PARISH PICNIC 2008

It was such a pleasure to meet many of you Wednesday at the parish picnic. I was surprised by how truly meaningful and heartwarming it was to hear the stories of those who joined us for the parade and visited the alumni booth throughout the day. Even though I don't believe I've missed a picnic in the last 35 years, this time around -- talking with all of you -- made it feel like a different sort of homecoming for me, and I hope you shared these feelings. Thank you for sharing your memories with me.

Aside from collecting address changes and selling car magnets, I learned a lot.

Some graduates from the 1940s informed me that a wall on the second floor of the school building had been graced by photos of all graduating classes. They wondered what had happened to those photos, and I assured them that I would try to find out.

Many alums talked about the changes in the neighborhood, where markets and service stations had once been. On the other hand, Gerry Schaeffer ('51) remarked on the parade route that he was glad to see how much things have stayed the same.

One alum, who had grown up in what is now Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, pointed out that in the early days of St. Stephen parish, the boundaries were larger, encompassing areas that were later taken on by newer churches.

Two ladies reminisced about Msgr. Hoelting's visits to the classrooms.

Marie Berne Reilly ('39) wore her eighth-grade ribbon and informed me that the school colors at that time were blue and gold.

One alum remembered being the first to serve a Mass in the new church; others recalled cleaning up after the fire in the old church.

We had representation from all decades. Parade-goers and visitors to the booth included:

Loretta Sikorski ('35)
Richard Sollman ('38)
Marie Berne Reilly ('39)
Al Eckert ('42)
Bart Dyer ('45)
Shirley Merz Kuhn ('45)
Ernie Sciaroni ('47)
Marilyn Merz Kaelin ('50)
Mary Joan Steppan Schneider ('51)
Gerry Schaeffer ('51)
Mary Ruppel Mattingly ('57)
Ann Nester Cleeland ('57)
Gene Ramage ('57)
John Pelch ('57)
Marie Weindel Strayhorn ('57)
John Niebling ('58)
Jim Prag ('58)
Janet Niebling Evers ('59)
Richard Kohnen ('60)
Jane Alles ('61)
Judy Niebling Liermann ('62)
Joan Hempen ('63)
Bob Dowd ('65)
Paul Alles ('65)
Lisa Schulte Brown ('66)
Jill Marica Conway ('69)
John Esswein ('71)
Steve Butz ('72)
Steve Westbrook ('73)
David Eller ('73)
Paul Krus ('75)
Tim Myles ('75)
Ken Brotherton ('77)
Donna Hutchison Taylor ('78)
Andy Sciaroni ('78)
Laura Esswein Rettig ('81)
Laura Sestric Schulte ('82)
Vicki Arcipowski Pauley ('82)
Cathy Greco ('83)
Tim Krueger ('83)
Stephanie Oehler Wobbe ('84)
Chuck Pemberton ('85)
Laura Holdenried Mueller ('86)
Jeff Richardson ('87)
Tim Harrison ('88)
Jen Lenhardt Malamas ('88)
Amy Oehler McCubbins ('88)
Trish Hutchison Blackstun ('90)
Paula Stoff Dean ('90)
Nikki Varga Wilson ('92)
Dave Wallace ('94)
Brian Quante ('95)
Chris Oppelt ('96)
Nathan Powers ('97)
Tim Horvat ('98)
Joe Puricelli ('00)
Zach Paule ('00)
Mallory Rusch ('00)
Kelly Terry ('03)
Joe Bennett ('04)
Alison Broekelmann ('06)
Emily Cook ('06)
Melanie Harbaugh ('06)
Katie Tichacek ('08)


There were many other alums who were "spotted" or who stopped to visit without signing in. We also had a raffle at the booth. Thanks to all who entered. The winner of a St. Stephen's hoodie sweatshirt is Mary Joan Schneider ('51).

Steve Butz ('72) gets an honorable mention for providing us with the most address updates/verifications, as he donated a large chunk of his day double-checking all 10 of his siblings and four of his six children.

Same for David Eller ('73) for rounding up the most people in the beer garden to check in with us.

And John Esswein ('71) for traveling the farthest (to my knowledge) to join us from Perryville, Mo.

We hope to see even more of you next year. Have a great summer!

Stephanie Oehler Wobbe ('84)