December 2020....looking forward to a better year

 No DEAR zoom this month, I guess. I miss you all and hope your holiday merrymaking is structured to keep everyone safe and healthy as we head into the new year.

Happy holidays! See you in 2021!

It's beginning to look a lot like.........

 Thanksgiving week-end continues. I don't know about you all, but I am still enjoying the turkey, stuffing, et al. (My Tom is a great cook!)

   Our November 23rd zoom was a good chance to see and catch up with some of our friends. While missing the rest of you, our thoughts are with you and hope to see/hear from you again one of these days.

   This is a photo of our most recent attendees:

Joanne Karwacki and Wilma Kaelin joined Marcia and me later. 

I just love seeing everybody. Miss you all!

A Different Kind of Thanksgiving

 I am looking forward to our zoom meeting tonight at 7 p.m. and also interested in hearing from our DEAR friends group members as to what might be a good time to set the next one.

Meanwhile, responses to my request for acknowledgement of receipt of email invitations included these greetings for you all:

Happy Thanksgiving Roberta and all!-Warren

I hope you all find a wonderful way to celebrate Thanksgiving. We will look forward to this virus being behind us!   -Darby

Happy Thanksgiving to all. May you and your families be safe and healthy. -Margie Gatti

I join them in wishing you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

So many memories

 I just went through a big collection of photos I had saved from my old DIS staff website. Here are some of them....you will be taken back to times gone by for sure....

DEAR Friends and times of yesteryear

The zoom on Monday November 23rd at 7 p.m. may be very nostalgic........Hope to see you there!

Meanwhile, stay safe!

November already

 Still looking for a date for a November zoom. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, here's a glimpse at our October 16th gathering.

That's Jean Lombardi, me, Joann Karwacki, Marion Weber, Marcia Konieczka, and Janet Neufeld.

(Apologies to all pictured...zoom captures are the worst! but I am always so glad to see all y'all!)

In other news, there was an election, I went to the virtual NJEA convention (it was very impressive! ), and the pandemic is still not only with us, but escalating. 

But the BIG news is.....I found Marian Feuerhammer (remember her?) Hopefully, she will be joining our group now that she knows about it.

And then there was Cory...!

 So many of our DEAR group weren't able to attend last time that I have changed our meeting day and time for the next one to see if it works better. That will be Friday, Oct. 16 at 10:30 a.m. Good?

But...I did have newcomer Cory Goss in Florida and Marcia Konieczka, no longer in Maine at the Botanical Gardens on the 30th.

Cory is a retired 3rd grade Delran teacher who retired , moved to FL and started teaching there!

She is currently out of the classroom (hello pandemic) but misses it.

Hope you are all staying healthy and safe. I look forward to hearing from/seeing you.

Zooming with friends

 September 2, 2020: Today's zoom was good. Jean Lombardi and Marcia Konieczka popped in from Maine. They were visiting the botanical gardens but wanted to say hi.

We also had Rosemary and Bruce and Hazel and Doreen and Suzanne and me.

After most of the crowd left I had the Smiths playing my online Jeopardy board- "My Corona 2020". They turned out to be really good at it!

I'm setting the next one for Wednesday, September 30. I hope you can join us!

RIP Barbara DuRoss and Norma Berman

 We haven't gotten together in awhile and now I came across a facebook post with Barbara's obituary. I am in shock and so so sad. 

 

Here are some photos of Barbara with us at our lunches over the last eight years: DEAR lunches 2012-2020

In other sad news, Janet Neufeld called today to let me know that former Millbridge school nurse Norma Berman is in hospice care. She is in my thoughts and prayers along with Barbara's family.

*August 15 update: Norma passed away today. May she rest in peace.

Norma Berman's obituary

Wondering how everyone is doing

So how is everybody doing, one might wonder. It's been awhile since our last gathering- in person or otherwise.

Now that it is August already (!) I guess I should survey past zoom attendees and see what's good for a date and time for a get together.

Poor America, right? What the future holds is unclear (where's a magic 8 ball when you need one??)

RIP Joan Tindall

Her name sounded familiar when I heard this news and now that I see the photo in her obituary, I recognize her. Rest in peace, Joan Tindall.

Joan Tindall

Opening up and getting together

It warms might heart to see old friends getting together!
I pulled this from Facebook today. Looks like a good time was had by all!

Update: this was from 2016, not today! :-)

Zooming with friends

Hazel, Roberta, Doreen, Wilma, Jean, Bruce and Rosemary

Our May 13th get together was fun and a welcome break in the daily isolation of stay at home restrictions.
One of these months we may be allowed and feel confident enough to meet in person at a restaurant once again (no salad bar?) but, meanwhile, being able to see you all in this manner is great! <3

May he rest in peace

Our hearts go out to Suzanne and Mike Iannone and their family. Their son Jeff Michael Iannone passed away on April 30. May he rest in peace.

RIP Joe Chinnici

John Kugler shared the sad news. Former Delran School Superintendent Joe Chinnici passed away on May 3. May he rest in peace.

Joe Chinnci

His obituary is on the Chadwick Funeral Home website.
Joe was the Superintendent who hired me in 1971 and I remember him fondly. May he rest in peace.

Zoom II- April 22

It's Earth Day and, sadly, things are not going so well around the world, but we had a break in the isolation today with a DEAR lunch get together via Zoom.

Hello from Joe McCole, Roberta Sallee, 
Hazel Solomon, Jean Lombardi, 
Bruce and Rosemary Smith, and Ron Carraci!

Here's a testimonial from Hazel: 

I loved our group zoom today! Thanks so much for organizing it & helping me to navigate the app. It was great seeing everyone & chatting about family, school, students, & more. Let's do it again!

Zoom Lunch

Our Zoom lunch test case on April 15th was successful. Thanks to Jean Lombardi and Janet Neufeld for attending. (Jean brought our new mascot, Delran Bear). Attendance was limited due to last minute notice and other extenuating circumstances.

We'll be setting up another one soon and hope many of you will be able to attend.

It was fun and great to see people "in person" after these weeks of isolation!

Jean Lombardi, Roberta Sallee, Janet Neufeld--Zoom lunch pioneers

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Pandemic 2020

Of course everything has been cancelled while we stay at home.
I hope everyone is staying healthy and engaging in safe practices to stay that way.
My thoughts are with you all.

If you can open this link, it's something I saw (heard!) on twitter and it offers a musical respite from the stress and concerns we are all currently encountering:

English National Ballet's (from home) Swan Lake Overture

Upcoming Events

Assuming all will continue to be well in our neck of the woods, we are still on for our next DEAR lunch at Prospectors on Wednesday, March 18th at 12:30. Hope to see you there!

Here's Bruce Smith's notice of the upcoming (free!) Moorestown Community Concert (always a good time!)

Hello Music Lovers - This is a reminder to mark your calendar for our "Spring is in the Air" Concert.  This program by the Moorestown Community Band (as always) is free and will be held on Friday, April 3 at 7:30 P.M.at The William Allen Middle School at 801 N. Stanwick Road, Moorestown.   

This concert is loaded with great music-- An Elton John medley, a collection of songs from The Broadway Show, Chicago, The Tchaikovsky favorite, Capriccio Italien (yes, this is spelled with an "e."), a special arrangement of 76 trombones, an opera thriller, Nessun Dorma from Turandot, and many other songs that will knock your socks off. 

The Jazz Band will also play a few very upbeat standards and 2 sambas from Brazil - Mas Que Nada and Besame Mucho. You won't be dissappointed.  Come and bring your family and friends.

We hope to see you there.   Bruce Smith, Conductor

Please stay safe and healthy.

Carol Young

When I saw the Facebook post about Carol Young passing away it filled me with sadness and a rush of memories of the olden days at Millbridge and DIS. I am sure those of you who knew her remember her fondly too. May she rest in peace.

This is a link to her obituary on the Snover-Givnish Funeral Home website:

https://www.givnish.com/obituaries/Carol-Young-10/#!/Obituary

Hot off the press!

Wilma Kaelin, retired 4th grade Delran teacher, may be attending our October 2020 DEAR lunch!
She'll be up from Florida for another event and is looking forward to joining us!

Wilma and Harry Kaelin

February lunch

Our February lunch was fun. It was a rainy day (so what else is new?). Raise your hand if you are glad all this precipitation hasn't been snow!

Here we are: 

(and more pictures)

We missed those of you who couldn't make it and hope you can join us on Wednesday, March 18th, for the next DEAR lunch at Prospectors.

One down, 11 to go....2020...the new decade begins

Back to Prospectors for our January get-together. Great salad bar and good to see everybody!

Seeing you in 20-20

Happy New Year!

Hope things are going well with you all and that 2020 is a time we will look back on a year from now with good memories.

Speaking of good memories, let's start making some new ones! :-)
The first DEAR lunch of 2020 is set for Wednesday, January 8 at 12:30 at a new location: Prospectors Grille and Saloon

Any suggestions for a Delran area restaurant to try in February are welcome. I have a tentative date for February...Tuesday, February 11th. (or....anyone interested in a Prospectors brunch on Sunday February 16th?)

Feel free to use the comment section of this blog or send an email to me at rosallee@gmail.com
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Our December DEAR lunch group

...and more photos