Cooney
Class of '78 Friends Passed
Cooney
Class of '78 Friends Passed
This page is dedicated to the deceased members of the Oconomowoc Senior High School Class of 1978. Please feel free to submit any prayers or testimonials you wish to see published along with their names. Send your messages to either Charlie Boyer or Neal Minogue.
Youth lends us a sense of immortality and age reminds us we are senselessly
mortal. Let us all work to keep healthy and happy so we can all act as
viewers of this page and not its subjects. We remember our fellow classmates
with pride and respect.
Bruce
Baral, died August, 1993
Robert
Barnick, died December 6, 1998
Stuart & Laura Oliver write "I was at Bob's funeral and at Winger's afterward ( I know that's hard to believe). Someone told a story about Bob. It goes something like this. Bob walks into Winger's and says "I'm buying the bar a round I just won the lottery." (Any time you go into Winger's and buy the bar around it's going to cost a few bucks). A little while later the bartender asks Barns "So how much did you win?" Barns says "Two bucks."
Linda Kozlowski Huguet writes "My sister-in-law and I had a fabric store on the 2nd floor of the Main St. Mall (the old Schultz variety store) next to the post office - this was maybe 11 years ago or so. One day, Bob walks in. Well, anytime a guy came in we were caught a little off guard, much less someone we knew! I said "Hi, Bob - nice to see you - what brings you up here?" I guess it was something to do with the roof . I took him to where he needed to be, chatting all the while. When I left him, he smiled and said, "thanks for remembering me." I thought that was strange - why the heck wouldn't I remember him? Every time I saw him he was always nice and smiling and kind. That just made my day, and the memory will stay with me always."
Cynthia
Bergman-Jaeger, died February 9, 1984 as the result of a car accident on
2/9/84. She was married to Curt Jaeger (Ron's brother) and had a
son, Ryan, born 12/15/82.
Karen
Branski, died November 14, 1997
Laurie
Bruschnig, died, February 3rd 1999 of a brain tumor. Her friend and
classmate Renee E. Schultz (Fredricks) writes; "It's still hard for me
to even think about that time to write anything more, but I know that she
was a proud alumni and loved "Cooney Class of 78."
Kathy
Counsell, died July 1994 of natural causes. She was survived by her
daughter, Karissa Zajicek, of Lac du Flambeau, her parents, Curtis and
Pat Counsell of Ixonia, two sisters, Kim (Joe) Krueger and Karla (Dale)
Essman of Ixonia, grandmothers Louise Counsell of Oconomowoc and Eliza
Koeppler of Ixonia.
Robert
Faust, died September 27, 1994
Craig
S. Finkelmeyer, 46, of Montello died Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005, at Divine Savior
Hospital in Portage. Craig was born on May 3, 1959, in Dodgeville, the son of
Harry and Dorothy (Unger) Finkelmeyer.
Craig was a 1978 graduate of Oconomowoc High School and a 1981 graduate of
Waukesha County Technical College with a degree in police science. Craig
is survived by his parents, Harry and Dorothy, of Oconomowoc; his brothers Carl
of Montello, Christopher of Chicago, Curt of Madison and Corey (Kathryn) of
Madison; nephews H. Joseph II and Charles; other relatives and friends.
Craig will be greatly missed and remembered for his love of sports, music and a
good joke. Craig always showed his concern for the welfare of others. Craig's
last sign of that concern for others was the donation of his organs.
A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be at 7 PM on Monday, Dec. 12, 2005, at
ST. JEROME CATHOLIC CHURCH, 211 S. Main St., Oconomowoc, with the Rev. John
Yockey officiating. Friends may visit prior to the Mass from 5-7 PM at the
church.
Memorials are suggested for the Waukesha County Chapter of the National Alliance
for the Mentally Ill, 217 Wisconsin Ave. Suite 411, Waukesha, WI 53186) or the
St. Jerome Building Fund, 211 S. Main St., Oconomowoc 53066.
SCHMIDT & BARTELT
Notbohm-Kreutzmann
Funeral and Cremation Services
Oconomowoc
262-567-4459
Scott
Haley died as a result of a plane crash on August 16, 2000.
I awoke this morning to find that one of my best friends from OHS had died. There were really only two people who would be seen with me those four years between 1974 and 1978. One was Jerry Rabe and the other was Scott 'Skits' Haley. I knew his family, I was a regular guest in their home, skied with him behind his boat and spent hours with him at school. At the 20 year reunion, Scott sat with Jerry and me and showed us marvelous photos of his travels and his planes. Scott had been living a life full enough for 100 men and loved every minute. I was grateful to him for the time he shared that night and was hopeful that his travels would bring him to Luxembourg one day. At the very least, I 'knew' we would meet again at the 25th. I will miss him very, very much.
Seth Ruef: seth.ruef@ci.educ.lu
I
only recently discovered the OHS Class of '78 web site, and learned of
Scott Haley's death. In a box I hadn't looked at in years, I knew I had
some pictures of Scott from a trip a group of us took over Memorial Day
weekend in 1978. We went up north with Renee Fisher and her family to their
cabin. It was our last long weekend prior to graduation and we had a great
time. Scott was always a kind and giving person who was a lot of fun to
be around. Scott, you will be missed!
Darlene (Bandomir)
Andre
Joan
Lurvey, died August 14, 2000 of breast cancer.
The funeral information for Joan Lurvey is as follows. Visitation from
12-3P.M. at Ottawa Presbyterian Church in Dousman followed by the funeral
at 3P.M. Thursday August 17, 2000 is the day.
Sincerely,
Julie Weber Ellis: KEllis1603@aol.com
What a tragedy and shock hearing about Joan Lurvey's passing. Sometime
in late spring I was in Oconomowoc one day and stopped in at Little Vittles
for a quick sandwich and bottle of water, and was pleasantly surprised
to find Joan staffing the deli counter there. We had a nice several minute
conversation and she seemed very peaceful and content and upbeat and certainly
gave no indication (or mention) of health problems. Joan, then as always,
was a very kind, sweet, soft-spoken and humble person, and she undoubtedly
will be missed by many, many people, including her classmates. This kind
of thing always--rightfully--makes me ponder the meaning of life, the meaning
of my life, and what are the quality of my contributions? One of the finest
things I've ever read about all of this is Max Ehrmann's timeless philosophical
statement, The Desiderata, which reads:
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others, even
to the dull and ignorant they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter,
for there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble,
it's a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Excercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of
trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is many persons
strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love
for in the face of all arididty and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrenduring the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you concieve him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of
life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all it's sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful
world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Tim Clausen: tclausen@excelonline.com
I also got to know Joan better from talking with her at the Little Vittles
deli counter. I guess I thought she would always be there. She was one
of those people that was easy to have a good conversation with. I also
had the privledge to watch one of the finest softball players (male or
female) I had ever seen. Don't forget to stop and look around once in a
while, you might miss something.
Stuart Oliver: faydog@execpc.com
Timothy Walter Radtke, 47, of Ashippun died
Saturday, Nov. 11, 2006, at Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital.
He was born March 19, 1959, in Oconomowoc to Thomas Radtke and Bertha Manuel. He
married Wendy Ratzow in Juneau, Wis., on Jan. 14, 2000.
He was a mason for Ray Anderson Co., Richfield, and did work for the Union Brick
Layers and Allied Craft Workers of Wisconsin Local #8. He was an avid
snowmobiler and hunter, and was a graduate of Oconomowoc High School.
He is survived by his wife, Wendy; daughters, Brynn Radtke of Rochester, Minn.,
and Casey Radtke of Johnson Creek; granddaughter Savannah; mother, Bertha Radtke
of Ashippun; siblings, Terry Radtke of Milwaukee, Tina Radtke of Ashippun and
Todd Radtke of Ashippun; other relatives; and friends.
He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas.
Bruce G. Reimer died
March 15, 2003 at 43 years of age.
Goodbye for Now, Reims
Almost two years after his death, I’m just now able to precisely elaborate what
Bruce Reimer meant to me. “Reims” died just a few days apart from my favorite
Aunt in February of 2002, so it’s been doubly tough to script this until
today... I found out about it through an impassioned phone call from a
childhood friend whom I hadn’t spoken with in 6 years. I met Bruce in Homeroom
on our first day of 8th Grade. At our table of four, he sat across from me
and at that age, I was a bit intimidated by the hardened look on this new
city kid fresh from the depths of Milwaukee, where I, too, had spent the
first 10 years of my life. I’d gotten my butt kicked so many times near my inner
city home that Reims unknowingly brought back those memories for me, so at first
I was a bit scared to know him, and not very open to befriending him. Using a
childish response mechanism, I wasn’t very nice to him, and reliving it reminds
me that his unfamiliar environs perhaps had him much more afraid than I. Beside
me at the table was a good friend I’d met in 7th Grade, John Sullivan, who I’ve
tried to locate many times since graduation, and another new kid from Missouri,
Bill “Wilbur” Sorrentino, who I’m still in touch with.
The four of us soon became inseparable until well into High School. My Mom had
been a Junior High counselor at that time, and she supported my intuition that
Bruce was simply not the hard guy that most people thought he was.
Once us Four Musketeers were collected, that autumn Wilbur injured his knee
during a gym class game of football. He cut it pretty bad, and although it
freaked out John and I, Reims was white as a sheet. I knew from that moment on
that Bruce was merely conditioned in his childhood to be a Tough Guy, a survival
method developed during his Milwaukee past. Instead, I eventually discovered
that he cared deeply about things and would do anything for his friends, but
most people never got to see that side of him at any point of his 30 years in
Oconomowoc. I’m very thankful that I did. Another time, the four of us were
messing around at the finish line of the 50-yard dash, using our arms as
something of a finish line tape. Our gym teacher was also a bit of a hard guy,
and he put an end to our distractive shenanigans by barking, “Sullivan, Wunrow,
Reimer, Sorrentino... you’d better step on back... someone’s going to come
tearin’ through here... smack you in the gut... and you’ll be laying there...
gaspin’... for breath... ” Perhaps it was his grating voice that got to us, but
Coach was deadly serious and looked eager to attack, so we all looked at him
with the fear of God for a couple of seconds. But we couldn’t help ourselves,
and fell down on the ground laughing our hinders off, complete with tears
running down our faces. Regaling this story has the latter effect on me as I
write this 31 years later, but now for a different reason... I’m sure we were
punished for that, but the humor of it all was so huge that it made any
retribution disappear into a void of total insignificance.
I gravitated into a bit of a hippie-jock convert in High School, and Reims
wasn’t really interested in either line of thinking, so we didn’t hang out as
much in the two years before graduation. At that point, he started to spend more
time with my older brother Tim, when their mutual love of car restoration had
‘Ol Reims visiting again, and I loved it. They shared a garage in Stone Bank, a
mile or so from my future wife I hadn’t yet met. I renewed my friendship with
him, although it had never diminished anyway.
Then in February of 1980, my now-wife and I forever altered the bumper sticker,
and instead “Escaped From Wisconsin” to pursue mountaineering and wilderness
travel. Although we don’t come back to visit very often, I now beat myself up a
little that I think I didn’t speak with Reims for over 20 years.
On Wisconsin Avenue one July 2002 night, my wife and I ran into another of my
classmates, Kristi Rummel, for the first time in 24 years. Kristi and I were a
bit stunned with the irony that she had become Sierra Club’s National Marketing
Director, and I was a Sierra Club contributing photographer. I always enjoy the
happenstance of meeting a fellow Cooney, Old Hat for those who still live there,
but a Time Transport for those of us who have long since moved on.
Suddenly, in walks Reims! Kristi knew him, too, and Bruce and I immediately
recognized and hugged each other, forever dispelling his Tough Guy image, though
I’d known better
since ‘73. We relived our Glory Days for a couple hours, laughing the whole
time, then parted. I could see the emotion in his eyes, and he in mine, and it
felt as if this Goodbye might be permanent this time... I told him I’d try
to come back in the summer of 2003, and we spoke of watching a race at Road
America together to further recall our collective roots. Then came that dreaded
phone call five months before our planned reunion. I looked at my Class of ‘75
Yearbook, to find Bruce’s inscription, the only one written in red of the book’s
64 signatures: “To Eric, a very Bad ass friend — Uncle Remis.”Godspeed, Mr.
Bruce Reimer, I will laugh with you again in just a few more decades...
A Tribute to all of Cooney’s Alumni who contributed to my life—Here’s to those
I’ve mentioned, and in no particular order, to: Lems, Mitchba, Harry, Winc,
Waldo, Conroy, Campage, Willie, Cathy, Kevin, Karen, Puppy, David, Deano, and
several others who I’ll embarrassingly remember after this is posted.
I’ll never forget any of you... Thanks to those who haven’t let me, and to
Charlie and Seth for their tireless efforts to keep us all together.
As I finish this, I notice my CD player is messaging, “The spell has been
broken, I loved you so.... You were my lesson I had to learn....Freedom comes
when you learn to let go.... Learn to say Goodbye....(Madonna)
- Eric Wunrow
Val
Rux died in a car crash, August 28, 1998.
Val was a gentle girl, she always had something nice to say to anyone in her
space. She was interested in the most original things, she talked about things
that most teen-agers could less about. We spent some time together and I was
never surprised when I felt better going away. She was the essence of the
"hippie" culture that was winding down. I don't know what the years brought
her, but I hope it was gentle.
- Kerryn Laumer