Developments in
and near our extended
family
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Death of John's sister Sally
Sally Evans died of cancer at her Malibu
home on June 25, 2009. She was 72. Besides John and their other sister
Annie Gregory, Sally is survived by her husband Sandy, four children and
two grandchildren. She was truly a blithe sprit. Everyone who knew her
liked or loved her. Although she died too young, Sally had a full and
happy life, and a very productive one. Among many other things, she and
Sandy produced three great children. "Even near death, Sally still spread
sunshine over those of us who stood around her bed," said an old friend,
John Barnes. Click
here for photos
of a lovely memorial gathering for Sally held Oct. 3 at the Malibu home. |
Jessica on the move
Daughter Jessica has survived threatened cutbacks at her nonprofit
employer, Metropolitan Family Service (MetFamily.org), where she
is a program associate. She manages older volunteers, known as the Experience
Corps, who work with kids in "under performing" schools. Jessica
previously was employed by SOLV, a Portland-based
non-profit that strives to make Oregon more attractive and livable,
Planned Parenthood and AmeriCorps.
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Graduation time
Our grandkids Nick and Emily Andrews are
graduated in June 2009) from college and high school,
respectively. Nick earned a degree from Western Washington
University, while Emily graduated from Redmond High School near
Seattle. She is now attending the University off Kentucky, while Nick is
headed to a graduate school for aspiring film makers. |
Indie plays hard with much larger pal
Click
here to see how
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Sort of busy
Thanks to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, old wordsmith John has
a couple of outlets in Portland for his dubious skills, Click
here to see the first of more than 40 articles he has done for this
bicycling advocacy group. John has also been writing for a community
newspaper, the Southeast Examiner. But after three years of
diligent effort, John may be retiring from the BTA. May be just as well,
since he's feeling old and tired and enjoys reading, resting and
watching DVD movies.
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What is
this??
Click on the red circle to find out. |
Traveling/Bleeding
John observed his 70th birthday by bicycling 70 miles
(actually, 73), albeit at a stately pace with a break for lunch at the
56-mile mark. See some of this spry oldster's
old things. John also has
completed his 25th gallon of whole-blood donations; he still isn't
completely drained! He did not try to duplicate the bike mileage feat on
five subsequent birthdays. Maybe on his 80th...? (Not likely. These days,
he feels pretty good if he hits 25 miles on one of Portland's protected
bike trails.)
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Something's fish y in Australia!
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The late Harriet Doerr
John's Aunt Harriet, a gifted and much acclaimed writer,
was the last of her generation of a remarkable family.
Although something of a celebrity in her later years, she remained
completely unaffected by it all. With her abundant talent and modesty, she
was a model for us all, especially those of us who are no longer young. Click
here for more.
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Death of Lionel Van Deerlin
John's old boss, former Congressman
Lionel Van Deerlin, died May 17, 2008, at age 93. He was an institution
in San Diego, with a local history dating back 70 years. Click
here for a tribute prepared by John. |
Old Boys gather
John attended the 50th reunion of his class at
the Thacher School in Ojai, Calif. Click on John's mug at right for a page
of photos from this occasion. John's English teacher, David Lavender, a
distinguished Western historian, died at age 93 on April 26, 2003. Mr.
Lavender is pictured on the page. John didn't make the 55th but hopes to
be there for the 60th reunion, in 2012.
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