Two Classmates Die in 2018

James Zerby

James R. Zerby, 66, of Berne passed away at 5:47 pm on Monday, August 13, 2018 at his residence in Berne, IN.  He was born on Sunday, March 23, 1952, in Adams County.  He married Jocelyn D. "Jodi" (Davidson) Zerby on Saturday, December 30, 1972 in Berne.

Jim was a 1970 graduate of South Adams High School. He was a member of the West Missionary Church. He served as a cook in the Indiana National Guard for eight years. He was employed at Berne Furniture, CTS, and Yost Construction. In 1975 he was employed by Berne Ready Mix and continued until July 27, 2018. He started making cement blocks and tile, then started driving a flatbed boom truck. Following a stroke in 2006 he began driving a fork lift to load trucks.

Jim enjoyed camping, snowmobiling, and participating in car shows. He found satisfaction in taking aluminum car parts and polishing them to a shiny, smooth surface. Most recently he enjoyed taking his “Mistress” (’72 Chevelle) for a little cruise. When he needed to relax he found pleasure in driving his “Mini Mistress” (golf cart) on country roads and enjoying God’s work.

Jim was a strong, hardworking man and was determined to beat his cancer enough to go back to work. He was such a giving man with a tender heart, and always made sure his wife felt loved and safe.

Loving survivors include wife Jocelyn D. "Jodi" (Davidson) Zerby, Berne. He was preceded in death by his parents Robert G. Zerby and Melvena (Burry) Zerby and siblings Michael Zerby Kathy Zerby.

Rich Wulliman

Richard L. "Rich" Wulliman, 66, of Fort Wayne passed away at Lutheran Hospital of Indiana on Friday, September 21, 2018.

He was born on Wednesday, December 5, 1951 in Adams County the son of the late Clem Wulliman and the late Selma (Burry) Wulliman.

Richard graduated from South Adams in 1970. After graduation he moved out to Seattle, Washington where he lived for 40 years. While there he was a meat cutter at Costco. After retiring he joined his son in Mexico. Rich enjoyed working with food and cooking.

Survivors include his son, Casey Wulliman of Mexico; brothers Fred (Elsie) Wulliman and Dave (Sue) Wulliman of Berne; and granddaughter Olivia Wulliman of Seattle, Washington.

No time for retirement!

Anne and Leon Amstutz

 

Some classmates have already embraced retirement and others are starting to make plans for this next phase of life. Below, Leon Amstutz shares what he and Anne (Wiederker) are planning to do. If you would like to share information about your life with classmates, send an email to: 

southadamsclassof1970@gmail.com.

     __________________________________________________________________________

 

4/2016

 

 

Hello,

We are sorry we missed the 45^th reunion (I was in Africa), but hopefully we will be around for the next event. Anne and I both took “early retirement” from our jobs last summer. I left Taylor University, where I taught Computer Science and Engineering Physics for 15 years (first half on the Fort Wayne campus which closed, and last half in Upland). Anne left her job teaching kindergarten at “The Kings Academy” in Jonesboro. 

The reason for this is we applied and were accepted as missionaries with SonSet Solutions, a technical missions support agency located in Elkhart, Indiana at the site of the former HCJB Global radio Engineering Center, from which it evolved as an independent ministry. We are now “missionary appointees” in the process of raising our support so we can move to the Elkhart area to serve full-time. We are scheduling speaking engagements in various churches during weekends.

In the meantime, we still need some income to live on, so I accepted a contract with Ambassador Enterprises “Innovative Education International” non-profit ministry focused on providing computer labs and educational software to rural schools in Liberia, West Africa. We put our home in Upland up for sale and rented temporary housing in Fort Wayne. I flew to Liberia the first of September and spent a month there installing computer labs as part of a team. We returned home, prepared more computers, and flew back again on January 3, 2016. Now I’m busy preparing for the next trip to Africa in May. 

While I am gone, Anne is working part time in the “Child Watch” program of Parkview YMCA.  We are hoping to raise our full support and complete our deputation by summer of 2017 and then move to the Elkhart-Mishawaka area (where our children and grand-children are living, so we will be closer to them!).

Since we are “in transition,” our home mailing address will likely change, but my new email address with SonSet Solutions should remain valid at least until time of next SAHS class of 1970 event.

Leon
lamstutz@SonSetSolutions.org

P.S. Here are a couple of websites that contain more information about the work I’m doing. Check them out if you’re interested in this unique ministry that is able to reach behind walls into “closed countries” via radio.

http://sonsetsolutions.org/staff/leon-anne-amstutz/

http://iei3c.org/activity-update/



Classmate Ronald Yoss, 1952-2015

 

Ronald E. Yoss, 63, of Ossian, died at 12:08 a.m. Monday, Sept. 14, 2015, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.

He was born April 4, 1952, in Decatur to Delbert G. and Treva Fern (Dailey) Yoss. He married Jacqueline “Jackie” Moses Aug. 24, 1991, in Kokomo; she preceded him in death April 23, 2009.

He graduated from South Adams High School in 1970, and he retired from Northern Wells Community Schools in 2015 after 19 years as a bus driver. He loved spending time with the children as a bus driver.

He was a gun enthusiast and he enjoyed electronics. He attended several churches in the Bluffton area.

He is survived by a sister, Carol (Richard) Teeple of Bluffton; a brother, Delbert W. (Sharon) Yoss of Galliano, La.; eight nieces and nephews; and 13 great-nieces and great-nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Marilyn Beeler.

A service will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at Goodwin-Cale & Harnish Memorial Chapel in Bluffton, with Pastor Wayne Steury officiating.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at the funeral home.

Burial will be in Riverside Cemetery in Geneva.

Memorials to the Northern Wells Community Schools Transportation Fund.

Lost Your Reunion Information? Here's a copy.

Greetings! We hope at least one or more of the events listed below will convince you that our class reunion is worth attending. If you need lodging, Clock Tower Inn (260-589-8955 or BerneClockTowerInn.com) is offering rooms for $74.90 which includes tax. If you have a restricted diet, indicate that on the registration form and we will try to accommodate your needs. Three events require prepayment so we can adequately prepare food for the number attending. Refunds will not be issued if you need to cancel after sending in your registration form. The caterer doesn’t issue refunds once the count is given and the unused smaller fees for the other two events become your contribution toward our 50 year reunion.

Hope to see you soon!  Carol, Lora, Lynette, Mari & Terri

 

Location and Time	Event Description	Cost
Clock Tower Inn Social Room US Hwy 27 North, Berne Friday, September 25 6:30 – 10:30 p.m.	Game Night: The goal of this casual night is for participants to connect with as many classmates as possible through no-stress, fun team games. Spouses/guests should also enjoy this event if they are familiar with the 1960s. We are serving pulled pork sandwiches, chips, relishes, fresh fruit, cookies, lemonade, iced tea and water. Note:  You are allowed to bring your own alcoholic beverages.	$10/person
Berne Dining Us Hwy 27 South Saturday, September 26 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.	Men’s Breakfast: This informal gathering provides an opportunity for men to meet in a smaller group for conversation and food. Individuals will order off the menu and pay their own bills. Hosts: Terry Steury, Rich Wulliman and Mike Van Emon	Pay at the restaurant
First Mennonite Church HeBrews Lounge (main level) 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.	Women’s Brunch: Join the committee for a relaxing social time while eating quiche, yogurt with fruit, a muffin, and tea or coffee. Cappuccinos will be on sale that morning for $1.00. Wives of classmates are welcome.	$5
Golf Club of the Limberlost Saturday, September 26 Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Play starts at 10:00 a.m.	Golf Outing: Is it accurate that Tom Agler, Hal Armstrong , Ed Liechty and John Muselman are the only classmates who participated on the golf team in high school? Most likely, there are many other classmates, males and females, who have taken up the sport since then who want to participate in a scramble type competition on a beautiful fall morning. This is a good event to bring along a friend or relative—the more the merrier! Inclement weather will cancel this event. Hosts: Rick Murphy and Mike Mertz	$25 for 18 holes of golf with a cart; pay at the golf course
Spare Time Lanes, Berne Saturday, September 26 Registration and Team Assignment: 1:45-2:00 p.m. Bowling: 2:00-4:00 p.m.	Bowling: If everyone from our class who belonged to the bowling club during high school would participate in this event, we would fill Spare Time Lanes! Fifty-five of our classmates listed bowling club in the senior directory with high score recognition given to Sandy Ralston (176), Sheldon Christener (188), and Mike Mertz (213). Hosts Sheldon Christener and Ted Rich will divide us into competitive and non-competitive teams based on whether you’re participating for fun or looking for a little more serious action. Feel free to bring a family member or friend to join your team. Snacks provided but beverages must be purchased at the bowling alley.	$ 3.00 per game; shoe rental is free! (We thank  Lance Sprunger for the special rate!)

Geneva Community Hall Saturday, September 26 Appetizers: 6:00-6:30 p.m. Dinner: 6:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Celebration Dinner: This catered dinner concludes a weekend of reminiscing about school years and catching up on each other’s lives in the 45 years since then.  After appetizers, diners will be served a spinach salad then enjoy a buffet of tender roast beef, chicken marsala, green beans with almonds, baby glazed carrots, red skin potatoes, rolls and assorted cream and fruit pies.  Let us know if you have food sensitivities so we can accommodate you.

$20/person

 

Registration Form for the 45 Year Reunion
of the Class of 1970

Name __________________________     Guest ______________________

   Email address (in case we need to contact you) ______________________________

 

 

Event	Cost	Number Attending	Amount Due
Saturday, September 26 Men’s Breakfast	Order off the menu, Pay at the restaurant	Include number for planning purposes: _______	NA
Saturday, September 26 Golf Outing	$ 25 / person, 18 holes, includes cart rental; Pay at the golf course; Guests welcome!	Include number for planning purposes: _______	NA
Saturday, September 26 Bowling	$ 3 / game;  free shoe rental; Pay at the bowling alley; Guests welcome!	Include number for planning purposes: _______	NA
Friday, September 25 Game Night	$10.00/person Dietary restriction: _____________________		$
Saturday, September 26 Women’s Brunch	$5.00/person Dietary restriction: _____________________		$
Saturday, September 26 Celebration Dinner	$20.00/person Dietary restriction: ________________________		$
Make checks payable to: South Adams Class of 1970		Amount Enclosed

Get Your Groove On!

Thanks to Ned Neuenschwander’s extensive music library of oldies but goodies we’ll have lots to listen to at the class reunion. On Friday there is a playlist of party music including songs like Celebrate by Three Dog Night, Good Lovin’ by the Rascals and Green-Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf. In fact there’s a playlist of 121 songs that will play for 6 hours and 9 minutes so we won’t run out of music. Ned even created short clips to see if we can recall song titles. Some of these will be used during team games. It’s surprising how many lyrics can still be remembered forty-five years later.

If you attend the bowling event there will be songs to pump you up. Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf will “get your motor runnin’” or maybe it will take the pounding beat of Gimme Some Lovin by the Spencer Davis group to energize you. Your feet might start dancing when I Can’t Get Next to You by the Temptations starts playing which will give you a more interesting four or five-step approach before you release the ball. Then there’s Eli’s Coming by Three Dog Night which always takes me back to a good place because several of us attended their concert at the coliseum in Fort Wayne in the late 60s. Thirty-five songs are on that playlist to get us through several games.

Things will quiet down for Saturday night’s dinner. In the background, songs like The Look of Love by Sergio Mendes and Brasil, Never My Love by The Association, and This Guy’s in Love with You by Herb Albert and The Tijuana Brass will be playing while we converse and eat the meal prepared by Grant’s catering. There’s three hours and 29 minutes of this type of music.

There’s great music to be heard during the weekend—that is if the technology works properly. Hopefully, some of our classmates are techies and will be on hand at these events to help with any glitches.

Registrations are due this Saturday, September 12, 2015. Make sure to get yours in the mail ASAP.

 

Terri Habegger Coolman

 

Get Your Game On!

Wouldn't it be fun to fill the bowling alley with classmates on Saturday, September 26 at 1:45 p.m.? Surely, out of 52 classmates that were part of the bowling club, we'll be able to get a decent turnout. We also encourage you to bring a family member or friend with you to this fun event. Sheldon Christener and Ted Rich, both league bowlers, are assisting. Mike Doherty is another local league bowler, and if his work schedule allows, will join us. So for those of you who like competition, you'll enjoy comparing scores with those three.

And for those who are more familiar with gutter balls than strikes, you can join me (Terri) for a good time. I had a practice round with my son last week. He tried to get me to put a spin on the ball--you know, start with your palm up and end in the handshake position. That ball ended in the gutter half-way down the lane. After a few more unsuccessful attempts, he told me to just try throwing the ball straight. Well, that's easier said than done! My straight ball wasn't exactly straight so he kept adjusting my starting position, "start behind the line," "move over to your left," "a little more to your left," "maybe try it more to your right." You get the gist of it. Only luck was knocking some pins down as the next throw was just as likely to miss the remaining eight pins. Then it was time to try changing the weight of the ball to see if that made a difference. I finally seemed to have the most control when I threw an eight pound ball. You're suppose to use a ball that is 10% of your weight so I was hardly following guidelines. My grandson, age seven, would probably use that weight. How sad is that?! Sometimes on my approach I would lose my balance and almost fall over making my son shake his head and yell "What are you doing?" Of course, if you throw enough balls, every now and then a spare or strike happens, just enough to encourage me that things might improve and I could actually break 100 so we continued playing. Is 100 a respectable score to aim for? Well, if the first game is 67, then 100 looks pretty good.

My son's high game that day was 195 and he rarely bowls. When he was in high school the bowling alley in Decatur offered a great deal to students, so he and his friends bowled often. I'm a little concerned that bowling is like riding a bike--a skill that is once learned, isn't forgotten. Since I wasn't one of the 52 classmates in the bowling club, that means I'm at a definite disadvantage. Or at least, that will be my excuse.

So come out and join the fun. You already know it's unlikely you'll be the low scorer! Games will be $3 each and shoe rental is free. There will be some snacks provided but drinks must be purchased at the bowling alley.

Remember, registration for the various reunion events is due September 12. I expect to see some checkmarks in the bowling column.

Terri Habegger Coolman

P.S.
If you're new to our blog, check out some of the other postings.

Invitations Mailed!

By now, everyone should have received an invitation to our 45 year class reunion. We hope you're pleased with the variety of events that are scheduled. Remember, registration forms are due by Saturday, September 12.

We still need addresses for 15 classmates. If you know how to reach any of the following people, please let us know by sending an email to southadamsclassof1970@gmail.com and we will get an invitation in the mail as soon as possible.

• Sandy Ayers
• Mickey Caldwell
• Larry Coblentz
• Janet DiGirolamo
• Carla Fisher
• Linda Huffman
• Sheila Jones
• Sharon Lynch Huff
• Larry Mills
• Russell Myers
• Tom Rhoners
• Sandra Schierling
• Edith Treece
• Janis Tumbleson Haggard
• Steve Weikel

Some individuals on the list weren't at high school with us all four years but they still might be interested in attending so please help us get an address.

Thanks!