Navy WX Quarterly luncheon at Nick’s Boathouse! Always fun to spend time with friends!
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Source: Aerograph August 2023
The Pensacola Chapter held its quarterly meeting at the Fishing Hole Restaurant in Pensacola on 8 June. The following members were present: Larry & Nancy Warrenfeltz, Ed & Patti Straten, Dave & Jerrie Dunlap, Paul Belt & Cheryl Alter, Walt Kindergan, Gerrie Marsch and Pat & Libby O'Brien.
After the minutes and treasurer's report were read and approved, Larry Warrenfeltz had the pleasure of turning over the NWSA President's Gavel to Ed Straten. Ed is to assume the position of President of the National Chapter come 1 July. Congratulations Ed. The local chapter wishes you all the best. Also, thank you Larry for a job well done.
Larry led us in a discussion of all the positives of the Reunion #47 Cruise. Everyone who sailed agreed that we had a great time. Our sincere thanks to Ed and Patti Straten for all the hard work it took in putting Reunion #47 together. The
Pensacola Chapter held its quarterly meeting at the Fishing Hole Restaurant in
Pensacola on 8 June. The following members were present: Larry
& Nancy Warrenfeltz, Ed & Patti Straten, Dave &
Jerrie Dunlap, Paul Belt & Cheryl Alter, Walt
Kindergan, Gerrie Marsch and Pat & Libby O'Brien.
After
the minutes and treasurer's report were read
and approved, Larry Warrenfeltz had the pleasure of
turning over the NWSA President's Gavel to Ed Straten. Ed
is to assume the position of President of the National Chapter come 1
July. Congratulations Ed. The local chapter wishes you all the
best. Also, thank you Larry for a job well done.
Larry
led us in a discussion of all the positives of the Reunion #47 Cruise.
Everyone who sailed agreed that we had a great time. Our sincere
thanks to Ed and Patti Straten for all the hard work it took
in putting Reunion #47 together.
Pat
O'Brien reported Dale Grages could not attend the meeting, and
he may not be able to be with us at future meetings. Dale says he is
pretty much home bound. Our best wishes go out to Dale.
Next
meeting will take place on 7 Sept. at Nick's Boat House.
The Chapter's Christmas party/meeting will be
held at the Warrenfeltz' home on December 3rd at 1 PM.
Pat
& Libby O'Brien traveled
to Cobourg, Ontario, in Canada to visit with friends before heading to Niagara
Falls to enjoy the 4th of July fireworks display celebrating our country's
independence. From there, they traveled to Niantic, Ct, to visit with
Pat's daughter and family and to attend the wedding of Pat's oldest
grandson. The pre-wedding party took place in New York, and the wedding
took place in New Jersey. Both venues provided stunning views of the
New York skyline. Thanks to Pat's daughter, Pat didn't have to drive into
or out of New York. Following the wedding, Pat and Libby were taken
back to Niantic and spent another couple of days there. They then
traveled west to visit with Jim Futtner in
Hartford. Jim is still having trouble with his back and was scheduled for
a doctor's appointment following the O'Briens' visit. Jim hosted a pizza
party at his house, and Pat and Libby got reacquainted with other members
of Jim's family, Jim also played Uber driver for the O'Briens during
their stay. From Hartford, the O'Briens drove south
to Gettysburg. They visited the National Park. Pat last
visited the Park when he was on a field trip with his 6th grade class from
Baltimore. This was Libby's first trip to Gettysburg. From
there, they drove to Friendship, MD, and visited with Pat's nephew for a
few hours before heading to Soloman's Island where Pat recalled many
childhood memories. Their trip ended after 3 weeks and 3,798
miles. All in all, the O'Briens are doing well.
Walt
Kindergan visited Dale
Grages at his home in Foley, AL, and reports Dale is no longer
able to leave home. Dale is upbeat, alert, and has a very good
attitude about his condition, and that's good news!
After
a fantastic trip to North and South Dakota with their son Craig,
daughter-in-law Melissa, and two grandchildren, Jordyn and Ryan, Patti
and Ed Straten brought the kids to Florida for a week
at their condo. Sun, pool, beach, hot tub and a little shopping; nothing
like being with the grandkids for summer fun! That trip to the Dakotas and
Montana, leaves Ed with just the state of Idaho to complete his
goal of seeing all 50 states. They'll see that one in
the near future! Patti and Ed have planned a fall adventure .
They will fly to Honolulu and spend a week at the Hale Koa, the Hawaii military
hotel. They plan to meet with some old friends from their tour in Hawaii
(1984-1992). Then they'll board the Celebrity Solstice for a 17-day
cruise to Tahiti, French Polynesia, New Zealand and Australia. They are
already getting excited, and Patti has started to pack! Sounds like fun to
me. Enjoy!
The Fraziers, Rose and Arthur, have
been active as usual. They stay busy with their weekly meetings for TOPS
(Take Off Pounds Sensibly) and with their state positions. Rose just
became the State Treasurer
and Arthur is an Area Advocate, overseeing 30+ chapters from Leesburg to
Tallahassee. They have maintained their weight loss for 5 years
now. The Fraziers are also cruise lovers. They spent half of
May with their daughter and family in Oklahoma, then took their oldest
grandson on a cruise for his graduation present. They have been home for
all of June and July dealing with some health issues. In late August,
they will be flying to Switzerland for a 4-day tour before going on a 15-day
cruise up the Rhine and down the Moselle. They will spend 2 days in
Amsterdam at the end. Then at the end of September, they will be in
New Orleans for a USS Fox reunion for Arthur and friends. TOPS will
again keep them busy in October, and then the Christmas season will have
them doing their Santa Arthur and Mrs. Claus events before taking another
cruise over Christmas with some friends.
Nancy
and Larry Warrenfeltz spent
much of June driving from the white beaches of the Florida
Panhandle to join up with family on the brown beach of Kill Devil
Hills, NC, and the gray beach of Wildwood Crest, NJ. They were able
to get all five grandchildren together in NC for a couple of days,
giving them a chance to take the family to their all-time favorite restaurant
— The Colington Cafe. See pic below. After a week
in NC, they headed north via the Cape May - Lewes Ferry to spend
another week with son Jim, his wife Liz, and their kids at their Wildwood
Crest home.
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Click Image to Enlarge
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Source: Aerograph May 2023
The Pensacola Chapter met at South Market Restaurant in Pensacola on 3 March. Those in attendance included Larry and Nancy Warrenfeltz, Ed and Patti Straten, Paul Belt, and Cheryl Alter, and Pat and Libby O'Brien.
Our biggest item of business was the upcoming reunion. Patti Straten gave us an update on the number of expected attendees (55) and the latest news from Celebrity. You would never know Patti had a foot operation. She's in a boot, but it doesn't seem to slow her down one bit. Great job!
The Chapter's next meeting will be at the Fishing Hole Restaurant on 19 June.
Pat and Libby O'Brien are doing well. Ha. Pat is recovering from a fall on St. Patrick's Day. Yes, imbibing had something to do with the fall. Bruised ribs were healing until he went and played golf a week later. After four holes, he had to quit. His ribs were killing him. CT Scan showed no breaks or fractures. He's been limited in what he can do, but his rib contusion didn't stop him from going on the reunion cruise. Libby is having knee issues. She's been getting shots, and some shots work while others do not. It's hit and miss. Pat said it was great seeing Rick and Flo McKay. He hadn't seen them since he and Rick were stationed together at NAVEASTOCEANCEN Norfolk in the late 70's. See- ing old shipmates, and meeting others we never met, made for a great reunion. Jim Futtner flew down from Connecticut and spent a couple of days with the O'Briens before they all headed down to Miami in Libby's suv. Jim has been fighting leg and back issues, but he managed to deal with the pain using meds. Jim wasn't sure if he would enjoy the cruise, but when it was all over, he said he had a great time. The one bad part of the return trip to Pensacola was the 3-hour delay due to standstill traffic on the Florida Turnpike. A major accident occurred a few car lengths ahead of them. After three hours of sitting in one spot, the police turned them, and all other automobiles, around and sent them back to the nearest exit.
Paul Belt and Cheryl Alter did not make it to the reunion. They were headed to various destinations in Europe.
Ed and Patti Straten enjoyed NWSA 47 on the wonder-ful Celebrity Summit, meeting and talking and laughing with shipmates, excellent meals, the Bridge Tour and the great shows. The 47th reunion was enthusiastic and well attended, and the Stratens are looking forward to the Villages Reunion in 2024. They are currently planning a family trip with their son, Craig, and his family to South and North Dakota including Mount Rushmore. They will return to Pensacola with their two youngest grandchildren, Jordyn and Ryan, for a week of fun in the sun, pool, and beach! What could be better?
Rose and Arthur, really enjoyed the NWSA Reunion Cruise. Hope there will be another one soon! They have been busy with TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) and doctors all year so far. They will be spending a few weeks in Oklahoma in May for their oldest Grandson's graduation and visiting relatives. They will be heading to Switzerland later this summer for a tour and a river cruise to Amsterdam to celebrate their anniversary. They are still enjoying Ocala and hope to meet up with others again soon! Nancy and Larry Warrenfeltz had a wonderful time on their first cruise when the NWSA Reunion #47 was held on Celebrity Summit. (Well, it certainly wasn’t Larry’s first cruise — but gray ships don’t really compare). See pic below. It was a break from the busy high school softball season for Larry. He did spend some of his relaxing Key West time answering emails and texts from coaches and umpires.
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Source: Aerograph February 2023
The Pensacola Chapter held its quarterly meeting / Christmas Party at the O'Briens on 16 Dec. Those in attendance included Larry and Nancy Warrenfeltz, Ed and Patti Straten, Paul Belt & Cheryl Alter, Marian Hawkes, Gerrie Marsh, Dale Grages and his nurse Rosa, Walt Kindergan, and Pat & Libby O'Brien.
Following Christmas dinner, Ed Straten called the meeting to order at 1540.
Minutes were read and approved.
The treasurer reported an expenditure of $104.25 for flowers in honor of Dave Driggers. That leaves
$27.01 in the treasury not counting seed money from the National Treasury. Dues were collected for
the upcoming year.
Patti Staten briefed on the upcoming reunion cruise. Everything is done except for final payments
that are due no later than 30 December. Payments are required on 14 staterooms.
The next cruise committee meeting will be held the last week of Feb. Date will be forthcoming.
The Chapter's next meeting is to take place at the South Market on March 3rd. Libby O'Brien will
check with personnel at South Market concerning our proposed date. After the meeting ended,
attendees played a game of Secret Santa. Everyone left with something they wanted or something
they were stuck with taking. Ouch.
NEWS FROM THE CREW
Ed and Patti Straten are still on Cloud 9 after their 35-day cruise to Olympia, Santorini, Crete, Athens,
Mykonos, and Zakynthos, Greece; Sicily, Naples, Portofino, Pisa, Rome, Venice and Ravenna, Italy;
Ephesus, Turkey; Kotor, Montenegro; Palma, Cartagena, Spain; Toulon, France and the Azores, Portugal where they celebrated their birthdays and toured and walked through history. The adventure included amazing sights at every port, shows (including a fabulous Flamenco Show in Palma), delicious local food and wine, and gorgeous weather. Highlight of the trip was a tour of the House of the Holy Virgin Mary in Ephesus. The tour also included the open air museum of Ephesus, Odeon Fountain of Trajan, Temple of Hadrian, Library of Celsius and the Grand Theatre where St Paul preached to 24,000. The Celebrity Constellation provided fabulous food and entertainment every day. They met so many new friends, and said this trip was a Trip of a lifetime! Following the trip, Patti had foot surgery and is still recovering. Even with all this at sea time, the Stratens are so looking forward to our NWSA Reunion Cruise in March!
Pat & Libby O'Brien took a 9-day Caribbean Cruise at the end of December. It was their first cruise in quite awhile due to COVID restrictions. They welcomed in the new year while cruising to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. From Jamaica, they headed to Grand Cayman, then to Roatan, Honduras, then to Harvest Caye in Belize, and finished up at Cozumel, Mexico. Now they're looking forward to the NWSA Cruise in March. Pat continues to play golf and fish when he's not seeing doctors. He says he feels like a bionic man. He's had two trigger finger surgeries, carpal tunnel surgery, a heart catherization, and another surgery to remove a mass from his left breast. Pat thanks God the mass proved to be benign. All this and Pat thanks God for his good health. Ha. Libby has had cortisone shots in her left knee to relieve pain she's been having. The last shot seems to have helped considerably. Pat's been in contact with Jim Futtner up in Hartford. Jim had a back operation to relieve pain and numbness in one of his legs. Jim says, he's not a 100 pct, but he's better than he was prior to his surgery. He's looking to go down to Pensacola and visit with the O'Briens for a couple days before heading to Miami for the NWSA Cruise. Paul Belt is showing off his golf game. He was the top golfer in the Sandcrabs Senior Golf Association in 2022. The Chapter is sorry to report the deaths of Dave Driggers , Ken Overholt, and Paul and Maria Lyon May they rest in peace. Paul Lyon was not active in the Chapter, and Pat was shocked by this news as he and Paul became good friends when they were stationed together at Fleet Weather Central Suitland, Md, in the early 60's. They were also stationed together as instructors at NATTC Lakehurst in the early 70's. Bernie Bauer continues to enjoy ice hockey games with Pat and Libby. He also enjoys driving around town in his new Audi. Nice wheels Bernie.
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Source: Aerograph November 2022
The Pensacola Chapter met at Carrabba's Italian Restaurant in Pensacola on 8 Sept.
Those in attendance included Ed & Patti Straten, Pat & Li bby O'Brien, Larry & Nancy Warrenfeltz, Ken & Barbara Overholt, Paul Belt & Cheryl, Denny and Helen Maljevac, Dale Grages & his nurse Rosa, and Gerrie Marsch.
The meeting was called to order at 1:25 PM
Minutes from the 30 June meeting were read and approved.
Treasurer reported there were no deposits or withdrawal this quarter, and our balance continues at $1627.01
The next meeting will be at the O'Brien's on 9 Dec. beginning at 1 o'clock. Libby reminded everyone to bring a white elephant gift. Menu will be forthcoming via email.
Pat O'Brien reported he received an email from Jim Romano, and Jim says we should be receiving our cruise magnets and bill any day now. We ordered 50 magnets, and Jim ordered 5 additional magnets that he will take responsibility for paying.
Patti Straten reported we will receive cruise credits valued at $2,324.00. How these credits will be disbursed will be decided at the next cruise committee meeting. That meeting will be held at Larry & Nancy Warrenfeltz's house on 1 Dec. Nancy will get back to us with the meeting time. Patti also informed us that there are now 66 individuals registered to go on the cruise. We lost one couple that had to drop out. Any individuals who have not been vaccinated for COVID, must be tested 3 days prior to cruising.
Denny Maljevac reported he visited Al & Helen Atwell at their home. Denny said it was a nice visit. Based on Al's past service, Denny recommended he apply for the Korean Service Medal through the South Korean Embassy in Alabama. Denny will assist Al with this endeavor. Al will be celebrating his 93rd birthday this month. Happy Birthday Al.
Meeting adjourned at 1:55 PM.
Al Atwell reports he had cataract surgery on both eyes in May and June and can now see great. He visited the local VA Office, and he will be receiving new hearing aids. He is scheduled to get them on 10/26. When he came home, he was cleaning up some yard limbs/branches and fell hard on his left knee. The fall separated the upper tendon from the patellar. He called Santa Rosa ER, and they quickly came and put his leg in a brace and scheduled him to see an orthopedic surgeon. The knee operation took place on 10/12/22. He is scheduled to see his knee surgeon again on10/27 to see how the knee surgery recovery is going. Meanwhile Al is hobbling around on a walker and firmly convinced that any day you can get up and get out of bed is a great day, Cheers Al, and best of luck with your recovery.
In other news, Pat & Libby O'Brien spent 5 days in Key West, FL, with Libby's oldest daughter Sandy, and Sandy's two children and their spouses. Pat believes Duval St. gets longer every year, ha. He and Libby also spent 3 days in Statesboro, GA, playing in a golf tournament at Georgia Southern University. Libby is recuperating from a torn meniscus in her right knee, so the golfing was supposed to help the knee. It helped her golf game. She won her flight, while Pat made it all the way up to last place in his. Ouch! Pat joined 11 other gentlemen on a 3-day guys only golf outing in Orange Beach, Alabama. He says his golf scores didn't get any better. Pat celebrated the 40th anniversary of his 40th birthday in October. Libby surprised him by renting a home at Pensacola Beach for a few days. On top of that, all three of Pat's children joined them there. Pat says, "It was more of a shock than a surprise." He and Libby plan on traveling up to Cheaha State Park in northern Alabama in November to spend a few days viewing the fall foliage.
Nancy and Larry Warrenfeltz (pic below) enjoyed a packed weekend in Pennsylvania in October. They drove into town just in time to see a high school cross-country meet. Nancy’s 50th high school reunion coincided with their oldest granddaughter’s Homecoming weekend and their second granddaughter’s 11th birthday. Nana baked a tiara cake. They also managed to squeeze in a fantastic Italian dinner with Nancy’s two sisters and her brother.
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Denny and Helen Maljevac are doing well. In October, they joined Bernie Bauer, Marion Hawks,
and the O'Briens at Elizabeth Tokryman's funeral and burial. May Elizabeth rest in peace. Pat reports that Jim Futtner is recuperating from knee and back issues which have hobbled him for the last few months. Ed and Patti Straten are currently on a thirty-five day cruise to Greece, Italy, France, Spain and the Azores. Their last report had them in Sicily. Life is tough, but somebody has to do these things, ha. Smooth sailing my friends. Rose and Arthur Frazier have been very busy traveling over the last year. They have been on 7 cruises since it restarted. They have also been more active with TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) this year, maintaining their weight loss for another year. Arthur is an Area Advocate and has 29 chapters to oversee. In March they went on the Mardi Gras ship and rode the BOLT! The roller coaster on top of the ship! So much fun. Rose's Navy friend, Debra Burt, and daughter, Lisa, also joined them on that cruise! In May, they went to Oklahoma for a Frazier family reunion. In June, Rose helped with her 45th class reunion events and cruise. In July, Rose had some serious surgery and developed complications. Three weeks later she developed COVID (second time!) In August, they went to Costa Rica to visit and help some missionary friends in San Jose, the capitol. In September, they started the process for Rose to get a service dog through the K9 Partners for Patriots in Brooksville, FL. It's a great organization, and they help so many veterans. This month they fly to Venice to catch a ship and sail around the Med and back to the states for 28 days! They are enjoying retired life in Ocala! Sure sounds like FUN.
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