1983 Class Notes for 2019

Gold Class of 1983

 

 

Greetings, fellow ‘83ers!  Based on the news of the few who wrote, I think that we ‘83ers are in the thick of living busy but fruitful lives.

Cristy Santiago Loza and family

For Maria “Cristy” Loza (Ponce, PR), 2018 was a year of reconstruction after Hurricane Maria created a major disaster for Puerto Rico.  However, despite great difficulty, Cristy and her family have moved on and are very happy!  Cristy’s eldest, Francisco, works as a high school English teacher in San Juan.  His band “Nutopia” was invited for the second time to perform at the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX.  Daughter Cristina moved to San Antonio to finish medical school, and daughter Juliana is a junior at the U of Dayton.  Cristy and Jose spent New Year’s in beautiful San Antonio and are doing fine, working and enjoying life.

Cristy surprised Mary Gutowski Schlitzer (Cold Spring, NY) by visiting her in January 2018 when Mary was hospitalized for a kidney stone and ended up with sepsis.   After her week-long stay in ICU, Mary is extremely grateful not only to be alive but also for Cristy’s heartfelt support during her illness.  In March 2017, the Morgan Library & Museum wooed Mary with a job offer that she couldn’t refuse, so she left her previous position to become the Morgan’s Controller, a job that she loves.  On a lighter note, Mary has knitted over 100 pink Pussyhats (a symbol of solidarity for women’s rights and political resistance)!  She knitted 20 for the first Women’s March and then continued knitting them to keep the visual message alive. She asks that anyone who receives one pays it forward in return.

Sandee Kurtz now lives in Fort Lauderdale, doesn’t miss the cold weather, and loves wearing shorts most of the year.  She’s learned that DC summers are worse than Floridian summers.  Sandee enjoys living closer to Joyce Vorbach (Naples) with whom she’s had fun taking fishing lessons.  She also had a delightful dinner and cruise with Lee Pendergast and Mary Ann Wall (NYC).

Bill and Elizabeth Kirby Fullerton

Elizabeth Kirby Fullerton’s (Athens, Greece) family had a year mixed with great sadness and great joy.  On January 12, 2018, they lost her brother William to liver cancer.  The sadness of the cold January funeral in NY was brightened with Liz Moss Silva (Little Silver, NJ) and Gretchen Van Dyke (Scranton, PA) at her side.  That April, son Kirby married the wonderful Jessica in Lexington, KY.  Son Avery deployed to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division and returned safely.  Daughter Clare and her children visited Elizabeth and husband Bill in Greece.  Son Henry spent a delightful summer in Europe and took Elizabeth to Lithuania.  Last August, Elizabeth had a fantastic evening with Liz Silva and Anne Marie Desaulniers (Bethesda, MD) in NJ.  Elizabeth and Bill enjoy living in Athens and plan to be there until December 2021.

On the bench for 24 years, Maureen Callahan Gottfried (Midland, GA) has been a Superior Court Judge for the past five years.  Additionally, in August 2017, she became an Adult Drug Court Judge, a role that has led her on quite the journey, learning to be patient with people struggling with addiction.  Husband George retired a few years ago, and last summer, he and Maureen celebrated their 25th anniversary by visiting Whitefish and Glacier National Park in Montana.  At home, they are part-time empty nesters!  However, Maureen always looks forward to her children’s return during college breaks.  Daughter Colleen is a second-year law student at Catholic U.  While in DC with Colleen last fall, Maureen and George visited Donna Dooley Rye.  This May, daughter Claire graduates with an early childhood education degree from the U of Georgia.  Luckily, attending training sessions in Athens has given Maureen chances to visit Claire at school.  Finally, son George is a sophomore marketing major at Georgia Southern U.  Maureen reports, “They are all doing well!”

Annemarie Sheehan Steimel (Jeffersonton, VA) and husband Bart gained two more grandchildren in 2018:  Kimberly, Paul, and Alexa (4) welcomed Veronica Jane on May 2, and Melissa, Kenyon, and their sons Owen (4), Declan (3), and Colin (2) greeted Calista Rose on September 10.  Kevin helped his sisters during their recoveries so that Annemarie didn’t have to visit them every day.  Jillian and Winton celebrated daughter Kelsey’s second birthday in March.  Bart celebrated the new arrivals by getting Annemarie a “Nana 007” license plate.  Last July, Victoria and Brett moved from Hoboken to Arlington to be closer to family when their first baby arrives this September.  Tommy is working for Google in Seattle but comes home often to meet his new nieces and nephews.  Graduating from UVA this May, Elizabeth has performed in several plays.  A junior at JMU, Caroline participates in a sorority, show choir, and the SGA.  All the kids plan to travel to Vegas for Melissa’s 30th birthday.  Annemarie is thankful that she and Bart will babysit for only four of the grandchildren – although Bart claims that he’d love to watch all seven.

Ellen Farris has been the Director of Student Services in Lenox, MA, for four years and often pulls from her Trinity training when facing challenges in her position.  In August 2017, she and her beau bought a house and love renovating and entertaining there.  In 2016, daughter Lindsey, having two sons, decided to try for a girl and instead added twin boys!  With four grandsons nearby, Ellen reports that there’s never a dull moment and instant pool parties have become the norm.  Always aiming for adventures, Ellen spent two weeks walking the El Camino in Spain last summer.

Laurie “Draz” Drazek (Paxton, MA) is cruising along just fine.  She had a blast at our 35th reunion and loved seeing everyone!  Sadly, she lost three of her fur baby cocker spaniels last year to old age and medical issues, leaving her with two pups, two horses, and three chickens.  She still teaches in the Social Work program at Anna Maria College, and partner Kristine continues to run Care One at Millbury, a long-term care/rehab facility.  Laurie and Kristine are looking to buy a farm.  Believing that animals can do magical, amazing things, Laurie wants to start a therapy/healing farm, integrating her rescue animals and social work.

 

Squeezing in before the scribes’ deadline, Tamara “Tam” Zúñiga-Brown (Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan) helps the Chaldean Church retain the dwindling number of persecuted Christians, fleeing ISIS from the Nineveh Plain.  Her work supports Archbishop Matti Warda’s herculean efforts in the field of education.  In September 2016, Tam assisted with the curricular and program development of the Preparatory English year at the first Catholic U.  Their classes continued despite the Mosul liberation battle that raged 25 miles away.  Currently at a K-12 International Baccalaureate school, Tam is involved with faculty observations and teacher training, individual academic coaching, and teaching writing skills.  Lastly, she requests that we ‘83ers, their families, and the Sisters of Notre Dame pray for our Christian sisters and brothers facing extinction.

 

2017 and 2018 were whirlwinds of sadness and joy for me.  In spring 2017, cousin Michelle Davenport passed away unexpectedly, and uncle Charles Morphy and dad Richard Kurz died from lymphoma.  While watching Dad slip away was difficult, I was honored to care for him during his final days.  I’d hoped that 2018 would bring a relief from grief, but sorrow returned when my cat Tia passed from old age in April and cat Dover from cancer in November.  Yet, happy days also abounded.  My parents and I were presented CP Rochester’s 2016 Founders’ Award, which recognizes our long-time agency support.  Last year, I received my 30 years of “incredible service” pin from Wegmans Food Markets.  This April at the Rochester Press-Radio Club’s Day of Champions Dinner, I was the recipient of the Christine Wagner Welch Inspiration Award honoring individuals for their strength and courage.  Since 1949, the annual dinner has raised over $1 million for local charities.  Finally, for Christmas, I adopted a small orange tabby cat, whom I named “Zuzu” – after George Bailey’s youngest daughter in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.  Although cat Kamea has doubts, Zuzu has brightened our days and returned cheer to our home.

I enjoyed seeing several of you at our 35th reunion last May and hope to see many more at our 40th.  Until then, keep my inbox full!  Thanks to all who shared their news!

 

Ann “Krash” Kurz

27 Greig Street

Rochester, NY 14608

kurz.ann@gmail.com