January/February 2018 Newsletter
Editors
- Wen Leu: 13808 River Forest
- Bruce Squillante 13350 Island Rd
Officers and Directors
- President Jan Croson
- Vice-President Bob Wilgosz
- Treasurer Bob Croson
- Secretary Robin Evans
Street Directors
- The Island Julie Squillante
- Island Rd Pam Jacobs
- Ox Bow Gene Hamilton
- Sleepy Hollow Gail Beals
- Lazy Lane/RF Dick Kennedy
- River Forest Peninsula Babe Bez
Don’t forget to visit our website at rifca.net
In Memoriam – Shirley Peake
We note with great sadness the passing of Shirley Peake (she is on the bottom left with the Juliettes – clockwise – Shirley Bland, Millicent Francois, Carol Kennedy, and Tootie Haskens). Millicent remembers “In the 24 years I have lived in River Forest, at all the events I attended, Shirley would always come up to me with her arms reaching out and a big smile on her face. Another thing I remember...whenever I looked through or checked out a book at the Riverdale Library, I looked to see if page 23 was circled. That meant that Shirley had read the book, and I would tell her that I was now reading it and she would put forth a big giggle. She will be greatly missed!!”
Jan Croson provided us with some history. “Shirley Peake was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. After high school Shirley was treated to a trip to Florida. While swimming in the Gulf she complained that it was too hot, too dull, and too elderly for her to ever want to return. Her cousin said "You've got the sand in your shoes. You will be back". Little did she know.
While in college Shirley married Bruce Weimer. Shortly after Bruce left to serve in WWII. As a Navy family, they were transferred every two or three years. Their family grew and traveled extensively from California, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, back to California then Trinidad.
Bruce tragically died in an automobile accident shortly after they had returned to the States and had made their home in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Life went on for Shirley and the children graduated, the boys did a hitch in the Navy, Carolyn got married and Shirley got a job.
In Spring of '73 Shirley and her future husband, Joe Peake, sold their New Jersey homes and came to Florida. Shirley and Joe found their love in River Forest and immediately joined RIFCA. Parties were every month. The clubhouse floor was still just concrete. Many times women wore long gowns and men were in dark suits or tuxedos. Games abounded and of course they always danced to the music of their favorite records. They also had costume parties.
Through the years, Shirley has been one of RIFCA's most loyal members doing anything and everything from scrubbing floors to acting in a New Year's Eve play. She has been the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the President of RIFCA. During her reign as President she got metal street signs from the county replacing the old wooden signs that were always falling down. Shirley was concierge of the Dona Rooms for seven years. She also wrote articles about the activities of Oxbow residents for the monthly newsletter.
Shirley was a charter member of the Buckingham Presbyterian Church. She was an active Elder, has been a Bible School teacher, President of the Ladies Circle and served as Secretary of that group. Shirley loved to travel. She and Joe enjoyed trips to England, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, China and cruises to North Cape, through the Panama Canal and the Caribbean Islands. The trip to China was probably the most meaningful because Joe had been stationed there with the Navy before World War II.”
Dick and Carol Kennedy gave us their memories as well, “Who among us can say that they have met an Angel? Well, the River Forest residents were fortunate to encounter such a person. Shirley Peake, venerate and cheerful, and one of the original River Forest residents, went to be with her maker in November. Heaven’s gain was our loss, but her time on earth was well spent. I can hardly remember a time that Shirley wasn't smiling or didn't have a kind word to say, whether it was with the JOY Group at Grace Methodist Church, or at one of the many River Forest events.
Since I am an avid music lover, Shirley loved to tell me about her son Bill and where he was playing and when I would see Bill I would always ask him how 'Mom' was doing, since she seemed like everyone's Mother or Grandmother.
Shirley loved nature and the environment. I remember when the RIFCA Board was contemplating whether we needed a more adequate lighting system for safety, Shirley opposed the proposition. She was more concerned about the strong overhead lights blocking out her vision of the stars, the moon and the heavens, than she was her personal safety.
Who but this sweetheart would think in such a manner. Man, do we miss her already, but we certainly do have fond memories of her to hang onto. Shirley, you always saved a dance for me at New Years and the other dances; I will sorely miss those dances in the future. Shirley rest in peace knowing that you have touched so many of us with your presence and kindness. From now on God will have the pleasure of those dances! “
In another note from Carol, “A few months ago she shared with me her lung cancer diagnosis. I instantly showed a sad face, and she said, ‘oh stop it Carol, everybody has to die from something, and I know Jesus, and I know I am going to be with him. How can that make you sad? I have lived a long, good life, and I am ready to go to heaven.’ Such a strong believer she was, and oh I will miss her earthly hugs for sure! But, I do know, I will see her again!”
Finally, a few thoughts from Shirley Bland, “She was a very friendly and positive person. Made you think "sunshiny," she always had a smile and a happy hello for you each time she saw you. She loved to travel. I think, cruising may have been at the top of her list or at least a very close second. She and my late husband would meet at a RIFCA dinner or potluck and spend lots of time comparing their latest cruise on a Holland American ship, they thought Holland American ships were great. She by far had out traveled him, but they enjoyed talking about their travels. She was also a big reader, she enjoyed RIFCA's library and was a member of the Riverdale Public Library. We are going to miss her smiling face.”
Luminaria Night - Bringing out the Beauty
by Bruce Squillante
The Third Annual Luminaria Night on December 10 was the biggest yet. It gave River Forest neighbors another opportunity to walk around and enjoy the light show. There were a number of changes that occurred this year for this special night. First, we moved the big night forward one week to give it additional time after Thanksgiving. The timing turned out to be perfect, as we were greeted with beautiful weather with very little wind. Second, we had a 20% increase in the number of participants over the prior year. Third, we even got participation from two homes on Marquette. As a result, the lights were extended down River Forest Dr. to Marquette. We have been told that there may be even more participation on Marquette next December.
So what did it take to produce the show? Bruce and Julie Squillante along with two of their children set up just over 1,500 luminarias. Together with the nearly 1,600 luminarias sold, there were just over 3,000 lighted bags on the ground. Generating 3,000 bags with sand and a small candle is quite a task for just one person. Finding 3,000 white bags is somewhat challenging, requiring multiple trips to many stores waiting for them to be restocked. The amount of sand needed to produce 3,000 properly weighted bags is 800 lbs. Buying the sand is not enough though, as all of the sand must be thoroughly dried or the bag will get wet on the bottom and break. The dried sand is gently poured into the bags and await the candle.
The candles are purchased in bulk and but they too need special treatment. You see, not every candle is created equal. We specifically use 4 hour candles, but not all of them make it to 4 hours. Each candle is placed in the middle of the bag and the wicks are pulled straight up. Why? Because when lighting 1,500 candles it is much easier to reach the candle (and not burn yourself) if the wick is up. Even with all of this preparation, there is still one more detail. All participants receiving the kit need a container that would fit 20 bags. Once again, multiple trips to stores picking up boxes takes weeks to complete. In fact, Bruce learned the early morning produce patterns at several stores and would show up at 6:15am in order to get the boxes he needed.
So finally, the big day arrives and all of the bags are ready for delivery on the streets of River Forest. By this time Bruce has delivered all of the kits to the participants and is ready for any last minute residents who wanted a kit. Each year we have 2-3 residents asking for a kit on Luminaria Night. This December 10th we had 8. The night was going to be exciting. Laying out the 1,500 bags starts just after 3pm for the 7pm start time. This year there were 4 people laying out the bags, which were finished by 6:15pm. In what became a welcome and wonderful sight, the process of lighting the bags which would normally take at least 90 minutes, only took 30 minutes as many residents lit not only their bags, but the extra bags on the ground.
The street lights may have been a small nuisance, but the sheer volume of lights made the neighborhood a breathtaking site. For those River Forest residents that ventured over to the Island, where there are no lights, there were refreshments of some variety at three locations. You could try some German wine, hot chocolate, and some nicely spiced liquors at the various stops. There were cookies and many other treats around the Island, where participation was very high this year.
When River Forest residents woke up the next morning, all of the luminarias were gone. How? Bruce Squillante started at 2am drove around and picked up all of the bags. It took 4 hours to pick them all up. Can’t wait to start all over again for 2018.
So what did it take to produce the show? Bruce and Julie Squillante along with two of their children set up just over 1,500 luminarias. Together with the nearly 1,600 luminarias sold, there were just over 3,000 lighted bags on the ground. Generating 3,000 bags with sand and a small candle is quite a task for just one person. Finding 3,000 white bags is somewhat challenging, requiring multiple trips to many stores waiting for them to be restocked. The amount of sand needed to produce 3,000 properly weighted bags is 800 lbs. Buying the sand is not enough though, as all of the sand must be thoroughly dried or the bag will get wet on the bottom and break. The dried sand is gently poured into the bags and await the candle.
The candles are purchased in bulk and but they too need special treatment. You see, not every candle is created equal. We specifically use 4 hour candles, but not all of them make it to 4 hours. Each candle is placed in the middle of the bag and the wicks are pulled straight up. Why? Because when lighting 1,500 candles it is much easier to reach the candle (and not burn yourself) if the wick is up. Even with all of this preparation, there is still one more detail. All participants receiving the kit need a container that would fit 20 bags. Once again, multiple trips to stores picking up boxes takes weeks to complete. In fact, Bruce learned the early morning produce patterns at several stores and would show up at 6:15am in order to get the boxes he needed.
So finally, the big day arrives and all of the bags are ready for delivery on the streets of River Forest. By this time Bruce has delivered all of the kits to the participants and is ready for any last minute residents who wanted a kit. Each year we have 2-3 residents asking for a kit on Luminaria Night. This December 10th we had 8. The night was going to be exciting. Laying out the 1,500 bags starts just after 3pm for the 7pm start time. This year there were 4 people laying out the bags, which were finished by 6:15pm. In what became a welcome and wonderful sight, the process of lighting the bags which would normally take at least 90 minutes, only took 30 minutes as many residents lit not only their bags, but the extra bags on the ground.
The street lights may have been a small nuisance, but the sheer volume of lights made the neighborhood a breathtaking site. For those River Forest residents that ventured over to the Island, where there are no lights, there were refreshments of some variety at three locations. You could try some German wine, hot chocolate, and some nicely spiced liquors at the various stops. There were cookies and many other treats around the Island, where participation was very high this year.
When River Forest residents woke up the next morning, all of the luminarias were gone. How? Bruce Squillante started at 2am drove around and picked up all of the bags. It took 4 hours to pick them all up. Can’t wait to start all over again for 2018.
Christmas Party - December 16, 2017
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In Memoriam - June Miller
June graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia and returned to her home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. June got a job as a claims adjuster for Liberty Mutual Insurance and started to date an old boyfriend, Ed Breen. One night they double dated with her sister and her friend Harold Miller, but before the evening ended, she found herself in the front seat with Harold, and her sister with Ed were in the back seat.
Harold was working selling new cars and June continued working at Liberty Mutual until their first baby was born. Harold wanted to go back to school to join his father with his Dentistry office. After graduating, Harold took and passed the Michigan and Florida boards. They hoped to move to Florida in a year. Harold worked with his father but a month later his father had a stroke and no longer could work. Harold worked at the practice and by that time they had three children. They discussed selling the practice and moving to Florida, but once again postponed moving.
Their children were growing and each had a horse for each of them. Debbie had a lovely gray named "Whisper"; Charlie's horse was safe and we called him "Charleyhorse", and Lin had a little gray Welch pony named "Pixie". Debbie even qualified to show at Madison Square Garden in New York City where she came in seventh, competing over fences against a hundred young riders. They sold the horses when Debbie graduated from high school.
Throughout they continued to travel each year for vacation. They did a dude ranch in Arizona; they camped; a five-day rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. They drove through the giant redwoods in California; explored Yosemite. They golfed together. In Hawaii they did sea fishing, and scuba diving. In Michigan there were family motorcycle weekends, snowmobile and fishing weekends. Harold taught them to shoot trap with his shot guns, and then pheasant hunting. They even toured through Europe, and life was good. Then on one blustery cold, wintery morning, after a three-foot snowfall, Harold came into the house after trying to clean the snow from the drive his beard and curly hair were covered with icicles. "What are we doing here?" he said. "Why don't we move to Florida?" And June said "I'm ready, let's go!" On November 29, 1978 they arrived in Ft. Myers. June and Harold joined RIFCA and were very active at the club right from the start.
On Sunday, November 28, 1995, Harold passed away. It was a terrible shock. Friends from Grand Rapids, and RIFCA, and especially Lin came to comfort June. Living among her friends and neighbors in River Forest, being active with them and continued to welcome new residents through her column, helped her dramatically. After fifteen years and well over one hundred columns of her Meet Your Neighbor June retired in March 2010. June missed interviewing new residents and getting to better meet them but planned to focus more fully on her great love, watercolor painting. June initiated the Artists show, wine and appetizer gala, that was such a great success. June's painting was selected as top painting for the Alvin Dubin Center art auction held November 17, 2017.
June moved to Shell Point. June arranged and handled so many activities at River Forest for more years than we can remember. In 2017 we joined to celebrate June's 90th birthday. Lin Hill brings June's life in full perspective. "Starting in year 2000, Mom and I took a summer trip every year, where we developed an incredible mother/daughter bond. She kept herself in good physical shape so we could do activities such as hiking, rafting and exploring numerous National Parks and Monuments of the West. We hiked Yellowstone with back country guides, hiked slot canyons of Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, and Arches Firey Furnace.
But her favorite was hiking up the Virgin River in Zion National Park to the “Narrows”, where the river was only 35 feet wide and the Canyon walls soared 2000 feet above us! Antelope Canyon was another favorite hike of which we did frequently. One of the most adventurous trips was going down the Colorado River in a rubber raft, all 280+ miles of the river! We slept in sleeping bags on the river banks and one night we were almost washed away in a flash flood! And finally, hiking up to the face and arm of the gigantic granite Crazy Horse sculpture in the Black Hills, SD.
Mom did not let any grass grow under her feet, and I am honored to have spent such fun, quality time with this wonderful woman of which I called, “Mom!”
Dick and Carol's Corner
by Dick and Carol Kennedy
I hope everyone had a great holiday season! Christmas is the greatest season isn't it, especially since The HURRICANE SEASON, is finally over, whew! 'December -Remember', couldn't get here quickly enough, could it?
In discussing the hurricanes with the possibility of flooding, it was brought to my attention, that many of our residents weren't aware of the fact that sand for sandbagging is free and readily available through many of our local Fire Precincts. The closest one to River Forest with available sand is the Buckingham Precinct on Buckingham Road. They always have a large pile of white sand available and all you need do is provide your own sandbags for filling. Sandbags are available at Wal-Mart or the Big Box Stores, Home Depot or Lowe's and are very economical, given that if you are careful, you can use them over and over again!
You should bring your own shovel, although there is usually one available at the precinct and they even have a traffic cone there; which assists one in filling the bags. This accommodation is available year around for prevention of flooding, if you are in a flood prone zone.
Given the emergency situation which arose from the recent hurricanes and tropical storms, I thought I would include a few Survival Tips:
1. Back your car into your parking area if you can, both at home and wherever you may roam. This enables you to get a 'jump start' easier, in case there is no space available next to you, if you need this assistance. Also, in these precarious times, you never know when you might need to leave in a hurry. Most Truck Drivers take this precaution as do War Veterans, if they were drivers in the military and needed to react or evacuate in a hurry, in combat situations.
2. Always have a few bottles of water or beverages on hand, especially in hot weather for yourself or others. Be a Good Samaritan. Since Florida's roads are becoming increasingly congested, one never knows when you might encounter an accident. This scenario can leave you sitting in an uncomfortable situation, sometimes for several hours. Trail Mix, Fruit Bars or Crackers can also ease the hunger pains. You might even consider the possibility of what to do if you are not close to a bathroom. You might consider procuring your own device(s) for such a situation.
3. Remember how up North, you probably had extra clothing or a warm blanket in case of an emergency? Well, down here extra water and a hand -held battery operated fan, can be a God send in helping you cope with the heat.
4. Also, considering how at times we encounter gas shortages, due to the weather, I always try to maintain at least a half tank of gas in my car. This should allow one to drive at least 100 miles, in case you need to take someone to a hospital in a neighboring area or travel a few miles for other reasons.
Additional tips for convenience or emergencies are readily available on several sites on the internet. One of my favorites is
www.4Patriots.com
MAY THE BEGINNINGS OF 2018 BE SUNNY AND BRIGHT, JUST LIKE YOU! AND MAYBE THERE’S JUST ONE MORE WAY WE CAN EACH HELP OUR NEIGHBORS A LITTLE BIT MORE.
Be sure you get to know your neighbors, we do need each other.
God bless each and every one of you. And may God bless America!
Dick and Carol Kennedy
In discussing the hurricanes with the possibility of flooding, it was brought to my attention, that many of our residents weren't aware of the fact that sand for sandbagging is free and readily available through many of our local Fire Precincts. The closest one to River Forest with available sand is the Buckingham Precinct on Buckingham Road. They always have a large pile of white sand available and all you need do is provide your own sandbags for filling. Sandbags are available at Wal-Mart or the Big Box Stores, Home Depot or Lowe's and are very economical, given that if you are careful, you can use them over and over again!
You should bring your own shovel, although there is usually one available at the precinct and they even have a traffic cone there; which assists one in filling the bags. This accommodation is available year around for prevention of flooding, if you are in a flood prone zone.
Given the emergency situation which arose from the recent hurricanes and tropical storms, I thought I would include a few Survival Tips:
1. Back your car into your parking area if you can, both at home and wherever you may roam. This enables you to get a 'jump start' easier, in case there is no space available next to you, if you need this assistance. Also, in these precarious times, you never know when you might need to leave in a hurry. Most Truck Drivers take this precaution as do War Veterans, if they were drivers in the military and needed to react or evacuate in a hurry, in combat situations.
2. Always have a few bottles of water or beverages on hand, especially in hot weather for yourself or others. Be a Good Samaritan. Since Florida's roads are becoming increasingly congested, one never knows when you might encounter an accident. This scenario can leave you sitting in an uncomfortable situation, sometimes for several hours. Trail Mix, Fruit Bars or Crackers can also ease the hunger pains. You might even consider the possibility of what to do if you are not close to a bathroom. You might consider procuring your own device(s) for such a situation.
3. Remember how up North, you probably had extra clothing or a warm blanket in case of an emergency? Well, down here extra water and a hand -held battery operated fan, can be a God send in helping you cope with the heat.
4. Also, considering how at times we encounter gas shortages, due to the weather, I always try to maintain at least a half tank of gas in my car. This should allow one to drive at least 100 miles, in case you need to take someone to a hospital in a neighboring area or travel a few miles for other reasons.
Additional tips for convenience or emergencies are readily available on several sites on the internet. One of my favorites is
www.4Patriots.com
MAY THE BEGINNINGS OF 2018 BE SUNNY AND BRIGHT, JUST LIKE YOU! AND MAYBE THERE’S JUST ONE MORE WAY WE CAN EACH HELP OUR NEIGHBORS A LITTLE BIT MORE.
Be sure you get to know your neighbors, we do need each other.
God bless each and every one of you. And may God bless America!
Dick and Carol Kennedy
