MOM’S MEMOIRS – IRENE LOUISE (NEE KUCKKAN) MUELLER
(Continued)
Mom’s Autobiography – Chapter 68 – In Book, Page 163
Mitch Heitsch Golf Win, Steve’s 40th Birthday Party, Muff Gentz Birthday Party, David Copperfield in Madison, Wisconsin, Mom Visits Pabst Mansion, Tim’s 49th Birthday Party, Laura Weiland Named Youth Optimist, Chris Mueller’s Graduation from MLC, New Ulm, Minnesota, Matt and Mitch Graduate from Luther Prep, Watertown, Wisconsin, Birth and Baptism of Conner Poston, Birth of Theron Anderson
APRIL 18, 2007 – WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES HEADLINE – PHOENIX WIN HOST MINI-MEET, BUT BARELY
There is a great picture of Mitch, while hitting the golf ball, taken by John Hart, photographer for the Daily Times. Under it is the caption: “Luther Prep Senior Mitch Heitsch chips on to the green on No. 12 during a Capitol Conference mini-meet Tuesday at Windwood. Heitsch shot 39 to help the Phoenix win. Good for you, Mitch!
APRIL 21, 2007 – A SURPRISE 40TH BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR STEVE
Steve’s birthday is actually on April 25th, but Melody, his wife, surprised him with a magnificent 40th birthday party at the Barley Pop Pub in Germantown, Wisconsin. When they walked in on all of us waiting for them, you should have seen the big smile on Steve’s face! He was surprised, although he thought he saw our Ford Escort (formerly Steve’s) parked outside and wondered about it. Some of Melody’s relatives were there too, including one year, eight-month-old Abby Lockrem and her parents. She is a real cutie! There was Karaoke, so many of us had fun doing that. Thank you for a great time!
APRIL 25, 2007 – CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY
Muff and Grant Gentz, members of Lord And Savior in Waunakee, Wisconsin, when Dick was Pastor there, invited us to Muff’s 70th birthday party for a scrumptious meal at Hi-Way Harry’s in Johnson Creek. We hadn’t seen the Gentzes for a long time, so we were very happy to see them again.
APRIL 26, 2007 – DAVID COPPERFIELD AT OVERTURE HALL IN MADISON, WISCONSIN
Melody and Steve picked us up to celebrate my birthday which is April 17th. They took us to Overture Hall in Madison to see David Copperfield, a very famous magician. We had seen him perform on TV, but never in person. “Grand Illusion” is the logical, and incredible evolution of the conjurer’s art. His goal in “Grand Illusion” is to take one’s dreams (and maybe a few nightmares) and make them become reality using his state of the art wizardry. His illusions are unbelievable! He even gave the illusion to make things, even people, disappear and reappear! I always loved to watch a magician by the name of Fat Gritzner perform his magic at Riverside Park, Watertown, Wisconsin, when I was a child, but David Copperfield’s illusions enthralled us! Thank you, Melody and Steve, for a great 77th birthday gift!
APRIL 28, 2007 – PABST MANSION
On this day I rode on a bus to Bay Shore Shopping Mall with other Lutheran ladies. The lady with me was Margie Eikelberg, a member of St. Mark’s, and a very sweet person. We shopped at the Mall and had lunch together. Then all of us met, boarded the bus again, and went to visit the Pabst Mansion, 2000 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Pabst Mansion, constructed for legendary beer baron, Captain Frederick Pabst, and his wife, Maria, between 1890 and 1892, the 37 room Pabst Mansion is one of America’s finest examples of Flemish Renaissance Revival. We were conducted on a tour of the mansion. It is a very interesting, and thankfully has survived the years.
APRIL 29, 2007 – CELEBRATING TIM’S 49TH BIRTHDAY
Tim’s birthday is actually April 24th, but it was celebrated on the 29th. As usual, a great meal was served by Sue for her hubbie’s birthday, and some wonderful gifts were opened. It is hard to believe that our first-born “African” is 49 years old!
MAY 11, 2007- LAURA WEILAND NAMED MARCH YOUTH OPTIMIST IN WAUSAU
With a beautiful picture of our Laura is an article in a Wausau newspaper which says “she was selected out of all the area 5th graders in the Wausau area. She attends school at Our Savior’s Lutheran School in Wausau, but resides in Merrill. She is the daughter of Rev. Jim and Sue Weiland.” She is very active in many things. At Our Savior’s, Laura plays soccer, volleyball, basketball, and softball, and receives piano and clarinet lessons. She also submitted items in the last academic fair that Northland Lutheran High School sponsored for area Wisconsin Synod Lutheran schools in which she took a third in the spelling bee, second in sewing, and second in vocal solo.
At home in Merrill, Laura stays active at Christ Lutheran Church by attending Sunday School and youth group activities. Laura loves to play soccer for Merrill, and had a part in the productions of “Rumplestiltskin” and the “Frog Prince”. She enjoys being a member of the Lincoln County 4-H Club, the Busy Bees, in which she has entered the speaking and puppetry contest and Music and Drama festival.
Laura loves to sing and act. Her highlight last summer was singing the “National Anthem” before the bull-riding competition at the fair. Last year she also entered the 4-H dog show with her Jack Russell terrier, Skippy, in which she received a medal for his tricks. This year she hopes to enter Skippy again in the dog show, and ride her sister’s horse, Sassy, in the 4-H horse show. We are proud of you, Laura. God has blessed you with many talents.
MAY 19, 2007 – CHRISTOPHER SCOTT’S GRADUATION FROM MLC, NEW ULM, MINN.
Another glorious day – Chris’s graduation! We again were thankful that Dick and I could be there! And in the afternoon Tim, Sue, and family, especially Chris, Joanne and Jerry Brandt, and we, breathlessly waited to find out where his Call from God would take him. All of us were so happy when it was announced that it would take him to Eagle River, Wisconsin, as Principal/Teacher. Eagle River is about 200 miles from Watertown.
After the Assignment of Calls, all of us gathered on the lawns of the College, congratulated Chris with hugs, and took a lot of pictures. All of us enjoyed a delicious meal in the cafeteria of the college. Gifts were given to Chris. We gave him a beautiful wooden clock (which Dick had made for him) with a picture of an eagle on it, reminding everyone as it says in Isaiah 40:31 – “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
MAY 26, 2007 – MATTHEW MUELLER AND MITCHELL HEITSCH GRADUATE FROM LUTHER PREP, WATERTOWN, WISCONSIN
The Commencement Concert was held on May 25th, the night before the graduation. The music and singing was sensational. The Quarta-Tertia Chorus sang “Time to Say Goodbye” and Selections from the “Lion King”. Steph, Jeff, Travis, and Sammy came from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Jeff’s mother, Carla, from Tarpon Springs, Florida, to be there for Mitch and Matt’s graduation. Also, Sue, Tim, Jenny, Kevin, Joshua, Jonah, ? , Timmy, Chris, Julie, Debbie, Glen, Nicki, David, Cassie, Caleb, Melody, Steve, and we were there for the blessed occasion. Wow, has Sammy ever grown up to be a very beautiful girl, and Travis a very fine young man!
And the graduates, Matt and Mitch – two more very fine young men! How proud we are of you! Where do all the years go? We were invited to Sue and Tim’s home for a wonderful buffet lunch. Sue, Jim, Becky, Patrick, Gabriel, Laura, Donnie Nehls, and Ellen Balge showed up – the more the merrier! Our Tim showed a video presentation of pictures of Matt and Mitch’s lives. It was great!
TWO MORE GREAT GRANDCHILDREN – THANKS BE TO GOD!
JUNE 1st and 10th, 2007 – BIRTH AND BAPTISM OF CONNER CHRISTOPHER POSTON
Our dear Lord again blessed us with another beautiful great-grandchild, our 17th. Conner was born on June 1st in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and baptized on June 10th at St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Watertown, Wisconsin. He was baptized by Tim, his grandfather. What a joyous and blessed family occasion! Conner was baptized at the very same marble Baptismal fond where his grandmother, Sue, and his great grandmother, me, were baptized.
JUNE 11, 2007 – BIRTH OF THERON CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON
Our 18th great grandchild was born in Wichita, Kansas. Cary (Mueller) and Grant Anderson are the proud parents, and Ben, Aiden, and Mason are the proud brothers.