Spruce Creek South

Rafters shake at end-of-summer blowout

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 05:00:00 GMT

The folks that take care of things at our community center really went top shelf when they decided to sponsor an end-of-summer party for the Spruce Creek South residents. Marie, Chuck, Margaret, Milt and Helen all pitched in to make this first ever event a total success. The hit of the party was the stage show, which showcased the wealth of talent we have right here in our retirement haven. Master of ceremonies George Locke came up with a star-studded program that had the attendees' attention for almost 90 minutes.

The show started with everyone standing and singing "God Bless America." From there the silver liners dazzled with their dance routine. Doris Dupuis, a perennial favorite, sang "Memories." Many thought she did as good a rendition as the original artist. Up next was Carole Smith performing the classic "Till there was you," with Joyce Brooks accompanying her on the piano.

They were followed by Walt Smith who played "It's a small world" and " Silvered-haired Daddy of Mine" on the harmonica and guitar. Comedian Bob Tremblay had the crowd laughing with his stand-up routine of one liners.

The audience gave the next duo applause even before they started their presentation. Jack Fox, the man with the golden trumpet, did "I'm confessing" with Don Standard on the ivories. The notes just oozed out of Jack's horn, and when Don took a portion of the song solo on the piano you could hear a pin drop in the room.

The Spruce Creek Clown Club lent a bit of levity to the occasion several times during the show. The outfits are always original and bright, and the clowns had the residents in stitches.

You would have thought Tammy Wynette was on the program when Betty Godfrey sang "Coal Miners Daughter." Another great impersonation was Mike R. who claims "he never gets any respect." He had the Rodney Dangerfield routine down pat.

The next performer received a warm welcome when introduced. Wally Costello, a popular singer at this retirement community, did another great job when he sang "Portrait of My Love." A little bit of Nancy Sinatra came next with Jackie Rastbaumwieser doing a slick dance routine to "These Boots are Made for Walking." Jim Best held the attention of the audience with his guitar playing and singing the song "The Gambler."

The next to final act brought the house down. Al Potts, whose motto is "the show must go on," left his oxygen apparatus for a few minutes to do another of his now famous "Tiny Tim" routines. It took several minutes after he finished for the crowd to settle down before George Locke could rap up the program with his version of "On the Road Again."

After the entertainment, food and beverages were served: some of which were provided by Spruce Creek Realty. Door prizes were drawn for items, and gift certificates were won. They were donated by The Links management.

From the standing ovation and all the positive comments received at the conclusion of this Spruce Creek South first, it just may become an annual event.

E-mail Bob Turner at summerfieldpress@earthlink.net.>

New England Club kicks off season

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 05:00:00 GMT

As you entered the hallway leading to the kitchen at the Spruce Creek South Community Center, the aromas were unmistakable. You'd think you had entered a fine Italian restaurant. Getting closer, you could hear the sounds of a knife on a chopping block. In the spacious culinary room, no less than 10 members of the New England Club were at several stations performing various tasks.

Meatballs were simmering in a large cooker, and they were covered with a rich red sauce (or gravy, as it also is known), which was the source of the aroma. Lettuce was being chopped, tomatoes sliced and other salad fixings prepared. Dozens of donated homemade pies, cakes and other pastry delights were being cut and placed on plates, and large loaves of bread were being unwrapped and placed in baskets.

The volunteer crew knew serving time was near, as they could see the monthly business meeting of the club winding down through the open portal that separated the auditorium from the kitchen. Jim Sloan, club president, closed the meeting and announced he would draw slips of numbered papers from a small box; these would be the order in which the tables would be served. As the 150 members in attendance were getting their food, Jim related that this club was mainly a social club.

"We have a lot of fun," he said, but they also have a serious side. He said the club supports projects he and his wife, Joan, are involved with at the Harbour View Elementary School.

"We also support the St. Teresa soup kitchen in Belleview and other community projects," he said.

The spaghetti dinner was the club's kickoff for the season, as more winter residents are returning from their summer homes. Within the club, several members are responsible for different events. Doris Dupuis manages the popular trips to dinner theaters and casinos. The Biloxi, Miss., trip is a favorite with Irene Centola, who considers herself an "old timer" with the club, having been a Spruce Creek South resident for more than 13 years. The single senior who never feels alone when she is with other club members laughed heartily and said, "You never know. One day I might return from a trip with a man on my arm." Ellie and Harold Provost said they take full advantage of the fun events and have enjoyed many of the excursions. Newcomer Francis Haurihan is looking forward to participating in upcoming programs.

"We have a very active organization, and I owe a lot of gratitude to a bunch of people in this room that have worked behind the scenes to make our events successful," Jim said. "There are so many to thank that have made my job easy. They are just great. I never had a problem getting help when I needed it."

And that was proven again by the volunteers scrubbing pots, emptying trash and wiping down tables long after the meeting had adjourned.

Bob Turner covers Spruce Creek South for the Summerfield Press. E-mail him at summerfieldpress@earthlink.net.>

Ancient account retold in new form

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Karen Geisler had concerns about the Old Testament and today's generations. Her concern was so great she wrote a book. Karen says the Old Testament is a "hard read" and so most people do not bother reading it - and some think it does not apply to today's world.

She felt it was a story that people were forgetting. Her goal was to tell the ancient account in storybook form. To prepare herself for her passion, Karen enrolled in a Bible study program that allowed her to complete lessons while continuing her telecommunications career, which involved extensive travel. She laughed when she said she actually earned her degree in airports, on airplanes and at hotels.
While on a cross-country flight, she was seated between two gentlemen who observed her doing her studies.

"After two hours into the flight, they were curious as to what I was doing," she said. "I told them I had this passion of wanting to write a user-friendly story of the Old Testament. They were from Spain and had been attending a psychology convention." Both were extremely interested in learning more of what she was doing. It was not uncommon during her many business trips for complete strangers to provide affirmation for her endeavor.

Shortly after obtaining her degree through the International College of Bible Theology, Karen and her husband, Fred, retired to Minnesota, where she has family. They purchased a log home in the country. It had a secluded loft that proved to be an ideal place for her to work and finish the book.

The couple then moved to Duluth, where she met Bishop Dennis M. Schnurr and asked him to critique her writing. He had been the secretary of the council of bishops in Washington, D.C., and the budding writer considered his positive comments and input as an honorary "nod" for the book.

When it was time to put the manuscripts in book form, Karen went to the Internet and found a site dedicated to publishers. She posted several excerpts from her work to be reviewed. After obtaining several "hits," she chose Pleasant Word Publishers, which does publishing on demand. They can print and ship one or 1,000 books as requested.

Today, Karen gives presentations about the passion to which she has dedicated the past 15 or so years of her life. She loves to tell of the concentration given by some of the eighth-graders that were in attendance at a recent introduction to the book. Adults have come up to her after a presentation and told her how they could visualize the sequential account given by her "storybook" style. Those who have read the book have mentioned how at times they felt as if they were actually part of the journey the writer created.

"A Story Forgotten" can be purchased from many Web sources, such as Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. It also may be ordered from any bookstore. Should you have an interest in learning more about the author, e-mail Karen at AStoryForgotten@yahoo.com.

E-mail Bob Turner at summerfieldpress@earthlink.net.

How an SC South musician found her calling

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 04:00:00 GMT

When Lorna Ehlke was teaching in Wisconsin, she often told her students not to be afraid of trying new things or testing uncharted waters. She practiced what she taught. The demure patron of the fine arts is a master of several of them. Inheriting a valuable violin, she was determined to learn to play the intricate instrument rather than use it as a conversation piece. This challenge brought her an appreciation of the difficulty of mastering the playing of stringed instruments.

One day while at an outdoors arts fair in a peaceful wooded setting in Milwaukee, she was browsing the displays of the works that the various artists had to offer when she heard sounds coming from a clearing. Glancing toward the sound, she saw five people - each plucking on a type of harp she had never seen. She walked over and listened and watched intently as the group continued playing. She was waiting for them to take a break, at which time she intended to approach them and inquire about the instruments that had enthralled her.

Lorna' voice became excited when she said, "I had a lot of questions to ask, such as where do you get these harps, how much do they cost, how do you learn how to play them?"

She received a warm welcome by the group; they proceeded to answer all her questions and provided her with information whereby she might further satisfy her curiosity.

The school teacher knew right then and there at that small clearing in the woods that this was going to be a leisure pursuit she would undertake during her upcoming retirement years.

Her first venture with the Celtic harp came at a folk musicians workshop where everyone was constructing some sort of stringed instrument. Lorna had purchased a beginner's harp in kit form. She remembers sanding it for eight hours and receiving assistance from the class instructor so she could install the strings and tune the instrument.

"It was fun, and it broadened my horizons just to be in this atmosphere of folk musicians," she said. "I had been a church organist and played the piano for school programs, but this was really enriching for me."

Once she got going she kept connecting to different facets of the genre. She managed to find a teacher of the harp and considers herself very fortunate to have studied under the master harpist that she still sees to this day when she takes occasional trips to Wisconsin.

One day while browsing through a harp publication she saw an advertisement for a harp that she had been looking for to replace the beginner's model.

Traveling 80 miles to look at it, she found it to be exactly what she wanted, and with a bit of maneuvering and help from the previous owner, they managed to fit it in her car. That has become the criteria when purchasing a new vehicle. Lorna enjoys telling of the auto salesperson who drove a car she was considering purchasing to her home and "worked up a sweat" trying to figure out how the harp would fit in.

He worked like crazy to get it in. He did, and I purchased the car."

Today, Lorna is active in many of the amenities offered at Spruce Creek South, and she also plays a great game of tennis. At home she can be found creating original works of art on canvas or tending to the lovely grounds that surround her residence. She has set aside one room for her piano and organ, but plucking the strings of the beautiful-sounding Celtic harp is what Lorna Ehlke enjoys the most. The accomplished harpist is often invited to play at various functions at Spruce Creek South and other retirement communities in the area.

Bob Turner covers Spruce Creek South for the Summerfield Press. Contact him at summerfieldpress@earthlink.net.

Hero relates harrowing WWII experience

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 05:00:00 GMT

What do you do when the guest speaker calls and informs you he will not be able to keep his commitment owing to sudden illness - and you have less than 24 hours to obtain a substitute? For the president of the Spruce Creek South Veterans Club, that was not too much of a problem.

Elda knows longevity

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 05:00:00 GMT

At 95-plus, Elda Clara Rothy can still do a fairly lively polka. The spry great-grandmother also continues to perform routine chores around the house.

Born in South Bend, Ind., she was one of seven children of Belgian immigrants.

"We moved to a small town named Mishawaka about 15 miles away, where I went to school in a wooden school house," she said and recalled the sighting of one of the first "horseless carriages" being driven around the small town. She reminisced about walking to the nearby train station with her siblings and waving to the Army troops at the depot during WWI.

Elda speaks fondly of her father, who apprenticed to be a tailor in the Old Country and had a small shop in Mishawaka that supported his family.

Unfortunately, he suffered a stroke at an early age while delivering finished goods to a customer and died shortly after, leaving his widow with five children to raise. Elda witnessed her mother weeping on many occasions as she tried to pay the bills and feed the family.

"We told her to add more water to the soup," she said, breaking out in a big laugh. Her brother sold bars of soap around the neighborhood, and she got a job after school working in a produce store. Each gave the money they earned to their mother to help buy provisions.

"We always worked," she said. Somehow Elda managed to attend business college after finishing grade school.

Her mother remarried and acquired a small grocery store. About that time, Elda caught the eye of several young men who wanted to court her.

"We were raised very strict," she said. "I thought my mother did not know of my walks with them."

But her mother had a sister who lived on the corner of their block and from a second-story window could see all comings and goings. It seems Aunt Martha told about these liaisons, and Elda had some explaining to do.

After being satisfactorily interrogated by her mother and bringing the suitors home for review, the young lady was allowed to attend dances and other social functions in the community. One such fellow became her husband.

Maurice Rothy walked into her mother's store to purchase an ice cream cone. His future bride was behind the counter dipping out the cones along with her younger sister.

"He came over to me because I gave big ice cream cones, while my sister was stingy and doled out small ones," she said. Maurice was given a very large portion on top of his cone that day and succeeded in obtaining a date. The romance blossomed under the watchful eye of her mother, and they were married in 1933.

The union produced two boys. However, the happiness was cut short due to Elda contracting tuberculosis just as WWII was breaking out. In those days, people so inflicted were sent to sanatoriums for treatment. She spent 17 months at one in South Bend. Her mother cared for one son and her sister the other during her recovery period.

After she was cured, Elda was reunited with her family but, through ignorance, a stigma remained. Some friends refused to be in her company, fearing they might "catch" the ailment. However, one friend told her not to fret.

"My friend Louise knew I was cured, and she would not be afraid to be with me. She has been my good friend for over 65 years, and I still see her. She lives near Orlando," Elda said.

She used her business training to obtain a position as the office manager at St. Joseph's Hospital in Mishawaka. She retired with her husband, and they moved to Avon Park in the 1970s. He died in 1991.

Elda remained independent and carried on with her life, keeping up her home. She has since had a few bouts with illness, one requiring the removal of a collapsed lung and the other the removal of one kidney.

She drove a car for well over 50 years. Then, her eyesight began to fail and she relinquished her license, noting she never had received a ticket for bad driving.

Today she lives with her son, Chuck, a retired pastor, and his wife, Shirley, on 174th Place.

When asked about her secret to longevity, she confided in a low voice: "The doctor told me to take a sip of wine daily." Then, after a short pause, she added: "Working hard, trusting and believing in the Lord."

Elda is affectionately known as "Grandma" in the community, and she is as sweet as apple pie.

A Spruce Creek South first
Marie Schaefer, Community Center manager, has put together a Spruce Creek South first. She has organized an "End of Summer Party" and show to be held in our Community Center on Oct. 6 between 3 and 5 p.m.

Marie promises this is an event you will not want to miss.

The show is free, but you must obtain tickets before Sept. 29, which will entitle you to a hot dog, chips and coffee or tea. Beer will be sold at the event for $1 per glass.

She has arranged for George Locke to be the master of ceremonies for the show. Should you want to be part of the talent, call George at 347-8115. For food tickets or other information, contact Marie at her office.

Bob Turner covers Spruce Creek South for the Summerfield Press. Contact him at summerfieldpress@earthlink.net.

Residents encouraged to join CERT

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Perhaps Fred and Arlene Gerth were watching the projected path of Ernesto with more concern than anyone in Spruce Creek South

. Fred, commander of our Community Emergency Response Team, and Arlene, a zone leader, were in standby mode until it was certain we were out of harm's way. They both vividly recalled that past hurricanes Charley and Jean stretched the CERT organization to it's limit.

"I just do not know if we have the people to deal with another situation like those two," Fred lamented as he ran his finger over a list of volunteers that have taken formal training and received their certification from Marion County. "We are at a low of 37 from our high of 70." Arlene produced a map marked in zones and pointed out several areas that lacked the manpower to provide even minimum service if and when a high-level emergency might occur. They both question should a evacuation order be received from the county, could it be carried out successfully with just the current membership?

Fred would like to see more residents take a interest in CERT. He has a album filled with photos of the free training that is administered by Marion County. The course runs 10 weeks and is two hours a day, one day a week. Ongoing training is also provided at Spruce Creek South. Drills are held periodically with realistic settings. Several photographs of such drills showed "victims" with broken bones protruding from the skin and other wounds that looked real.

CERT members are sent to these simulated disaster sites not knowing what to expect. They carry a duffle bag containing bandages, slings, splinting materials and other material to provide first aid at the scene. Pictures of members using basic first aid techniques during drills in splinting and bandaging are in the album. Other photos depict fire training, whereby small demonstration fires were set and put out using fire extinguishers commonly found in homes and public buildings. Classroom training is also given in assisting with vehicular traffic control during emergencies.

CERT can provide residents with advice on preparing for emergencies around the home. One is the installation of a 911 locator switch. The device replaces the standard wall switch that controls the lights at the front of your house facing the street, such as the garage or porch lights. It has an extra position that allows the lamps to blink off and on. This blinking identifies your home to emergency personnel from a distance. Gerth also urges all residents to fill out the CERT emergency information form and place their e-mail addresses in the data bank so you can stay abreast of any emergency information dispatched from his computer. He will assure you all information provided will be held in strict confidence.

Most of all, the CERT commander of Spruce Creek South would like more residents to step forward and become involved with the group. He stressed that if you do not wish to take the emergency certification training, you are still welcome to fill other roles as a member performing behind-the-scenes duties. Call Fred Gerth at 347-6708. Contact Bob Turner at summerfieldpress@earthlink.net.

For family, artist lives on in his creations

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 04:00:00 GMT

The shop light over the workbench has not been on late at night for some time; the power and hand tools are packed away. Joan Lenz speaks in a soft voice when talking about her late husband's love for creating miniature masterpieces.

Summerfield's music man

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 04:00:00 GMT

If you were to ask a New York City taxi driver how to get to Carnegie Hall, you most likely would get the reply: "Practice, practice, practice." Raymond George Turner, of Summerfield, has been practicing music most of his life.

From Germany to Spruce Creek South by the way of Camp Hearne

chris.wagner@starbanner.com — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 04:00:00 GMT

Walter Foertsch could not believe his eyes after unwrapping a gift from one of his daughters at Christmastime. Inside the pretty wrapping was a book that chronicled a major part of his life.