MacDonald, Mary Ann
...Mary Ann & Nathan Blackwell: (Nov-2003) Mary says to say "hello", and reports she's just returned home after a 3 week Cruise with stops in several Pan American ports and passage through the Panama Canal. She's currently employed by a regional retail banking company, enjoys her work and their retirement plans are on hold...she enjoys traveling and the job helps fund these activities...She has not been in Watertown for several years now and thinks a class reunion might be just the ticket to get her back to the Dakota's.
...Deceased...
Obituary
...Retired from teaching in Richfield MN in 1993. Things were not the same in Richfield from the time I started. Land and kids disappeared from the district because of airport expansion, Best Buy expansion, and child bearing couples moving out of the area to make room for more money making enterprises. The population became more transient. There are 20+ languages spoken and 41% are minorities. It was an interesting mix but one that I was not quite up to. At one time both Ron Lovick and Bill Kidder had sons going to Richfield High School. I did a fair amount of traveling during my teaching years. Always Europe…never to a hot climate. I’ve been to Europe both before and after the Berlin Wall went down. After two years of retirement, got a part-time job with Life Touch inspecting those pictures of kids that decorate refrigerators around the country. Extra cash does allow for additional travel. I was in China last year floating for 5 days on the Yangtze River.
In March I head for Florida to watch the Twins play spring baseball…..used to go with a friend just to get the sunshine and flea markets…now I have a new reason…..this may be the “Year of the Twins”. (best chance to find Mary will be in the upper deck of the Dome). Most of the residents of the Cities do not venture into the Mall of America. It is too crowded with tourists and those that fly in for a one day shopping experience at the Mall. Spring break, summer, and holidays fill mall and it is not a good place to just “hang out” Mary was pleased to find someone else that is classified as a “cat” person…she has two…one is white, blue eyed and deaf…(nothing on the other…?)
Update...Jan-04...Received a note from Mary telling us she recently (Dec-03) moved back to Watertown and is helping the local economy with all the new furnishings for her place...
...I only went to WHS for two years but the friends I made have been great and we still keep in touch. I met my husband, Russ, the spring before my Sr. year, we got married the spring of 1956 and moved to a farm near Stockholm, SD. The farm was not a place that I enjoyed to say the least. I was not cut out to be a farmer's wife. We decided to move back to Watertown. We had our first two boys, Mark and Neal, while living in Watertown.
In 1959 we moved to Sioux Falls and bought a house. We had three more boys, Todd, Scot and Joel. Several years later we had a daughter, Renae. We still live in the same house and we now have 11 grandchildren that we really enjoy. Five of the grandchildren live here in Sioux Falls, 2 in Montana, 2 in Idaho, and 2 in California.
Russ worked for Billion Motors most of the time we have lived in Sioux Falls. I worked for Ravens and Aero Star until we retired in 1976. We have always enjoyed camping and included that activity as our family grew. We have been able to travel to most of the states including a trip to Turkey where our son and his wife live for 6 months of the year. The other 6 months they live in California.
We have been going to Casa Granda, AZ for the past 4 years. We stay there for about 6 months and return to Sioux Falls for the remainder of the year. We leave for Arizona around the 1st of November each year and we spend our time in a park called Sundance. If any of you are in our area in the winter, please look us up.
...(3-25-2003)...Received confirmation from Marlis that we do have a current address. We will wait patiently for bio history…
...a true old fart (as reported by him)…Mike says a few things have changed over the decades. He has lost some things…hair, some eyesight, some hearing, flexibility, and 40 yards off his drive on the golf course. He did pick up a few things though…like 40 pounds, a slower gait, 8 inches on his waist, some character in his face, and is able to find his pillow shortly after the 10PM newscast…(he sounds normal to most of us)
... Right after high school I went in the Navy where I was an electrician on a destroyer for three years. After discharge I was an electrical contractor for several years. I moved into retail management where I spent the last 28 years…a variety of positions and locations. Marilyn and I have been married for 44 years, have three sons and one daughter, seven grandchildren and our daughter is expecting twin boys in April. I still like to hunt, fish and golf. I retired a couple of years ago, but still do some electrical work for one of my sons, who owns a mfg business.
I get back to SD quite often to visit my mother and every few years to go pheasant hunting. Marilyn and I have both had bouts with cancer, but are both doing OK now. We are considering moving back to SD if we find a place we like. We have had the opportunity to do some traveling. Europe twice, China, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico twice, the Dominican Republic, and the Mall of America….we walk there once or twice a week just to try to keep in shape and from getting out of control...
Update...Sept-03...Bill and Marilyn have moved back to Watertown!
...Deceased...
Obituary
...Not much information…but did get her e-mail address. She has not seen anyone since the 32nd reunion. Hopes most of us are still alive…Will try to talk Stan into coming to SD. Stan’s sister still lives in Watertown. They still “go away” on the boat in the summers and she needs a lot of forewarning about a 50th reunion. (Maybe we can get the boat address) Leone and Stan live in Anacortes WA and spend about 4-5 months in AZ... Update in mid-2003 follows..
Well—here is the “bio”. It was hard to summarize 48 years into a few paragraphs.
I graduated from Northwestern U. in 1958 and received a Rotary Fellowship to study music in Vienna, the following year. In order to graduate in three years, I went one summer each to Brookings and Augustana.. At Augie,I met Stan, a fighter pilot, flying for the National Guard in Sioux Falls, and taking Calculus next to my Physics Lab. While I was in Vienna, I studied piano, cello and German. In 1959, I taught music in New Jersey and played in the Plainfield Symphony. Stan was hired by Continental Airlines and was based in Dallas. In those days, you didn’t go traveling with your “boyfriend”, so we were married Christmas 1959, to spend Christmas vacation together. Then I went back to New Jersey and he to Dallas. I resigned in March and we moved to Denver, where I taught music in the schools and played in the Denver Businessmen’s orchestra. In 1961, we moved to Southern California, where we enjoyed living until 1984. We had two children, and I kept busy with them and my music. I played in the Palos Verdes Symphony, The Baroque Consortium and the South Bay Chamber Music Society. I also was involved in church choirs and a variety of chamber music.
We have always enjoyed camping and boating. We spent our first money after we were married on camping gear. In California, we had small sail boats and ski boats. We often camped on the shores of Lake Mead out of an 18 ft. boat. In 1978, we built a summer cabin on a river in Seattle area and from then on we started “cabin cruising”. The ocean in the NW is like a big lake, and since I didn’t get sea sick anymore, I could fish with Stan. We have had a great time cruising and learning to catch crab, shrimp, salmon and halibut. Our largest halibut was 163 lbs., caught on our way to Juneau from St. Petersburg.
We have had a variety of small airplanes, and when the kids learned to fly in HS, I earned a pilot’s license too. On the boat and the airplane, I am the co-pilot and navigator. When Stan was flying for Continental, we had many travel opportunities. Now that he has been retired since 1993, we shop the internet for bargain tickets---too old to stand by and watch the airplanes keep leaving without us.
We now split our time between Anacortes, WA and Mesa, AZ. We have moved so often over the years, that we joke about moving every time the house gets dirty. I really have enjoyed designing and planting all those yards. I still have roses at both houses that I fuss over when I can.
As we get older, spending time with family becomes more and more important. We really look forward to visits from our children and three grandchildren. Our daughter lives with her family in Colorado and is an engineer. Our son lives in Seattle and works with Verizon . My brother Dale (’51) and his wife Kay (Huppler ’54) live in Arizona near our winter home. We have shared many holidays and trips together. I have no one left in SD, so we only come to see Stan’s sister who lives in Watertown.
The 32nd reunion was fun. I’m looking forward to the 50th.... Leone
...After high school I enlisted in the US Navy under the buddy program. My buddy was Bill Kidder. After boot camp, we were given different assignments and I did not see Bill again until almost four years later in Watertown.
I married Marcie in 1961, we have one girl and two boys. Our children live in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and California. We usually head south around Thanksgiving and spend a few months visiting our kids and a brother in Texas. I like fishing in Texas, you can do that every day unless the wind blows too much. Our daughter lives in Sacramento and we do get out to see her every couple of years.
I retired from the Watertown Fire Department in 1992. It was a 28 year career and my last task was that of Assistant Chief. Since that time I have been spending time traveling, fishing, hunting, and doing some odd jobs around the neighborhood.
Times goes by so fast, I can’t believe we are looking toward our 50th year.
...Marcy recently gave us her travels since high school.. from Watertown through Louisiana and then back to Sioux Falls, SD. She's been involved in law enforcement since 1969.
Here is Marcy's report of things she's been doing since High School.
In Watertown I did bookeeping for Trisco Feeds; waitressing at the Guest House and Leo’s Cafe; sold real estate for Century 21; and then spent ten years as a meter maid for Watertown's Police Department (1969-1979).
I then moved to Winnfield, LA and worked as a Correctional Officer at the local Correctional Center.
Later I moved to Sioux Falls, SD and became a Correctional Officer at the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
I started here in 1990 and now have nearly 15 years of service. I plan to retire in 2007.
...Dick now lives in Murphys, California. Dick was in the computer business for 30+ years, took an “early” retirement…bought some land and built a few houses…(assume he sold them but he did not say). Three children and 6+ grandchildren. He included a + on the six so maybe there are additions on the way. All of his family live close to San Francisco so they get together often. Dick lives in the Sierra mountains near good skiing and fishing….maybe that helps bring them together. Dick reports he had some heart trouble in the early 90’s but after a couple of "stents" he is apparently doing OK now. Dick and MaryAnn separated in 1989 but remain friends & keep in touch. According to Dick, MaryAnn eventually remarried.
...I have especially been thinking about the 50th reunion coming up very fast! Hoping the celebration will involve the Redlin Center. I have not seen it since it first opened but I am amazed at what an impressive statement it makes on the SD plains! And to think members of our class were instrumental in this endeavor which seems to be never ending for the Redlin’s and their accomplishments.
As far as my own involvement in the “Class of “55” my personal acquaintances were limited due to the fact that I only attended WHS from my sophomore through senior years, moving to Watertown from the rural area of Clark. (The now non-existent Thorp School). I have never been to the few reunions held. I remember many of the names and pictures from the yearbook but several of my closest friends dropped out before graduation. My closest friend who graduated was Sharon DeWall Andre. She has attended reunions and has kept me abreast of the details.
I am divorced (for many years), have two grown children,, both of whom are single, therefore, I am not a grandparent at this ripe old age, much to my disappointment! My daughter, Kristin, lives here in Salem and my son Greg, lives in Portland, Oregon. I moved to Oregon following graduation in 1955 and have spent more years than I care to remember in the accounting/automotive/trucking industry. I am still working as office/accounting manager at the International truck dealer here in Salem. I have never in my life thought I would be working after age 65 but the stock market and other investments did a number on me as it did on many other people in the world. So, my goal is to keep working a few more years and try to catch up at least partially, if possible.
I raised two kids entirely by myself and they are both responsible adults for which I am very proud and thankful. At the same time I have managed to accumulate enough worldly things so that I live very comfortably in a small condo on the golf course. My time is now consumed with working and looking after my 91 year old mother who lives in a retirement home near me. I like flower gardening, flea markets and garage sales, working out at the gym, good books and music. I especially enjoy attending concerts where my son is involved. He is a professor of music at Linfield College and has his master’s degree in organ performance. Since he only lives about an hour from me, it is possible for me to enjoy his music often.
I am planning a trip to SD in May to attend a high school graduation of a relative in Clark. I haven’t been back there for many years and am looking forward to it. My next trip back will hopefully be in 2005 to attend the 50th reunion if it comes to a reality. I am sure it will be appreciated by many classmates. Please add my information to the list. I am looking forward to hearing more…
...Deceased
...I graduated from SDSU in 1959 with a degree in English. I was hired by the Watertown School District to teach freshman English. I married Mark Chase, a fellow teacher, in 1962. I spent a year at Cornell University in New York working on a master’s degree in English and then returned to Watertown to continue my teaching career.
Mark died suddenly in 1972……more teaching……I married Chuck Olson in 1978…..more teaching…… I retired in 2003 after 43 years of teaching English in Watertown.
At present, Chuck and I enjoy traveling and have been to Austria several times as well as England, Canada, and many US cities. Our other hobbies are gardening, enjoying food and good wine, and trying to maintain an 1886 Victorian home which we share with two cats.
Life is good.
* I once took a course in Technical Writing which stressed brevity; can you tell? It went to my head.
...Ev (WHS Class of “54”) and I have lived in Southern California most or our married life, except for a couple of years in New Jersey and Texas while Ev was in the Army. (ROTC).
I taught elementary school a few years until children arrived, and then have been fortunate enough to be a Homemaking Engineer. I did work for about 5 years later in life as a supervisor for a call center for an 800 number. We have 2 adult daughters, both married. One lives in Portland, OR and the other in Seattle. We have a total of 5 grandchildren who of course are the light of our lives.
Ev’s been semi-retired for 3 years, and we’ve done quite a bit of traveling. So far we’ve been to Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, most of Western Europe, and China. We also have a travel trailer and have explored quite a bit of the western US and into British Columbia...It has been wonderful hearing about all the “old” classmates.
...Nov-04...we recently recevied this note from Mike McManus...
You are correct, Gar now lives in Mound MN, a small town on the western shores of lake Minnetonka. Gar and I talked for some time this evening and he brought me up to date on his life. Within the next few weeks we plan to have lunch together...Gar said he received your letter (inquiry) and said to tell you that he will send his autobiography your way in the near future...
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In March I head for Florida to watch the Twins play spring baseball…..used to go with a friend just to get the sunshine and flea markets…now I have a new reason…..this may be the “Year of the Twins”. (best chance to find Mary will be in the upper deck of the Dome). Most of the residents of the Cities do not venture into the Mall of America. It is too crowded with tourists and those that fly in for a one day shopping experience at the Mall. Spring break, summer, and holidays fill mall and it is not a good place to just “hang out” Mary was pleased to find someone else that is classified as a “cat” person…she has two…one is white, blue eyed and deaf…(nothing on the other…?)
Update...Jan-04...Received a note from Mary telling us she recently (Dec-03) moved back to Watertown and is helping the local economy with all the new furnishings for her place...
In 1959 we moved to Sioux Falls and bought a house. We had three more boys, Todd, Scot and Joel. Several years later we had a daughter, Renae. We still live in the same house and we now have 11 grandchildren that we really enjoy. Five of the grandchildren live here in Sioux Falls, 2 in Montana, 2 in Idaho, and 2 in California.
Russ worked for Billion Motors most of the time we have lived in Sioux Falls. I worked for Ravens and Aero Star until we retired in 1976. We have always enjoyed camping and included that activity as our family grew. We have been able to travel to most of the states including a trip to Turkey where our son and his wife live for 6 months of the year. The other 6 months they live in California.
We have been going to Casa Granda, AZ for the past 4 years. We stay there for about 6 months and return to Sioux Falls for the remainder of the year. We leave for Arizona around the 1st of November each year and we spend our time in a park called Sundance. If any of you are in our area in the winter, please look us up.
I get back to SD quite often to visit my mother and every few years to go pheasant hunting. Marilyn and I have both had bouts with cancer, but are both doing OK now. We are considering moving back to SD if we find a place we like. We have had the opportunity to do some traveling. Europe twice, China, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico twice, the Dominican Republic, and the Mall of America….we walk there once or twice a week just to try to keep in shape and from getting out of control...
Update...Sept-03...Bill and Marilyn have moved back to Watertown!
Well—here is the “bio”. It was hard to summarize 48 years into a few paragraphs.
I graduated from Northwestern U. in 1958 and received a Rotary Fellowship to study music in Vienna, the following year. In order to graduate in three years, I went one summer each to Brookings and Augustana.. At Augie,I met Stan, a fighter pilot, flying for the National Guard in Sioux Falls, and taking Calculus next to my Physics Lab. While I was in Vienna, I studied piano, cello and German. In 1959, I taught music in New Jersey and played in the Plainfield Symphony. Stan was hired by Continental Airlines and was based in Dallas. In those days, you didn’t go traveling with your “boyfriend”, so we were married Christmas 1959, to spend Christmas vacation together. Then I went back to New Jersey and he to Dallas. I resigned in March and we moved to Denver, where I taught music in the schools and played in the Denver Businessmen’s orchestra. In 1961, we moved to Southern California, where we enjoyed living until 1984. We had two children, and I kept busy with them and my music. I played in the Palos Verdes Symphony, The Baroque Consortium and the South Bay Chamber Music Society. I also was involved in church choirs and a variety of chamber music.
We have always enjoyed camping and boating. We spent our first money after we were married on camping gear. In California, we had small sail boats and ski boats. We often camped on the shores of Lake Mead out of an 18 ft. boat. In 1978, we built a summer cabin on a river in Seattle area and from then on we started “cabin cruising”. The ocean in the NW is like a big lake, and since I didn’t get sea sick anymore, I could fish with Stan. We have had a great time cruising and learning to catch crab, shrimp, salmon and halibut. Our largest halibut was 163 lbs., caught on our way to Juneau from St. Petersburg.
We have had a variety of small airplanes, and when the kids learned to fly in HS, I earned a pilot’s license too. On the boat and the airplane, I am the co-pilot and navigator. When Stan was flying for Continental, we had many travel opportunities. Now that he has been retired since 1993, we shop the internet for bargain tickets---too old to stand by and watch the airplanes keep leaving without us.
We now split our time between Anacortes, WA and Mesa, AZ. We have moved so often over the years, that we joke about moving every time the house gets dirty. I really have enjoyed designing and planting all those yards. I still have roses at both houses that I fuss over when I can.
As we get older, spending time with family becomes more and more important. We really look forward to visits from our children and three grandchildren. Our daughter lives with her family in Colorado and is an engineer. Our son lives in Seattle and works with Verizon . My brother Dale (’51) and his wife Kay (Huppler ’54) live in Arizona near our winter home. We have shared many holidays and trips together. I have no one left in SD, so we only come to see Stan’s sister who lives in Watertown.
The 32nd reunion was fun. I’m looking forward to the 50th.... Leone
I married Marcie in 1961, we have one girl and two boys. Our children live in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and California. We usually head south around Thanksgiving and spend a few months visiting our kids and a brother in Texas. I like fishing in Texas, you can do that every day unless the wind blows too much. Our daughter lives in Sacramento and we do get out to see her every couple of years.
I retired from the Watertown Fire Department in 1992. It was a 28 year career and my last task was that of Assistant Chief. Since that time I have been spending time traveling, fishing, hunting, and doing some odd jobs around the neighborhood.
Times goes by so fast, I can’t believe we are looking toward our 50th year.
Here is Marcy's report of things she's been doing since High School.
In Watertown I did bookeeping for Trisco Feeds; waitressing at the Guest House and Leo’s Cafe; sold real estate for Century 21; and then spent ten years as a meter maid for Watertown's Police Department (1969-1979).
I then moved to Winnfield, LA and worked as a Correctional Officer at the local Correctional Center.
Later I moved to Sioux Falls, SD and became a Correctional Officer at the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
I started here in 1990 and now have nearly 15 years of service. I plan to retire in 2007.
As far as my own involvement in the “Class of “55” my personal acquaintances were limited due to the fact that I only attended WHS from my sophomore through senior years, moving to Watertown from the rural area of Clark. (The now non-existent Thorp School). I have never been to the few reunions held. I remember many of the names and pictures from the yearbook but several of my closest friends dropped out before graduation. My closest friend who graduated was Sharon DeWall Andre. She has attended reunions and has kept me abreast of the details.
I am divorced (for many years), have two grown children,, both of whom are single, therefore, I am not a grandparent at this ripe old age, much to my disappointment! My daughter, Kristin, lives here in Salem and my son Greg, lives in Portland, Oregon. I moved to Oregon following graduation in 1955 and have spent more years than I care to remember in the accounting/automotive/trucking industry. I am still working as office/accounting manager at the International truck dealer here in Salem. I have never in my life thought I would be working after age 65 but the stock market and other investments did a number on me as it did on many other people in the world. So, my goal is to keep working a few more years and try to catch up at least partially, if possible.
I raised two kids entirely by myself and they are both responsible adults for which I am very proud and thankful. At the same time I have managed to accumulate enough worldly things so that I live very comfortably in a small condo on the golf course. My time is now consumed with working and looking after my 91 year old mother who lives in a retirement home near me. I like flower gardening, flea markets and garage sales, working out at the gym, good books and music. I especially enjoy attending concerts where my son is involved. He is a professor of music at Linfield College and has his master’s degree in organ performance. Since he only lives about an hour from me, it is possible for me to enjoy his music often.
I am planning a trip to SD in May to attend a high school graduation of a relative in Clark. I haven’t been back there for many years and am looking forward to it. My next trip back will hopefully be in 2005 to attend the 50th reunion if it comes to a reality. I am sure it will be appreciated by many classmates. Please add my information to the list. I am looking forward to hearing more…
Mark died suddenly in 1972……more teaching……I married Chuck Olson in 1978…..more teaching…… I retired in 2003 after 43 years of teaching English in Watertown.
At present, Chuck and I enjoy traveling and have been to Austria several times as well as England, Canada, and many US cities. Our other hobbies are gardening, enjoying food and good wine, and trying to maintain an 1886 Victorian home which we share with two cats.
Life is good.
* I once took a course in Technical Writing which stressed brevity; can you tell? It went to my head.
I taught elementary school a few years until children arrived, and then have been fortunate enough to be a Homemaking Engineer. I did work for about 5 years later in life as a supervisor for a call center for an 800 number. We have 2 adult daughters, both married. One lives in Portland, OR and the other in Seattle. We have a total of 5 grandchildren who of course are the light of our lives.
Ev’s been semi-retired for 3 years, and we’ve done quite a bit of traveling. So far we’ve been to Scandinavia, Spain, Italy, most of Western Europe, and China. We also have a travel trailer and have explored quite a bit of the western US and into British Columbia...It has been wonderful hearing about all the “old” classmates.
You are correct, Gar now lives in Mound MN, a small town on the western shores of lake Minnetonka. Gar and I talked for some time this evening and he brought me up to date on his life. Within the next few weeks we plan to have lunch together...Gar said he received your letter (inquiry) and said to tell you that he will send his autobiography your way in the near future...
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