Well, I'm finally finding some time to write you all. I've been extremely busy with other obligations here and we've had a constant stream of visitors since our return. I want to thank everyone who showed up @ Cannova's or Rock City Days. We had a great time and it was so fun catching up with people. For those of you who couldn't join us, we missed you and hope you will join us next time. I think it worked out nicely @ both venues. Next year will be Rock City Day's 150 birthday. We plan to be there once again and I hope to see some of you there also. I'd like to think of that time of year as kind of a Homecoming Week for all of us. I'm going to attach the brick donation form that I picked up when I was doing the High School Tour. I thought some of you might be interested in it as I was. Also, if you change your email address, would you please notify me so that I can keep the email listing current for the next group. Plus, if we're going to do a cruise we need to keep things open. If you haven't looked at the changingdesigns.com site, then you may not know that we are looking at doing a cruise for our 35th. I like the idea of the cruise, but think that we should have at least 1 day back home before or after our trip. I think we need to include those who can't afford to go either monetarily or time wise. Just a suggestion. Liz Sorn, I haven't heard anything about Zack. I hope he's doing well. Cheryl, I think of you often and hope your finding strength & courage from everyone that loves you. Kim (Buss) Clark - I hope your diabetes testing went well and that you're doing better now. Michelle L. - I hope your medical issues get resolved and your pain goes away. Mark Lawver - thank you for getting me phone numbers when we started this whole reunion effort and to Laurie L. and Dee C. thank you for your help and support with the reunion qwest. For everyone else, I hope that joy and happiness is abound in your life. Love to All - Deb
If anyone wants the form, e-mail me and I will send it to you! Dee
Aug. 1, 2008
Sounds like it was a success. Sorry, Deb I left it all to you, I just couldn't focus on it. France was great! I'm ready for a cruise or even and all inclusive hotel
Cheryl
July 25, 2008
Bryan and Ann,
It was so nice to have some time to visit with you. After having time to visit, hearing what you do, it is no wonder you have been working on numbers for the next reunion. Keep crunching numbers for us and hopefully we'll have many that are interested in a cruise.
I went to an all inclusive resort south of Cancun and it was a great, inexpensive vacation. We did discuss that as well, but I am not on the committee so what ever they decide is fine with me. I do have photo's of the reunion and will get them sent as soon as I can.
Take Care,
Laurie
July 24,2008
What a wonderful time we all had at the class reunion! Thank you for all of the work you did Deb! It was great to see everyone! I will be adding some of the fun pics that I was annoying everyone by taking very soon!The ideas of the cruise for the 35th was great!( I wonder who came up with it! tee hee.) I think it would be a blast and with a 5 year notice, I think everyone could do this. There are some ideas that B had below that puts it in perspective as far as the cost. Start saving! More pictures to come! If anyone has some pictures they would like to share, please e-mail them to me. Keep checking back!!!
Dee
I heartily agree that Deb did a great job, especially since she had to work on it from half-way across the country.
A cruise is do-able if we prepare well ahead of time. I just did a real quick check of the cruise rates for August this year and they range from as low as $600 to $1300 per-person, depending on which cabin type you choose. I'm sure they may also offer group rates as well. If one allows for price inflation and other things I'd say that the rates could be $700 to $1500 per-person in five years. So, if you want to stay in the fancy cabin then you'd need in the neighborhood of $3,000 for two people--half that if you stay in an inner cabin. For the fancy cabin that works out to $50 a month to save or $12.50 a week--for the inner cabin it's $25 per month or $6.25 a week. I can save that by not eating lunch at McDonald's. Of course I realize that there's more costs involved than the cruise itself such as travel to-and-from and fun stuff while on the cruise, but I think it can be done.
As one of the "chosen ones" to put together the next reunion I'll work hard to get us a very good deal if the class really wants to do this.
Anyway, Ann and I had a great time this past weekend. It was wonderful to see everyone who made it to the events and we did miss those of you who couldn't be there.
I look forward to seeing you all at the next reunion!
-B-
July 24, 2008
It sounds like you all had a great time; I just wish I could have been there. I planned to go but due to circumstances beyond my control I was unable to attend. If anyone took any photos I’d love to see them if you can email them to me. A cruise would be fun, might I suggest a visit to the Yucatan Peninsula . There is so much culture to see, ancient ruins, and the white sand beaches are awesome and the night life in Cancun is a blast! Did I mention the jungles?!?!?! Take a look of some of the photos on the internet, it is truly paradise and not very far way so travel time and expense should be minimal. I personally prefer this part of Mexico to the Bahamas .
Becky (Merkel) Simmons
July 23, 2008
My thanks to Deb as well, she did a great job. Tim, I think you mean it is 5 YEARS down the road, or there is reason to panic. Ha ha. I think a cruise would be great! Keep us posted.
Laurie
July 23, 2008
Hey Gang, Just wanted to express my thanks to Deb Tucker for all her hard work in getting our 30th reunion together. If you were there either day, I'm sure you had a good time. If not, you missed out. I saw many smiling faces and heard many people laughing very hard. Before things wrapped up, those who were left, picked a small group of us to be in charge of the 35th. I was fortunate to be one of the "chosen". We came up with the idea of going on a cruise. No, not down the Mississippi. That was a nightmare. No, we are talking about a cruise on a ship, where it's warm and sunny, and yes, it will be more than a night or two. Before you panic, that is 5 days down the road. That being said, we need to be thinking about it now. It's a real possiblility to do this and I think it comes at a very good time in our lives. Each of us can start a vacation account and we can save enough money to do this. The committee will look into places and lowest costs and what is the best time to go. Feedback from all you on what times suit you will be appreciated. This can be a real blast people. Don't just tell yourself it's not going to happen and discard this idea ok? Give it some serious thought. We will keep you informed as things are investigated. It was great to see everyone who showed up. I hope you all had as much fun as I did. Talk to ya soon.
Tim Meck
I decided to put this site together so people could keep in contact with each other, as well as find out the newest information on the reunion and what's happening in each others lives. I am putting it on my site because, well, I have one, as well as I am a graphic designer. (And our class won't have to have an additional cost of a website upkeep!
Please feel free to add whatever you would like by filling out the form below. It will be added to our site!
I really look forward to seeing everyone.
Here are some new pictures! Who is everyone?? I do know some of these.
Give me your thoughts!
Hi Everyone one! I have a few more e-mails to submit! Please keep writing everyone.
Hello Again Denise and all, It's Cindy Rasmus again... as I read more of the emails you posted Denise, I remember the names. This was so awesome for you to do! I too have nothing but fond memories of school at Dakota High. Although I was there just 2 short years and moved back to the Freeport School District, I often wished I had stayed at Dakota. I remember going to grade school with Cheryl J. in Cedarville, then I moved again, and low and behold we both ended up at Dakota. I feel badly for her recent loss and what she must be going through. I have to say I haven't had any real misfortune or serious mishaps in my life, so my heart goes out to those who have. I am truly looking forward to seeing everyone and appreciate you including me so I won't feel as though I am crashing your party. I wish you were going to be there too Jeannie Schneider. But I understand and hope your new cabin building goes well. See you all soon :) Cindy
email: cjrflatt@hotmail.com
Hi Denise, no this is my personal email. yes you can post it to the website.
We will all be coming home for a visit and I will try to get them all to come
with me. You know how teenagers can be....
Hope you are all doing well !
ME CJ (Rasmus) Flatt
cjrflatt@hotmail.com
Cindy, Can't wait to see you again!! Denise
FirstName: Jeannie LastName: Schneider (Dickman) comments: Hey everyone,Thank you Denise for making this site. I enjoyed reading everyone's news. My family is recovering from a few tragedies this past year. Last May, our cabin in Minnesota burned down to the ground from a forest fire. That being said, we will not be going to the reunion, because we will be up in Minnesota helping to build our new cabin. Then, in December, (the day after Christmas) we lost a niece (Mike's step daughter) in a horrible, horrible accident. She was on her way back to school to work that evening. Then, as you may know, Cheryl's husband was killed in March. I am glad that I have my degree now, because the childrren in my classroom have helped me get through these times. I now have my teaching degree, and I am teaching kindergarten in Freeport. I plan on starting my Masters next year. This summer, I am taking it easy and trying to relax. I will be taking a couple of short trips this summer as well as going to Minnesota for 2 1/2 weeks. My husband, Lowell, is doing very well. Some of you may know that he had a very rare brain tumor on the brain stem and was given about 6 months to live. This happened a few months after our last reunion. We had to go to Chicago for the surgery. At that time, there were only 4 doctors in the U.S. that had performed that kind of surgery. After months of recovery, he is doing very well, and has un-noticable side effects. I know that we have been out of school for a while, because my kids all of a sudden got older. How does that happen so quickly? Kevin, 23, will be graduating from Michigan Tech in December with an Engineering Degree. He is working on a summer internship with Honeywell and thinks that they will offer him a job after graduation. Ryan, 22, is attending Milwaukee School of Engineering, and has changed his major to Marketing and Management. Adam, 18, graduated from high school this year and plans to attend Highland and then transfer to a 4-yr. college. He wants to go into construction engineering, and have his own business. Along with keeping up with things at home, I also take care of my father. He will be 94 this year, and still lives at home. His health is deteriorating slowly, and it's getting harder to take care of him. I am glad to still have him around, these last few years have been a blessing. I feel the effects of the sandwich generation everyday. Lowell's parents are getting up there in years, also. We know that there may not be many more times we have together, so we need to take advantage of those times now. I hope that everyone connects with this site. Denise, you did a GREAT job putting this together. Take care, everyone! God Bless all of you!Jeannie (Schneider) Dickman email: jmdickman@aol.com
Jeannie, I'm so sorry that you aren't going to be able to come to the reunion. I feel bad about all that has happened. I'm glad that some good things are happening to you as well. I hope your building of the cabin goes well. I bet you have a great time teaching the little ones! I know about having the kids grow up, I still can't believe my 23 year old has gotten his first tooth yet! Yicks!
Denise here! I just went to my brother Mitch's wedding! Who would have thought?
While I was there I saw Ryan Nath (why wouldn't I see him there? Mitch married his sister Carla!). I told him about our class reunion and I really hope he and his wife will come this year. It was great to see him and we got a chance to catch up on a few things, I am looking forward to staying in contact with him and his wife! Hopefully, Ryan will be adding a comment to our site!
Deb (Ackerman)Tucker said:
Denise & Gang,I'm finally here! Life at the Tucker's is ALWAYS busy! I thought once I got 2 kids in college that it would slow down but then I found myself adding new things to the mix. I want to thank you, Dee, for putting this site together for us. It's great to get reconnected. You are awesome and I'm so proud of you!!! I'm looking forward to our reunion and hope we can get a huge turnout. I live in Colorado now and love it. We have 4 children (Ashley-22,Brandon-20-Nicole-15,Kiara-12). I started a cleaning business in order to be home with the kids and to manage the fort if Howard had to travel. I work for some of the Denver Bronco coaches. At one time, I had the head coach, Mike Shanahan's, house. It was awesome seeing the Super Bowl trophy and observing that lifestyle. It made me realize I wouldn't want that life - it's like living in a fish bowl and no down time. I've loved the flexibility of this job, but lately, I've been feeling that I may try something else since the kids are getting older. I may finally decide what I want to be when I grow up!! I finally graduate from the elementary school after 18 years there with my kids. It's been wonderful and I wouldn't change a thing, but now I feel I'm in more of a position to move on to something else. Howard works for Lockheed Martin (an aerospace co.) and we've been able to have some awesome experiences. For example, this past Sept. we went to Paris, France. We had visited there 25 years ago on our honeymoon. Getting to go back and celebrate our 25th Anniversary was fantastic. Some of you may remember that Howard had a foreign exchange student from Italy (Antonio) his senior year at Warren. Sue Jones will remember because she went to Prom or Homecoming with him. Well, he lives in Belgium and we visited him while we were over there. We still keep in touch with him. Two years ago, we spent the summer living in Florida. Howard was down there working at Cape Canaveral for a launch and 2 of the 4 kids were down with us. The other 2 manned the fort back in Colorado and joined us for the launch. It was an amazing time. If you've ever seen a launch, I'm sure you'll agree. I also want to thank those of you who sent or came by with your condolences on the passing of my brother, Roger. It was a horrific ordeal! For those of you who didn't hear, Roger died of a gun shot wound to the heart and 7 stab wounds. We still have not been able to determine if it was sucide, accident or foul play. It would be nice to have closure on it but I've come to realize it may not happen in my lifetime. At the inqwest,it was ruled"undetermined." I hired a private investigator to look into it but my monetary limit came quickly with no answer. I have tried to shoulder as much as I could because I was scared that I would loose one or both of my parents with all of the stress. I miss him and all the great times we had growing up and into our adult life. In any case, we all have different crosses to bear, but it helps to know you have a support group. That's what we need to be for each other. Well, I better end this novel and sign off for now. Take care everyone and hope to see you this summer. I will be sending out another update by Friday (May2nd). *Deb email: tuckerinn6@msn.com
Laurie (Roskam) Beggin said:
Can a person that just "hung out" with everyone from Dakota get in on this??
Thanks Dee for doing this. I know it takes a lot of time and energy. I am looking forward to our reunion and seeing everyone again. I do hope that our classmates will use this site to connect with each other and share pictures and stories of their lives.I have sent some (old) photos that Dee is working on and will send some recent photos soon.I hope to see you all in July! email:lerwick@iwvisp.com
I am adding a picture which Doris Jacobs gave to Lori Bender, and Lori shared with me. Notice, I am using all maiden names, so my old mind can keep up! I would be interested in anyone who can add any information about this picture and list any of the people in it.
We do know some of them, but lets get this going.
Does anyone have any other photos they would like to add to this? It doesn't have to be old, it could be an update of their family, or whatever you would like.
Hope to hear from everyone!
Denise
Here is a picture from one of the 5th grade classes on the field trip to Galena, Illinois (in front of Grants Home?). From left to right front row: Deb Ackerman, Lori Bender, Doris Jacobs, Sue Jones, Lori Winterland, Kim Buss, Denise Last, Trudy Neisman, Brenda Schneider, Karen Engelkins, Jewel Schockey, Linda Miley.
From Left to right back row: Dan Ferguson,Harvy S, Brian Church,Wayne Bardell behind Brian, Tim Meck, Greg Hyle, Dale Goeke, Les Thomas Mark Lawver behind , Denny Schoonhoven with the hat, Ralf Hottman, Brad Boeke behind Ralf? next to last is hard to tell. It looks like I have Bob G. but I don't remember who that would be. And last would be Stuart Rogers.
The adult in the back top right is Mrs. King. Front row male is Mr.John Detwiler,(we think), the other women on the front right is Mrs. Engelkins.
This is the information we have so far, if you disagree or have comments, post it! This is kind of fun. Do we have any other photos we want to do this with??
Hi Denise,
It's Doris. I've attached the names of the people in the picture.They go left to right for the boys and the girls. My husband runs into Lori sometimes at work and I thought she would get a kick out of I think it was the 5th grade trip to Galena. For the names of the adults in the picture I remember the teacher Mrs King, I think Karen Engelkin's mom, but I don't remember the bus driver. I'm glad I wrote the names down on the back of the picture a long time ago as I know I wouldn't be able to remember most of them anymore.
Thank you Doris for sending both the picture and the information on who all of these people are!! What fun.
This is from Bryan Church:
Alright you guys. I've been checking over the class list and I see that most of you are still hanging out in either Illinois or Wisconsin, although a couple of ya' are sitting nice right now in the sunshine of Arizona, Florida, and California. It's 44-degrees and sopping wet here in Ohio.
If the kids don't put us into the poor house, my wife Ann, and I plan to be at the reunion in July. I think a couple of you (Crow & Harvey) owe me money so you better show up.
If Ann wasn't afraid of riding over 25-miles-per-hour I'd be showing up on my Harley. True, it's a baby Harley, XL883C Sportster, but it's a real Harley! I might still be able to swing it though. You still ridin' Spence?
I still got my '78 yearbook and my class ring (actually, the ring's Ann's now). My letterman jacket got lost somewhere years ago--I think my evil stepmother tossed it after I went into the Air Force in '79. Besides, it turned pink after Greenwaldt and I rode to Rockford in the rain on his Honda--I got rain gear nowadays. Besides, I don't think a pink letterman jacket portrays the "cool" image Dakota alumni are known to possess.
Also, I did some math and most of you guys will be turning 50 in a couple of years so you'd all better get by and see me before you're too old to make it without your kids driving you to the event. I still have my girlish figure, most of my hair and teeth, and if the printing ain't too small or the TV too far away I still see pretty good.
Anyway, this email is my work email and the one I'm attached to most of the time. Feel free to e-oh-spond with me whenever.
Ok. That picture is from 5th grade i believe. am I right? The teacher is Mrs King. The bus driver is John Detwiler. I believe I am in the back row with the lovely and stylish plaid shirt and the equally stylish black rimmed glasses. The tall guy on the left end of the back row is Harvey Smith isn't it? The rest is rather blurry to me. Maybe it's my eyes.
On a sad note, my ex-wife Kristi, lost her mom yesterday morning. She has been paralyzed from a brain stem stroke for the past 1 1/2 years. She has been improving much more than any doctors ever thought she would, but last night, she passed away in the middle of the night. I would appreciate your prayers for Kristi in particular as she was the primary care giver for her mom and she is taking it very hard and is blaming herself. I was there when she went in to check on her and it has been a very long, hard day. Kristi and I are working on getting back together still. It has been challenging with her situation with her mom and her dad's health. Thanks for doing this Denise. It's a great idea. tmeck1@yahoo.com
Sue Jones Wrote:
Hi Denise, and thanks for sending this to me. I enjoyed looking over some of your work. It is really nice to see that you continued with your creative art. You are very talented. In fact, when we get ready to put our home up for sale next spring, I may have you come and see what you can do with our open stairway. I liked the pic of the stairway on your website.
Myself, I currently work as an office manager to the public defender's office in Stephenson County. I have four attorneys I manage. Up until this past Janaury, I have basically ran the office by myself. If you have any idea the case load for public defenders, multiply that by 4 attorneys, and they keep me hopping. I now have a part-time receptionist that answers phones, and I am slowly training her to take over my job next year when we relocate to Tucson.
I am also about to finish my Masters in Natural Health Science (Alternative Medicine) and will begin my Ph.D program shortly after graduation (in May 2008). My intention is to teach at the Univerisity in Tucson, work with various organizations that promote and teach healthy lifestyle and disease prevention, do research and write, as well as have my own clients. It should keep me very busy in the years to come, especially in Tucson (this area loves holistic medicine).As I sit here typing this to you now, I am finishing up another beautiful week's vacation here in Tucson. Today, my husband, Dan, my daughter, Anna (16 yrs old), and my brother Michael and his wife Janet (whom live here currently), are going to open houses to see what areas of the city we will be interested in considering next year when we relocate.
My (second) husband and I have been married now for nearly 5 years; we met shortly after 911, and he is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan. My daughter, Anna, will turn 17 on May 1, and is already searching out colleges(Stanford, Princeton, Yale, etc...I think I shall start playing the lotto, as tuition is unimaginable!!) But she is a straight A student, so I hope this will at least gain her some scholarships along the way.
I can't believe these years have come and gone so quickly. But then the realization that we are about to recognize 30 years since high school graduation, well, I suddenly feel 'old'...ha/ha. Not really, but it does make one realize the passage of time, and appreciate the gift of life and endless possibilities that are available to us. I so enjoyed conversing with Deb Tucker a couple weeks ago when she initially called me. She has certainly had some hardships in her life, but I also know that she is a very strong woman, and that allows one to endure many challenges. I also felt bad when I heard Cheryl's husband was killed following a freak accident on his property. It's very difficult to lose a loved one, especially when it is a sudden death v. one that follows an entended illness. There is no time to say your 'good-byes'. My thoughts and prayers certainly go out to her.
Well, I am off to wander the streets of Tucson. I look forward to sharing more with you. Would love to know what you have been up to in the years since 1978, what brought you back to the Freeport area to live, and anything you would like to share about your family. Thanks for the website and place to post pics, etc. I look forward to seeing everyone as the postings come in. sjones90@hotmail.com
Take care, Denise, and again, thanks for sharing and connecting.
Sue Jones/Groothuis
Teresa Ditsworth wrote:
I have been thinking about you ….. this is so weird. I almost deleted this and saw Lamoreux just in time.
Yes, you can add this email address to the list. My personal email address is jjdram3@yahoo.com and you can use that one too.
How are things going with you? Fill me in on your family. Lori is the only person that I hear anything from. I told her that I would come to the reunion this year. I didn’t even realize that it was 30 years until Lori said something.
I am headed to your website. More later.
Teresa
Denise Lamoreux wrote:
Hi everyone! I guess I'll add something here. I have just finished my Assoicate of Applied Science-Graphic Design degree. High Honors-thank you very much. I worked my butt off and did well. I am glad its over, but realize now, that the more I know, the more I need to know. So, it will probably be never ending. I have started my own business (check out this site) and have been busy, but of course,need to be more busy to make a living out of it! I love my artwork still and wish I could just be at home doing it all of the time. Or on the French Riviera, but since that will never happen, my goal will be home! I have been married for almost 23 years. My husband, Mike, is retired from the Navy and is a plant operator now of a power plant in Rockford. We have two boys, Kiel, who is 22 years old. He is in the Army stationed in El Paso, Texas. He got married 1 1/2 years ago to a sweet girl named Nicole. Tanner is 20 and attending Highland, we don't know for what just yet. He is buying his first home and works at the distributing center of Wal-mart in Sterling. He has been dating the same girl for 3 years and she is lovely, her name is Marissa. Both of the boys have chosen very homey girls, that cook and sew. I guess they wanted someone like their mom! (Anyone who knows me knows that couldn't be further from the truth!).
I am very excited to get back in touch with my classmates and see how everyone has changed and learn about what they have been up to. I think back on my time at DHS with very fond memories. I hope people have had some of those same memories, if not, I would like to start the next phase of our lives as adults and become good friends! I think it's easy to e-mail and check out a site instead of actually having to snail mail things. Hopefully, this will work out well.
Hi Denise, it’s so good to hear from you. I’ve always wondered what happened to you. It’s me, Becky Merkel. I’m still in the area. My husband and I live out in the country in Lena school district. We’ve been married for two years. My late husband passed away a few years ago after 24 years of marriage. He worked in law enforcement; he collapsed and died at work after getting in a struggle with an inmate. My girls are grown and have given me three grandchildren, a 16 month old girl, a 2 year boy and the apple of my eye Hannah; she is a 9 year girl with Down Syndrome. I was looking at your art work, it’s beautiful. I have no artistic ability what so ever! I can’t wait to see everyone again. I sure hope you make it to the reunion.
Designed by D.Clenney@changingdesigns.com 
