Baby owls in Batavia, Illinois photo credit: Christian Prohaska
James and Joan (Marsh) Keeney celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on December 21, 2022. A few days before their anniversary date, friends and family from all over the country gathered for a surprise celebration at the University Seventh-day Adventist Church, where both Jim and Joan have worshipped and served since 1955 after serving in the United States Army.
Jim and Joan dated at Emmanuel Missionary College, now Andrews University, and were married in South Bend, Indiana, at Pastor and Mrs. William Ortner's home with their roommates, Joyce (Larson) and Lloyd Penrod in attendance. They have continued to be an inspiring example as parents to their three children, Gary, Jim and Marsha along with their larger impact in their church community.
Donald “Don” and Patricia “Pat” (Griesman) Bunker celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. The couple celebrated their anniversary at home with family in Green Bay, Wis. They have been members of the of the Green Bay Church in Wisconsin for 64 years.
Don and Pat met while working together in the laundry department as students while attending Emmanuel Missionary College. They were married on Monday, Sept. 1, 1952, in Green Bay, Wis. Don’s career included working as a sixth-grade teacher and then 28 years as an elementary education principal. Pat’s career included working as a teacher mainly with students in second and third grades. They have four children, 14 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren.
Del and Carol Esh celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Aug. 12, 2022, at their home in Bloomingdale, Mich. The Eshes were married in Anderson, Ind., but have been members of the Gobles (Mich.) Church for 48 years.
In June of 1965, Del and Carol, along with his parents, founded the Bethany Care Center, a 78-bed skilled nursing home, in Bloomingdale. Eventually they took over the business after Del’s parents retired. Del retired as administrator in 1991 and Carol continued on as business manager until 1993.
Carol and Del enjoyed traveling and being a part of ASI. After retiring, Del spent his time dealing in antiques, even running Cody Creek, his own auction house for a number of years. He loved being outside birding, and digging for rocks, antique bottles and Indian artifacts.
The Eshes have two daughters, Michelle (Jay) Brand of Pullman, Mich.; and Lisa (Michael) Strohauer of Bloomingdale, Mich. They have two grandsons, Jakob (Kathryn) Strohauer, and Jesse Strohauer, a very special great-granddaughter, Isabel, and another great-grandchild on the way.
Reino and Marie (Tolonen) Ketola celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, in L’Anse, Mich. They were surrounded by their children and three grandchildren while enjoying a lasagna dinner with cake. They have been members of the L’Anse Adventist Company for 60 years. They were married on Saturday, June 21, 1952, in Hancock, Mich. Reino was a logger and Marie was a housewife.
Ramon and Bonita (Barfield) Mayoral celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. They celebrated their 50 years together by spending the night at one of their favorite places—beautiful Mackinac Island. They have been members of the Manton Church in Michigan for 39 years.
They were married on Saturday, Sept. 16, 1972, in Glenwood, Cook County, Ill. Ramon worked as a design draftsman for 37 years, 29 of which were at Wilcox Professional Services. Bonnie was a homemaker through and through, raising their children as well as caring for other children throughout the years. After their children were raised, she started Bonnie's Helping Hands, cleaning and organizing for other busy people.
Ramon’s hobbies include drawing, building, studying, keeping fit, and family; Bonnie enjoys gardening, genealogy, reading, and family.
Ramon and Bonnie are looking forward to spending eternity together with their family and friends. Their family includes Heather (Stephen) Horvath from Cadillac, Mich.; Clint (Lauren) Mayoral from Grand Ledge, Mich.; Rebecca (Isaac) Mitchell from Chattanooga, Tenn.; and eight grandchildren.
Craig and Cindy Morgan were married on June 11, 1972, in West Lebanon, N.H. They celebrated 50 years of marriage on June 11, 2022, with their Camp Au Sable summer camp family. Craig and Cindy met at a camp meeting in Freeport, Maine, where they were introduced by a mutual friend who just happened to be dating Cindy at the time. That all changed when Craig took his turn at her heart and won it. The rest is God-led history.
Craig was a Seventh-day Adventist school teacher for 46 years, teaching at schools in Maine, Indiana and Michigan. Cindy was a homemaker, mother, daycare provider and teacher’s assistant.
Adventist summer camp ministry has played a major part in their lives as well. This past summer was their 50th summer at an Adventist summer camp with 11 summers at Camp Lawroweld in Maine, two at Camp Timber Ridge in Indiana, and 37 at Camp Au Sable in Michigan. Affectionately known as Father Time and Mother Nature, the Morgans now live year-round at Camp Au Sable.
The Morgans have two sons, Chad and Christopher, two grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
David “Dave” and Elizabeth “Betsy” Johnston celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Sunday, June 26, 2022. They have been members of the Berrien Springs Village Church in Michigan for two years.
They met in 1949 when both were traveling with their families on a cargo freighter/passenger ship—The President Monroe—on a round-the-world trip. Following the trip, they maintained their friendship by letter-writing between Santa Monica, Calif. and Newington, Conn. During this time, Dave graduated from Yale University and Betsy from La Sierra University.
After their marriage in Westwood, Calif., on June 27, 1957, Dave continued working for the Aetna Insurance Company in Hartford, Conn., and also received his law degree from the University of Connecticut Law School.
After studying the Bible with Elder O.J. Mills and his wife, Millie, Dave was baptized in 1963. Later he joined the Trust Services Department at the Southern New England Conference. In subsequent years, he served in Trust Services at Andrews University, the Lake Union Conference, the Southeastern California Conference and the General Conference, retiring in 2002. Betsy briefly taught junior high school math in Hartford before becoming a full-time mother and homemaker. The Johnstons have three children, Karen (Dave) Gotshall, Jeffrey (Dana) Johnston, and Kathleen (Steve) Sparks, nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
The Johnstons celebrated their 65th anniversary in Berrien Springs with their family. A local bakery prepared a cake for the celebration decorated to look like an ocean. Sitting on the ocean was a small replica of the ship, The President Monroe, and the words, “With Jesus in the ship—65 years of smooth sailing.”
Charles and Ramona Trubey were honored at their son's home, Andrew Trubey of Cicero, Ind., for a family gathering on Sabbath, July 9, to honor their 65th wedding anniversary. Charles and Ramona were married on July 7, 1957, in the Holly (Mich.) Adventist Church. They met at EMC where Charles was majoring in Ag and Ramona was majoring in Home Ec and PE.
Charles was first employed at Wisconsin Academy as asst. farm manager for three years, then accepted the position of farm manager at Indiana Academy where he stayed for 37 years until he retired. They retired to a small farm in Arcadia, Ind., where Charles still enjoys raising sweet corn, does gardening and has fruit trees.
They have four children—Annette Moon of Orlando, Fla., Leon (Lisa) Trubey of Hickory, N.C., Andrew (Cindy) Trubey of Cicero, Ind., and Celia Trubey of Noblesville, Ind.; eight grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. They belong to the Cicero Church where Charles remains an elder, and Ramona helps with the social committee and still plays the trumpet.
Robert “Bob” and Rosemary “Rosie” Shaffer celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on June 8, 2022, with family from Three Rivers, Mich., and Charleston, S.C. They met at Adelphian Academy and were high school sweethearts. Soon after high school, they were married in the Adventist Church in Detroit, Michigan. They have been active members of the Hastings Church for the past 60 years.
Norman and Janet Clear celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on Sunday, June 12, at their daughter, Vickie Russell's home in Sheridan, Ind. They were married on June 8, 1952, in the Anderson Adventist church.
After graduating from Indiana Academy in 1951, Norman went to work at the National Tile Factory in Anderson. There he met Janet Cobb, a secretary for the company who took messages out to the foreman in the plant. After dating for a while, Norman proposed, but Janet said she would never marry him unless they had the same religion. Norman started Bible studies with her and, a week before they were married, Janet was baptized into the Adventist church.
Three days before their first wedding anniversary, Norman was inducted into the army. Sent first to Camp Pickett, Vir., he was then transferred to Ft. Sam Houston in Texas for dental training, spending the rest of his service in Ft. Benning, Ga., as a dental assistant. After his army service, Norman hired on at the Finance Center in Indianapolis. He operated the first big computer, an IBM 65, for the army. He continued working for them for 35 years, which included a 3-year stint in Okinawa, Japan.
Janet followed him around, working as a secretary for the army personnel until their first child, Brenda, was born. Together they had four children: Brenda Sales, Anthony “Tony” Clear, Vickie Russell, and Penny Clear. Their son Tony died in 2018. After the children were all in school, Janet also started working for the finance center where she continued for 20 years, traveling around the world, cleaning up their computers for them. Including their children, Norman and Janet have 11 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.
Janet quilts as a hobby and has made a quilt for each family member, 45 in all; the last one, No. 46, was made for Norman for their 70th wedding anniversary. Norman and Janet winter in North Fort Meyers, Fla., in the winter, and back to Westfield, Ind., during the summer. They are long-time members of the Cicero [Ind.] Church and have served their church family well. Janet served as church treasurer and clerk for 20 years, both were Sabbath school superintendents, and Norman served as the Ingathering leader and deacon.
Gene and Ciliciana Hall celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on December 12, 2021. They met in fourth grade at the Holly (Michigan) SDA Elementary School, and were married on December 12, 1971, by Elder Earl J. Zager. God has blessed them with three children: Jeremy (Donna) Hall, Rachelle (Jeff) Bergman, and Chandra (Mike) Weber; and eight grandchildren.
In 1976, Gene began a 21-year career working as a literature evangelist in the greater Detroit area. Gene and Ciliciana accepted a call from the Indiana Conference in 1997 to pastor the Terre Haute, Lewis and Greencastle church district. In 2001 they returned to Michigan to the Jackson and Bunkerhill churches, before moving to serve the Holland Church in 2010.
Ciliciana has devoted her life to raising her children, supporting Gene in ministry, and using her culinary skills conducting cooking schools and catering for Michigan Conference events. Currently, Gene serves as associate director for Planned Giving and Trust Services, and Ciliciana is the receptionist at the Conference headquarters in Lansing, Mich. They enjoy daily Bible study, prayer walks in nature, spending time with family, and cooking. Whatever they are involved in, together is how they like doing it.
Nikola and Zora Jovanovic celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on April 30, 2022, at the Yugoslavian Church in Chicago, with family and friends. Married on May 4, 1952, they have been members of the Yugoslavian Church for 60 years.
Dave and Mary PERLBERG celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 18, 2021. They were married in Hinsdale, Ill., on June 18, 1961. They are long-time members of the Rhinelander Church in Rhinelander, Wis.
Dave keeps busy with fishing and tending the vegetable garden while Mary volunteers at the church thrift store and keeps the flower gardens looking nice. They both enjoy their daily walk together and spending time with family whenever possible.
They have three children – Jon of Chetek, Wis.; Kris of Stoughton, Wis.; and Dawn of Carney, Mich. They also have been blessed with three wonderful grandchildren.
Dale and Thelma BAPTIST were married on June 17, 1956, in Hinsdale, Ill., by Pastor Phillips, but celebrated their 65th anniversary on June 30 but celebrated with their family on June 30 at the home of one of their daughters in Park City, Utah. The whole family was present – children and spouses, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even the one-month-old – for the occasion.
They were members of the Monroe Church in Wisconsin for five years, and 70-year members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Dale enjoyed a career as an engineer, retiring in 1995; Thelma worked as a school lunch manager and retired in 1994. They have seven grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Dale and Thelma enjoyed outdoor hikes, outdoor bikes, playing games and family dinners. Mostly importantly, they began and ended each day with family worship.
Frank and Elma DAVIS of Chicago were married 65 years ago on June 10, 1956.
Frank is from East St. Louis, Ill., and Elma from Cheshire, Conn. They first met in Chicago when the Pine Forge Academy choir came to sing (Elma and her twin, Elnora, were choir members). With a relationship built on correspondence and visits, eventually they were engaged and were married in New Haven, Conn. They settled in Chicago and started their family. They have four children: Jenal (Jerome) Harris, Marvin Davis, Silas (Rhoda) Davis and Rodney (Esther) Davis; six grandchildren, Ashton, Chloe, John Carlos, Benjamin, Andrew and Joshua.
Frank worked hard as an excellent interior decorator, owning his own business, and Elma was a licensed practical nurse. They were busy in the church, first Hyde Park and later Shiloh, holding various church offices. They believed in Christian education and all of their children attended the Shiloh Academy.
David and Gwen BENTLEY will celebrate their 50th anniversary by visiting their 50th state of Vermont, destination: Lake Champlain. Married by Pastor Glenn Hill, they exchanged wedding vows on Aug. 22, 1971, in Urbandale, Mich. While in the Lake Union Conference, they were members of the Madison and Wisconsin Academy churches in Wisconsin for one and five years, respectively.
David was both a teacher and/or principal at Ozark Elementary School in Arkansas; North Puget Adventist Junior Academy in Burlington, Wash.; Madison SDA School in Wisconsin; Tulsa Adventist Academy in Oklahoma; Peterson Elementary in Wisconsin; White Memorial, Los Angeles, Calif. He retired in 1998. Gwen, also a teacher, served at Ozark Elementary, Arkansas; North Puget Adventist School in Washington; Madison SDA in Wisconsin; Bristow Adventist School in Oklahoma; Peterson Elementary in Wisconsin; LaCanada School in California; White Memorial School in California; and Tulsa and Kellyville schools in Oklahoma. She retired in 2017.
Their family includes Eric (Whitney) Bentley of Fort Worth, Tex.; Amber (Timothy) Jemly of Jacksonville, Fla.; and Holly Bentley of Fort Worth, Tex.; and four grandchildren.
GLENN and ROZANN (RENDEL) BERNARD celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary during a road trip in sunny Florida. They met at Adelphian Academy in 1967 and were married in Loma Linda, Calif., on March 14, 1971. Members of the South Flint Church in Flint, Mich., for the majority of their married life, they retired from Glenn's Tile and Carpet and moved to Houghton Lake, Mich., where they now attend the Houghton Lake Church.
They were blessed with two sons, Chad and Michael Bernard. Chad, his wife, Melinda, and their daughter, Adelaide, live in St. Johns, Mich. Michael, his wife, Cheryl, and their three sons, Aaron, Benjamin and Isaac, live in Bellevue, Mich. Glenn and Rozann enjoy having their sons and families living close in Michigan and the frequent family fun times they are now able to have together. They all look forward to having an even better and eternal wonderful life together in Heaven someday soon.
RANDALL and PEGGY EASTRIDGE celebrated their 50th anniversary on Dec. 5, 2020. They are members of the Jasper Church in Jasper, Ind. Randall and Peggy were married on Saturday, Dec. 5, 1970, in Livonia, Ind. Their family includes two sons, Tommy and Dexter; and five grandchildren.
ELIGAH and IRENE LEWIS celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on November 22, 2020. Eligah Lewis and Irene Kennedy were married November 22, 1950, in Pascagoula, Miss. Purchasing their first home in Prichard, Ala., Eligah and Irene attended the Dearborn Church which is now Emmanuel Church in Mobile, Ala.
In 1955, Eligah and Irene Lewis moved to Milwaukee, Wis., where they became members of the Sharon Church. Dedicated members for 36 years, Eligah served as a deacon for many years, while Irene participated in many community outreach programs. While attending Sharon Church, Eligah, Thomas Prescott and others formed the Sharon Travelers, a well-known singing group of the Lake Region Conference. After Eligah retired in 1991, he and his wife moved to Thomasville, Ala., where they now reside and became members of the Thomasville Church. Since 1997, Eligah has held the position of head elder.
Eligah and Irene have two daughters, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
RALPH and BEVERLY (Benjamin) BENEDICT celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on September 3, 2020. They have been members of the Battle Creek Tabernacle Church in Battle Creek, Beverly all of her life and Ralph since their wedding. Elder Merle Mills was the acting pastor.
Ralph intended to work in the building trade, but his father was killed in an automobile accident while building the Benedict Memorial School in lower Michigan. Ralph worked for his father-in-law in the printing trade for 10 years and Beverly worked for Consumers Power Company and sales before starting their own printing business (1960 until 1991).
Their three children hosted an open house for friends and relatives at their home on Sept. 6, 2020. Denise and Jim Carter moved here from Ohio to help mom and dad; Dr. Dennis and Eddie Benedict from Loudon, Tenn.; and Laurie and Stephen Erickson who are missionaries in Papua, New Guinea. They have six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
STAN AND GAIL MATTINGLY celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary on Dec. 15, 2018, with a family dinner, an acknowledgement from the London (Michigan) Church and a special announcement from Channel 4 WDIV-Sunshine Awards at Ypsilanti, Mich. They have been members of the London Church for 29 years.
Stan Mattingly and Gail Gore were married on Dec. 15, 1967, in Ypsilanti, by S.L. Roberson. Stan is a carpenter and Gail a bus driver. The Mattingly family includes Shawn and Krysta Mattingly of Lansing, Mich.; Yaneka Mattingly of Ypsilanti; Josiah Mattingly of Ypsilanti; Jairis Mattingly of Ypsilanti; and two grandchildren.
Raymond Mundt and Sharon Layman were married on April 11, 1953, in the pastor’s parsonage in the town of Corning, Wis. Raymond worked for several different companies and retired from Davey Tree Company about 21 years ago. Sharon worked as a domestic engineer and retired a few years before her husband. The Mundt family includes Candee and Darrell Kuhn. Raymond and Sharon enjoy volunteering at their church camp, Camp Wakonda. They also have a dog, Buddy, who loves it at camp as well.
GLENN AND CAROL HAHN celebrated their 50thwedding anniversary on Aug. 25, 2018, with a family vacation and motorcycling around Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Hahns have been members of the Hastings Church for 45 years.
Glenn Hahn and Carol Otto were married in 1968 in Farmington, Mich., by Pastor (name ???) Valentine. Glenn was a dentist and Carol a homemaker. They have two children, Lori and Bradley Randall, and Kevin and Maija Hahn; and five grandchildren.
Richard Spencer and Evelyn Siems were married in 1968 in Edmore, Mich., by Pastor Elwin Drake. Richard was a licensed contractor and Evelyn a homemaker. They have two children, Julie and Roland Fargo of Sierra Madre, Calif., and Jaime and Ryan LaFaive, in Traverse City, Mich.; and four grandchildren.
EDWARD AND GENEVIEVE CLARK celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary on Oct. 28, 2018. The Werys have been members of the Wilson Church for 61 years.
The Wery family includes their children, Debi and Steve Besson of Escanda, Mich.; Steve and Debbie Wery of Carney, Mich.; Ronald and Teri Wery of Carney, Mich.; and Gary and Maggie Wery of Gladstone, Mich.; also, eight grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild.
WAYNE AND GENEVIEVE CLARK celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on July 4, 2018. They have been members of the Oxford (Wis.) church for 19 years.
Wayne Clark and Genevieve Smalley were married July 4, 1958 in Berrien Springs, Mich., by V.E. Garber. Wayne was a treasurer at GNYC, SNEC, NADEI from 1980–1998. Genevieve was an SNEC (1974–1979) secretary, NADEI, retiring in 1998.
The Clark family includes Karren and Clay Blair of Montello, Wis.; Kelly and Brad McClave of Southern California; and 2 grandchildren.
F. NORMAN POTTLE and BEVERLY CAMPBELL celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 15, 2018. They were married in 1958 in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., by Robert Kachenmeister.
They reside in Berrien Springs, Mich., and have two children, Ted and Kim; and three grandchildren, Stephanie, Stephen, and Ashley DeWitt.
BERNARD AND ALVERDA MESSER celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on March 19, 2018, at their home, with family and friends in Waterford, Mich. They have been member of the Waterford Riverside (Mich.) church for 54 years.
Bernand and Alverda Ericks Messer were married in 1953
