor) to ever wake up wishing I was going to work.  Our 3 kids are all doing well.  The two boys are working in the Tar Sands.  Gord and his family live in Prince George, Bill and his family in Westbank and Debbie and her family in Kelowna where she is a chartered accountant.  Guess I should quit calling them kids now as the youngest is 36 this year.
 
Again we are really sorry to be unable to attend.  Hello to everyone for us.  Our email is ajhunter@bcgroup.net should anyone like to get in touch.
 
Judy Hunter (Lloyd)  

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From Dean McConnell (30Mar07)

Thanks for the update Peter. I am looking forward to seeing you as well. I knew there was a good reason I hadn't seen an update for a while.
I retired in late '99 and have been enjoying every minute of it!! My wife and I like cycle touring so we have done a number of long distance bike
tours and have a 6 week one planned for this summer in Europe. As well we take table tennis lessons and have competed in the Senior Games. My son is
doing a complete reno of his small house stripping it down to the studs and rewiring etc. and it seems that I am a bit of a handyman so I help out with
wiring, plumbing, drywall and whatever and my wife is the painter. Seems like lots of fun when I don't have to live in the mess!!
With the better weather in Kelowna you must be doing lots of running and cycling. Any more marathons or is that for days gone by?
Lots to catch up on. See you soon

Deane

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From Mike Jordan: (15Mar07)

Dear Peter,

 I made it to the ’86 reunion but have somehow slipped off the mailing list since.  Good for you for keeping the functions going!  Elizabeth Booth [Metzner] contacted me and I hope you will keep me in the loop. 

 My wife Susan and I are moving March 31 to a new home we are building near Osoyoos.  We have horses, dogs, cats and coyotes galore so it will be chaotic for a few months.  I am not sure if we can get back for the reunion but will look at our schedule once we are established.

 I have spent most of the last forty years as a professional planning consultant in the lower mainland and have found a niche doing large scale master planned communities – usually with golf, the playing of which I dislike intensely.  Gallacher's Canyon in your area is one of mine along with Morgan Creek, the Northlands neighbourhood plan [for the District of North Van] and Crown Isle in Courtenay.  You may remember I was a painter and a horse nut and still do both, although for a dozen years we sailed out of North and West Vancouver marinas.  I can’t afford to do both boats and horses so have gone back to my first love.

 I was saddened to hear of the passing of my old friend Phil Stansfeld and of course our other classmates. [I secretly had a crush on Judy King all through Junior High but was too shy to do anything about it].  Phil and I used to build log forts in the woods near his home off Williams, I think it was.

 Anyway, all the best and I hope to see you at the reunion.

 Regards,

 Mike Jorden

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From Pat Hacket  (Brennan) (22Feb07 via Classmates.com)

Thanks for the info on the reunion.  Our daughter and her boyfriend will be visiting us from Ireland at that time.  Sorry we have a full schedule for the 3 weeks they are here and we won't be able to attend the reunion.  Hard to believe that it is 45 years!
Have fun!

Pat Brennan (Hackett)

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From Roy Nygaard (received 19Feb07)

As I am now living in Wylie TX (near Dallas)  I will not be able to attend.  My wife, Cheryl, and I moved there 6 years ago as she got a great job opportunity.  Say hi to my classmates for me.
Sincerly

Roy Nygaard

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From Brian Talbot (04Feb07)

Brian Talbot here, from Australia. It's hard to believe that 45 years have passed since the class of '62 graduated. Obviously, everyone has their own
story to tell about what's happened in those intervening years. Unfortunately my wife Carmel and I will not be able to attend the reunion
due to financial constraints. The main reason I rang, Dorothy, was because I saw your address on Whitchurch St on Rich Henderson's letter. As I said,
there was a significant part of my growing up years spent at 885 which used to be a log house that my Dad built. Apparently it was dismantled and
reassembled somewhere else a while back. I went to Keith Lynn Elementary and Sutherland J H before N V H. School wasn't exactly my favourite time of
life, with all the teasing, bullying and peer nonsense. It's a wonder so many reasonably sane people emerge from such a system. Neverthe-less, it
was all part of growing up.

A bit of history. Not long after school finished in '62, Roy Nygaard and I signed on a merchant ship (Roy did all the talking), hoping to get to Norway
and see some of his relatives. There were no guarantees this would happen, but we didn't care. We worked on the ship for 6 months, sailing around
eastern Asia and up to the Suez Canal, but instead of Norway, we ended up in Australia, where we decided to sign off the ship and stay for a while. We
took a train to Brisbane where we rented a small flat and went to work.

Not long after, Roy met a girl and fell in love. He ended up marrying her 4 years later. I was very homesick, and after 5 months, signed on a small
freighter and worked my way back to Canada, via New York, arriving in Vancouver in October '63 . My parents had moved from North Van to Cortes
Island, between Campbell and Powell Rivers, so I joined them there, completing my university entrance qualifications by doing Math and Physics
91 by correspondence. I helped my Dad build a house before going into the logging industry to earn some money to pay for uni. Started at UBC in '65
and finished in '66, due to immaturity and lack of interest. Moved back to North Van and got a job. In early '67 Roy returned from Australia with his
wife, Bev.

Roy had been doing geological drafting in Australia and soon landed a job with a Mining Engineer & Geologist consulting firm at 14th St & Lonsdale in
North Van. Eventually he called me to come and join him in the drafting office. Having no previous experience, but only a gift of drawing and
lettering skills, that began my 26 year drafting career.

In December of '67, two charming ladies, Carmel and Mary, arrived from Australia on the Oriana, planning to have a 12 month working holiday in
Canada. They were staying with Roy and Bev because Mary had worked with Bev in a Brisbane bank. Naturally, the match-making began to get me hooked
up with one of these girls. I think Roy was jealous of me still being single. Anyway, Carmel and I started dating in the summer of '68. Her cousin Mary
returned to Australia in December, but Carmel stayed and we were married in Vancouver in May '69. She showed great courage, marrying a foreigner in a
foreign country with none of her family there. Payback was not far off.

In Oct '70 we packed up and headed for the land down under, where I was then the odd one out. Her family is just wonderful and they accepted me straight
away, trusting Carmel's judgement. In Jun '71 the geophysical exploration company I worked for, shut down. Homesick-ness making me irrational, we
packed up and returned to Canada, much to Carm's family's sorrow, because she was pregnant with our first daughter. When we arrived back, I knew it
was a mistake. We lived in an apartment on W 5th St, North Van and when the baby was due, we moved to a duplex on E 5th. Our daughter was born the
next day, Feb 28 '72 in Lionsgate Hospital. On Dec 23 '73 our second daughter arrived. We had been pondering a return to Australia for a while and on Jan
18 '74 we made the move back to Brisbane. We have lived in the same house in the suburb of Mt Gravatt (emphasis on the last syllable) for the last 33
years. Back in Sept 1 '82 our 3rd and final daughter was born. Even though my wife and no. 3 girl were born here, we're all Aussies now. No regrets
except the distance from family. My two sisters still live in B C.

The most significant thing that has happened in my life, bar none, was becoming a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ back in 1980. He came so that
we may have life and have it to the full. Whoever has the Son of God has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life. Amazing grace!

A guy could yack on indefinitely, but must realize that it could put people to sleep. Thank you for contacting me in regard to the reunion. I'm sure
you'll all have a great time catching up with old acquaintances. Please give my regards to Lorne and Norah Nicholson, Dave McFie and anyone else who
comes to the bash. '62 was a very good year.

Roy Nygaard and his wife Cheryl live in a suburb of Dallas at 200 W A Allen Blvd, Wylie, Texas 75908.

Best wishes from Brian & Carmel Talbot

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From Elizabeth Booth (Metzner) (01Dec06)

Thanks for the e-mail.  YES, I will certainly be attending the 45th reunion and I will put my thinking cap on to see who else I can round up.  I am trying to track down Michael Jordan but he's the only one that comes to mind.
Take care, Elizabeth 

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From Melynda Okulitch (Smith) (03Dec06)

Hi Peter, Yes, we are in Salt Spring Island, having moved here from Calgary in '99 permanently.  We are STILL building...this is the SSI norm.  Volunteering in many areas fills my days, as I retired when we moved here.  My husband retired last year, but works on an emeritus basis in Vancouver every 2 weeks or so.  We have a small condo there.  I only keep in touch with Penny Stacey (Cavers), but look forward to meeting many old friends. ......... 

I am assuming the reunion is the May long weekend, and although I will be in Vancouver, I have another conference at UBC to attend at that time.  When I get the schedule for that, I will attempt to free up the evening of the dinner as I would love to meet and greet with old friends.  Thanks for taking on the reunion.  Cheers, Melynda Okulitch (Smith)

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From Peter Fraser (07Dec06)

Hi Peter.  Thanks for taking the time to do all this.  I will be there and am looking forward to it.  Best regards, Peter Fraser

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From Dave MacPhail ( 5Jan07)

Greetings from the Sunshine Coast. Liz (Metzner) Booth told me that you are planning another reunion for this May.
After almost 35 years in Whistler I retired from my position as the Manager of Building Inspections for the municipality in March of 2005 and my wife and I moved to Sechelt. Although I found out about 2 years  ago I have type II diabetes I am managing it very well. I am very fit and active for someone my age. So life is good.

I was going through some of my old photos last night and came across the negatives for the photos I took at the 1986 reunion. If you would like I can have them digitized and post them on a site on the web. I haven't  subscribed to Classmates yet. I might sign up for a few months to find out what is happening with everyone.

I am keen to come to the reunion. But at the same time I think it may be  sobering to see how some have aged and others are no longer with us.

Hope you are well.
Best regards,

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From John Dear (5Jan07)

Sounds like fun, will try to organize a holiday to be there at the same time. I'll order a ticket when our plans start to shape up.
Haven't been in Vancouver since my mom passed away on September 11th 2001, so we're way overdue for a visit to the North Shore, where I still have two sisters.
 It's hard to believe that 45 years have gone by already. Cheers from the south shore of sunny Montréal  (9.5 degrees on January 5th) !

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