Cindy Stetz

I got this from Maryellen today. I'm sure that many of you remember Cindy Stetz who was in our freshman class before she transferred to Wyoming Seminary.

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Cindy Stetz
Cindy Ann Stetz, of Country Wood Drive, Hanover Township, died Monday at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre. Born Aug. 8, 1959 in Kingston, she was a daughter of Helen Mitchel Stetz and the late Andrew J. Stetz. She attended St. Ann’s Academy, and was a graduate of Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Class of 1977, and Villanova University, where she received her BSN in Nursing. Cindy was employed by Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, and Parkway Medical Center in Hanover Township. She enjoyed painting and her music. She was preceded in death by her brother, Dr. Drew J. Stetz. She is survived by nieces, Lauren, Kathryn, Julianne Stetz; sister-in-law, Carol Stetz; aunt, Dr. Irene Mitchel; uncle, Dr. Edward Kurello; cousin, Deborah Gonsky; dedicated and faithful friend, David Howe.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church, Kingston. Family will receive friends from 9:30 until the time of the service. Those who desire may give memorial contributions to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee. Arrangements by Mamary/Durkin Funeral Service, 59 Parrish St. Wilkes-Barre.

Published in the Times Leader on 6/29/2008.

Kati's mom

I just got this from Maryellen. Kate Wood Gardner's mom passed away on Monday. Here is the obituary:

Kathleen E. Smith Wood
Kathleen E. Wood, 73, of Wilkes-Barre passed away Monday at her home in the loving care of family and friends.

She was born Sept. 16, 1934, in Kingston to Kathleen E. O'Malley Smith and Joseph A. Smith.

Kathleen was preceded in death by her husband, Edward L. Wood, on Jan. 16, 2001.

Kathleen, a life resident of the Wyoming Valley, is remembered as a mother with a passion for family life. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. She also cherished her frequent gatherings with lifelong friends known as the "lunch bunch."

A graduate of St. Ann's Academy and College Misericordia, she taught in Metuchen, N.J., served as choir director of St. Aloysius in Wilkes-Barre, director of community services for Catholic Youth Services, director of donor relations for the American Red Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and, until retirement, worked as a real estate agent in the greater Wyoming Valley area.

She is survived by her aunt, Alice O'Malley, 94, Kingston; sisters, Liz Smith Kearney and Ann Smith, both of Kingston; children, Kati Wood Gardner, 49, and husband, Tom, Boulder, Colo.; Ned Wood, 48, and wife, Gina, Kingston; Liza Wood Sproat, 47, and husband, Mike, Ardmore; Joe Wood, 46, Kingston; Molly Wood Kanor, 44, and husband, Tom, Forty Fort; Patrick Wood, 42, and wife, Liz, Crystal Lake, Ill.; Anne Wood Hewitt, 39, and husband, Jason, Austin, Texas; grandchildren, Kathleen, Helen and Ava Gardner; Madeleine and Elizabeth Wood; Owen Sproat; Joey and Matthew Kanor; Kelly, Michael, Nevin, Christopher and Mary Catherine Wood; and Emily Hewitt.

A Funeral Mass will be held Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in St. Ignatius Church, 339 N. Maple Ave., Kingston.

Private interment will be held at the convenience of the family.

Friends may call Wednesday, 4 to 7 p.m., at the Harold C. Snowdon Funeral Home, 420 Wyoming Ave., Kingston.

Introducing Novelist Patrick Balester

I got an email yesterday from Patrick Balester. He's published his first novel! This is quite an accomplishment. I've heard so many stories of people who have had great difficulty publishing their works, but Pat got it done. You can check out the first chapter of the book on his website linked below. I read it and couldn't stop. I even entered the contest so that I might win a coveted autographed copy of this murder mystery. The prose really come to life and it's easy to put yourself in the action. Please, check out the website linked below and read the first chapter.

When Pat is touring the country, appearing on Oprah, having his books turned into screen plays featuring Matt Damon or some other big Hollywood star, we can point to it and say, "I went to high school with the guy who wrote the book!" Great work, Pat and congratulations on getting your first novel published!

Here's the email from Pat:

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Hope your summer is going well. Looking forward to it myself. I'll try to make it to the July 18th celebration...I'll be in Kingston around the fourth of July at least, so I'll probably see Chuck and Mike and a few others.

Just wanted to give you my new email address and website. The old one still works, but I built a new one to celebrate my first novel being published. In the Dismal Swamp, a murder mystery, which comes out June 24th.

Can you add this new email to our list at the BOR web site? Thanks!

By the way, I'm giving away five autographed copies of my book to anyone who visits my website and submits the form on the Book Contest page. It's not too late to enter the drawing.

Thanks! Hope to see you sometime this year.

Pat Balester

patrick@patrickbalester.com

http://www.patrickbalester.com

Was it an accident...or was it Murder?

Mr. Lynch - A True Story

I got this wonderful Mr. Lynch story from Laura Canfield:

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I will never forget the time my good buddy Karen Bolinski and I headed to the Wyoming Valley Mall in her “new” pre-owned car. I am not certain how many prior owners Karen’s little white streak had, but it was the only car I have even been in with a manual choke on the dashboard. But hey, we were in high school, we had “wheels,” and the world was our oyster!

Our chariot stalled in Wilkes-Barre, leaving us stranded on a dark rainy night during the age before cell phones. Karen remembered that Mr. Lynch lived close to the neighborhood and bravely made her damsel-in-distress way to a phone booth (remember when coin-operated phones used to be on every corner?) to call Mr. Lynch. Fortunately for us, Mr. Lynch was home and—true to his character—said priceless magical words to Karen, “I’ll be right there.” Like a scene from a fairy tale—or more likely Room 222 or To Sir With Love—our beloved teacher and now knight-in-shining-armor started the car and had us safely on our way.

Mr. Lynch shared with all of us his love for literature and the English language. But like a true teacher and gentleman, his actions spoke even louder than his words in teaching life’s true lessons. Although I may never have developed his same love for Ernest Hemmingway (sorry Mr. L :-), I take Mr. Lynch’s teachings with me in life.

Hemmingway is quoted as saying,” As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary.” A special thanks to James Lynch for being a timeless and true hero—and for the life lessons he taught us all.

Mr. Lynch, now that you have given to the world, it’s time to give to you. I wish you all the happiness in retirement that you so richly deserve.

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I loved that story. If you have one that you'd like to share, please send it along to me and I'll see that it gets posted here.