Bad News for an Old Friend; Confirmation of a Plan

We got an email from a post graduate friend of Marla Oberhausen and had to be the bearers of sad news to her about Marla's passing. She had found the www.Reitz67.com website by Googling, we suppose, and had anxiously browsed through the pages until she got to our memorial page. She contacted us for confirmation because she just couldn't believe that such a sadness could have happened. It was just a short message but it spoke volumes about friendship, the expectation and hope that it will last forever. I suppose that most of us believe that friendships are part of the soundtrack of your life, as though you can listen in when you want to, put it into the background at will, and it will be there to give your attention when you have the time.

But life, like small children and pets, does not always do what it's told. That's why we have worked so hard to do what we have done with the directory, the class website, the phone calls the get together this past Spring, and the planning for the 45th. We are no longer immortal like we believed we were in 1967. Old friendships are fragile and can become brittle with age. They can be broken in an instant, not just by ill spoken words, but by time itself, the cruel twist of fate, the callousness of life. Now is the time to reconnect. Now is to say what you always thought you would have time to say to old friends. Now is the time to see them at the 45th Reunion next September 8, 2012. Make the time.

We went to see the Reitz JV volleyball team drub Mt. Vernon soundly last night, paid Phyllis Niehaus Happe for our activity cards, and had a chance to speak with Beth Hagan, the Reitz Activities Director. She indicated that yes, it was not uncommon for a class reunion to book a block of seats and that there may be some switching of schedules so that the Reitz opponent that week may not be Harrison but it will be a home game. All we have to do is shoot her an email and she will book it. Linda will be taking that one to the bank.

Steve Frohbieter postponed his Orange Beach experience to later this month. He must have had an old girl friend named Irene and he was afraid he would bump into her and she would spoil his vacation like she spoiled the plans of many of my high school classmates in the Northeast.

A gentle reminder to keep us informed of any contact information changes that may have occurred since we last spoke. We don't want to have to find you again, but ominously (cue the "Jaws" music please), we will if we have to. ;*)