Mona Felvey Passed Away Suddenly at 78
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(posted 6/28/19) ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS - Classmate Mona Suzanne (Felvey) McHughes had been planning to come to the 60th Reunion but her wish ended suddenly as she died June 26, 2019 at the age of 78.
Mona attended Roosevelt Junior High, and then all three years at West graduating in 1959. She could be found playing the French Horn in the orchestra at both Roosevelt and West.
Mona lost her husband Willard C. McHughes September 14th, 1992 having his fifth heart attack at the age of 58. He had retired from the U.S. Army and taught JROTC at several area high schools.
Funeral Service will be held Saturday, July 6, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, Mulford Chapel. Visitation will be held at 10:00 until the time of service at the funeral home. Burial at Greenwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Mona’s name to the Arthritis Foundation, 1355 Peachtree St NE Suite 600 Atlanta, GA 30309. Share online condolences at www.fitzgeraldfh.com.
See her obituary for more information and photos.
Mother of Ron Dobratz Passed Away at Age 102
(posted 6/15/19) AMES, IOWA— Helen R. Dobratz, Mother of classmate Ronald A. Dobratz, died June 4, 2019. We had previously lost Ron February 11, 2006 at the age of 64.
Alan Gabel has Died at Age 78
(posted 6/12/19) ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS — Classmate Alan Walter Gabel died June 6, 2019 at age 78.
Alan attended Rossevelt Junior and West High Schools and is shown in the photo at the right at the West High 50th reunion.
A memorial visitation for the family and friends will take place on Friday, July 12, 2019 at Sunset Funeral Home 8800 N. Alpine Rd, Machesney Park, IL 61115 from 3-5 pm with Services from 5-6 pm. A celebration of Al's Life will follow at a venue to be announced. To share a condolence, please visit www.Advantagefunerals.com.
See his full obituary for more details.
Nate Martin has Died at Age 78
(posted 6/12/19) PENDELTON, INDIANA — Classmate Nathaniel "Nate" Martin died May 3, 2019 at age 78. He was well known and well liked throughout his high school years and beyond.
Nate attended Washington Junior High and all three years at West High graduating in 1959. He will be remembered as an outstanding athlete participating in three high school sports Track, Football, and Basketball.
His family is planning a special memorial service to be held at Nicholas Conservatory in Rockford June 29, 2019 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.
Refer to Nate's full obituary for more information about Nate's exciting life in Rockford since graduation.
Rosemarie Sansone Taken by Cancer
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(posted 3/29/19) CHANDLER, ARIZONA - Classmate Rosemarie Emma (Sansone) Gulatto lived only a short time after the diagnosis of Cancer. She died just a day before her 77th birthday.
Rosemarie leaves her husband Peter Gulatto after 56 years of marriage. They were married in St. Bernadette's church in Rockford in 1962. They have been living in Arizona since 1987.
Rosemarie attended Roosevelt Junior High, and then all three years at West graduating in 1959.
A funeral mass will be said for Rosemarie on Wednesday, April 3rd, at 10:00 am at St. Steven's Roman Catholic Church in Sun Lakes, Arizona.
See her obituary for more information and photos.
Husband of Linda Groves Passed Away at Age 78
(posted 3/23/19) ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS — Jerry L. Clifton, husband of classmate Linda D. (Groves) Clifton, died Friday March 22, 2019. They were married for 50 years.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at Temple Baptist Church, 3215 E. State St., Rockford, IL with Reverend Dr. Bill Patterson officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. prior to the service in the church. Burial in Greenwood Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Temple Baptist Church.
See his obituary for more information.
Howie Partch Sketches on his iPhone
(posted 3/19/19) It is not hard to understand why classmate Howard Partch decided to become an architect. He evidently is fascinated by large buildings and structures. This past summer in his travels about the State of Washington where he lives, he visited the Deception Pass Bridge and did some finger sketching on his iPhone as shown below:
Randy Swenson Diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia
(posted 2/27/19) The first hint that Randy Swenson was having dementia problems was just before the 55th reunion. He is now living in a memory care facility in San Diego as his disease has been getting progressively worse.
According to his good friend Lyle Clugg, Randy has Lewy Body Dementia a disease that is a combination of Parkinson's and Dementia that affects his motor skills making it difficult to control his movements. Lyle has visited Randy in San Diego a few times since his diagnosis and says he is in good spirits and very accepting of his fate.
If any of you would like to reach out to Randy and his wife JoAnn the home address is: 16180 Avenida Venusto Apt 32, San Diego, CA 92128.
We have lost Tom Castree at age 78
(posted 2/8/19) ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS — Thomas John Castree died February 7, 2019 at the age of 78. It happened within a few days as he felt ill and went directly to the hospital where he eventually needed life support.
Tom attended Montague Grade School, Washington Junior High, and then graduated at West High where he was well known and well liked. He maintained contact over the years with a group of golf buddies from West High. Tom also attended Western Michigan University receiving a degree in retail management.
Memorial Service will be at 11:00 AM on Tuesday February 12, 2019 in Gasparini & Oliveri Funeral Home with Fr. William Wentink officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday morning in the Funeral Home from 10:00 AM until service time. Burial at a later date.
See his obituary for more information.
Anna Klamroth from Germany Reserves First Room
(posted 1/31/19) The first room reserved at the Holiday Inn for our 60th reunion was for Anna Klamroth our AFS exchange student from Germany. We are excited and looking forward to visiting with her in August. She is a retired Journalist and her husband is a Judge. They live in Neu Ulm, Germany.
During High school, Anna lived here in the USA with the late Sue Tull and her family (Sue passed on in 1991).
Joe Richter Dies at 77
(posted 1/20/19) ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS — Joseph Larry Richter died January 18, 2019 at the age of 77. Joe, who graduated with our class, was apparently with us only during the Junior and Senior years.
See his obituary for more information.
Wife of John Dowling Passed Away at Age 77
(posted 1/8/19) THE VILLAGES, FLORIDA — Judy Y. Dowling, wife of classmate John Dowling, died Thursday January 3rd, 2019. She was formerly from Memphis, TN.
The couple are shown together at the right as they attended the 50th class reunion.
See her obituary for more information.
Recent Photo of Terry and Barbara Cagnoni
(posted 1/5/19) LAKE HAVASU CITY, ARIZONA — We have heard from classmate Terry Cagnoni and his wife Barbara who hope to see us at the 60th reunion giving them a chance to escape from the 115 degree average August temperatures where they live in Arizona. They have been married for 56 years!