On Monday, January 3, Jessica’s oldest daughter kicked off New Year 2022 by becoming Kirstin Sappington before a judge in a simple Zoom ceremony.
Being Michael’s daughter has been something
she has wanted almost since her mom married our son. We are so pleased to officially welcome our beautiful new 17-year-old granddaughter to the Sappington family.
Our son-in-law Josh Postma was first diagnosed with kidney failure sometime in 2017 and by the time a live donor was found his kidney function had dropped to 19%. Less than one-week after his surgery on December 17, 2021 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, his kidney function is 54%!!! Our daughter Kaytee is over-the-moon excited, and we can’t blame her. It has been a very long time watching her husband’s health decline and to see him coming back to full health is amazing … nay, miraculous.
We are so grateful to a loving and omnipotent Heavenly Father who knew these kinds of medical advances would one day be available … and gave us all a second kidney as a spare-to-share when needed by someone we love or a total stranger
What we have learned in the process of watching and waiting for a kidney donor:
· 1. Only one
kidney is needed for a person to function and be healthy.
· 2. The most commonly transplanted organ is a kidney. Second is a life-saving piece of a human liver from a matching donor.
3. In 2020, about 20,000 people in extreme kidney failure received a transplant from either a live donor or a cadaver
· 4. Only 1/3 (about 5700) of all kidney transplants in the U. S. are from living donors.
· 5. There are currently more than 107,000 Americans waiting for a kidney donation. About 17 of them die each day after waiting an average of 3.6 years (Josh waited about 4 years).
· 6. Every 9 minutes another name is added to the wait list.
This has been a particularly unique Christmas holiday season and he will need to remain close to the UofU until mid-January.
Josh’s new kidney wasn’t wrapped up in pretty paper with a brightly colored ribbon but it is most certainly one of the greatest gifts anyone could ever give or receive! Thanks to Dr. Eddie from Phillipsburg, MT for being unselfishly willing – and able - to share this amazing gift-of-life.
A little side note: When Dr. Eddie first decided he could donate a kidney to our 9-fingered man (that's another story) he signed up as "Hope." Kaytee was excited to hear Hope was found to be a match but neither she nor Josh knew anyone named Hope ... nor did we, so she remained in the dark until an afternoon last last summer when they were invited to dinner at Dr. Eddie's where they met and embraced Hope.
Perhaps Dr. Eddie’s gift will inspire others to do the same!
The conference was held in Loew’s Verdana Canyon Resort but, we registered late, so the only accommodations we could find was our time share 10 miles away. Everyday we drove past the small but beautiful Tucson LDS Temple. My assignment as a member of the DG class of RY2020-21 was decorations which was fun, but I had injured my right leg getting out of bed in our camper on our last day in Halchita so I wasn’t prepared for all the walking. Still … it was a lovely 5 days with my classmates.
Based on RI’s 4-part Action Plan (in place through 2024), District 5420 was recognized – not with one, but for several outstanding achievements during RY2020-21 to (1) increase our impact, (2) expand our reach, (3) enhance participant engagement and (4) increase our ability to adapt, including a brief writeup about our Native American Initiative.
· For TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS, District 5420 came in at #1 in Zone 27 with $1,845,609.
· For ANNUAL FUND PER CAPITA GIVING, District 5420 was recognized as #1 at $302.62.
· For POLIO PLUS CONTRIBUTIONS, Zone 27 was recognized as #3 IN THE ENTIRE ROTARY WORLD with District 5420 ranking #1 with $1,075,834.
· For OTHER GIVING, District 5420 came in at #1 with $121,752
· For BUILDING THE ENDOWMENT THROUGH PER CAPITA GIVING, District 5420 was recognized as #3 at $351.65.
· For PERCENTAGE OF MEMBERS GIVING TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION, District 5420 was ranked #2 with 64% of our membership giving as “Every Rotarian, Every Year” ($100 a year)
· For NEW MEMBER RETENTION, at 93.7% District 5420 was one of 13 districts who performed above the Zone’s average.
· RI’s new MEMBERSHIP SOCIETY recognized Brent Parkin (District Youth Chair) with the silver level (30-49 members sponsored) award for sponsoring 36 new Rotarians during his history as a member of the Ogden Rotary Club (he says its more than that, but he was happy to be recognized).
· In the category of forming NEW SATELLITE CLUBS during RY2020-21, District 5420 was also acknowledged for the Rotary Club of Southern Utah Veterans and the Rotary Club of Millcreek Connecting Generations ... but Washington City Rotary Club - after 20 years and 3 attempts to organize - was officially chartered in mid-November.
Ed calls me an over-achiever, but I prefer to think of myself as one who knows how to recruit a great team!
So, now I think I have finished my DG experience. On to another adventure!
Sadly, it will be the last trip we make with the Christensens as a couple because six months later, on September 18, 2021, they were divorced at her request.
“Coincidental"
…. defined as happening or existing
at the same time.
Kaytee, Josh, Adyn, Skylar and Thoryn have purchased a ramshackle house on 5 acres of prime real estate in Opportunity, a quiet suburb of beautiful, downtown Anaconda, MT. The minute escrow closed, the entire Postma family – including Josh’s father Mark – descended on the property tearing down old structures, uprooting shrubs and trees and laying out the footprint for their big new home.
Whitney and Alex have decided, since they both work digitally, they can work anywhere, they are going to move to Maine where they believe they can find a bigger house for less money!
Stacy and Rick have decided to split … again! She is living in the trailer in Gunlock until they sort everything out. We love Rick, so we hope they can find a way to resolve their problems, so stay tuned for more details as they unfold.
Kris’s son Zach and his girlfriend Danielle are moving from Pennsylvania to Texas to be closer to her family, and where they will be getting married.
Our sister-in-law Charlene has recently sold out in Coarsegold, CA and is now settling into a new home in Sun City, AZ. She will soon be joined in AZ by her son Tyson and daughter-in-law Tanya who are moving to Phoenix.
David and Jan’L moved back from Denver to St. George last year. Their oldest son Kaler, is back in Rexburg, Idaho where he is a fulltime student at BYU-Idaho but is applying to BYU-Provo as well as Utah Valley University to finish his degree.
Our niece Tiffany, her husband Bob and 5 of their 8 kids are settling into an enormous house on 40 acres in Friant, California where their wild and crazy crew can romp and play in total freedom. I think a family reunion on their "resort" property is in the immediate future.
Selwin and Brianna, Ayah and Zion have bought a home near the St. George Airport after 4 years living with her family while he got his education – including an MBA – behind him.
At church on Sunday, two families announced they are moving ... one to northern Utah and the other to Hurricane ... and on Sunday afternoon, I got an email from one of my favorite Rotarians announcing he and his wife are moving from SLC to Florida!
Lots of changes in our large family. Could COVID be to blame for all of this motion?
"Many
groups reach out to us every year, wanting to help in some way,” noted a community leader in the remote village of Halchita,
UT, “but only Rotary has actually shown up!” And, show up we did!
At the beginning of RY2020-21, when the pandemic was wreaking havoc on the world, this Utah Rotary District Governor saw a need and an opportunity to engage Rotarians in, what then-RI President Holger Knaack called “bigger, better, bolder service to change lives” and established Utah’s Native American Initiative. The hard-working and well-connected Paul Summers (Bountiful Rotary Club) agreed to serve as NAI chair. Representatives from at least one-third of Utah’s 45 clubs immediately stepped up – in multiple ways – to assist several of Utah’s 11 tribal communities. Over the next year, many truckloads of donated materials and supplies crossed the state in support of those inordinately hard hit by the coronavirus due, in part, to multi-generational housing and a lack of reliable electricity and clean drinking water … including support for Halchita.
This tiny tribal community – located on the northern border of the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners area of southeastern Utah – is miles from anywhere. Nevertheless, the landscape - while remote and mysterious - is a cinematographer’s dream. The people are cautiously friendly – no doubt, from centuries of isolation and generations of mistrust of those who promise to treat them fairly – but don’t.
Halchita has an interesting history. When the uranium mine closed, which had employed many Halchita residents, the Utah Navajo Development Company found a way to buy the town – including all 45 homes at a cost of $75,000. A federal grant provided a way to remove asbestos and uranium from the homes which were then sold back to the residents at a cost of $450 for a 3-bedroom, $350 for a 2-bedroom and $250 for a 1-bedroom dwelling. While many still live in those homes, there is no school, no medical or emergency facilities, no businesses and no way to earn a living within 40 miles of the boundaries of this little reservation community.
After nearly 18 months of hopeful planning by Rotary leaders, somewhere between 75-100 Rotarians and their families, Rotaractors and friends of Rotary showed up on Halloween weekend (Oct. 28-31, 2021) to renovate an old school turning it into a community center. Everyone jumped in with gusto and the building became the scene of beautiful chaos (think "beehive"). Rotarians enthusiastically tore out shelves and appliances, painted almost every square inch of the building – inside and out – installed modern and professionally made cabinets in the library and kitchen (donated by a Rotarian in Cedar City and valued at about $17,000), sorted thousands of donated books to create an amazing community library, and cleaned up a baseball diamond including an improved dugout. At the conclusion of four days of “service above self,” a Trunk or Treat event attracted many nearby children excited to fill their bags with candy, toothbrushes, small toys, and books. Some also took home warm winter coats, hats, quilts and other gifts.
Sadly, some of the children did not come for Trunk or Treat, planned especially for them, because they did not have a costume or the money to buy one. We were heartbroken when we heard this!
Our only faux pas (at least we want to hope it was our only mistake) had to do with red rocks!
Some who visited our project over 4 days, commented:
· * “You did all of this for us?”
· * “I’ve lived in southeastern Utah for almost all of my 90 years … and I’ve never seen anything like this.”
· * “This week in Halchita has been a true Rotary experience. My wife (also a Rotarian) is going to be so sorry she missed this!”
· * When asked, “what is Navajo Strong?” three young staffers responded, “we are Navajos helping Navajos, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. We strive to honor our ancestors and work hard to help citizens affected by disease, poverty, and other health disparities on the Navajo Reservation … and now we’re also huge fans of Rotary!”
Our sweet friend Stephanie Ann Kaehuokalani Sappington passed into eternity on September 20, 2021 - coincidentally my mother’s and Uncle Bob Sappington’s birthday – after a valiant battle with colon cancer.
Stephanie was beautiful inside and out. She loved bird-watching, movies (her favorite was "The King and I"), Beatles music, video games; her dog Sam, who when he died was buried under the family's apple tree in the backyard of their Santa Clara home. She also loved hiking, camping, playing the piano or her violin or sharing her beautiful singing voice in the shower or with her ward choir; and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ with children - hers and everyone else's! But, she mostly loved her family, including her husband Ron. She and Ron were married for 42 years, 7 months and 17 days - and together they shared 8 wonderful kids (including two who were actually adopted grandchildren and who were sealed to them).
She spent the last month of her life in the hospital. When asked what she missed most about being at home - aside from Ron - she said "working on family history, going to church, my church family and seeing and talking with my family and neighbors."
People wonder how we are related, and I guess technically, we aren’t since she – like me – is not a Sappington by blood, but by marriage. However, we found a common Sappington ancestor in Ed’s 4th great-grandfather and Ron’s 5th great-grandfather making our husbands something like 16th cousins.
The shocking other coincidence is how much Ron looks like a combination of Ed’s brothers Robert and Phil, except he has Jim Holiday’s fancy facial hair in the form of a handlebar mustache!
We met Ron and Stephanie not long after they moved here and felt an instant connection, not because of our name-in-common, but because they are delightful people.
Stephanie and I got a good laugh out of this story, but I felt bad she didn’t get paid!
We have had them over for dinner from time-to-time and see them in the community occasionally. We will miss her!
Rest in peace, beautiful Stephanie!
Beau Taylor Dunkley, firstborn child of Kendi Hansen and Taylor Dunkley, was born at 6:30 p.m. on September 1, 2021. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 8 oz.
When just 8 days old, she strapped him into his swing, and walked down the hall to her bedroom to change her shirt but felt impressed her baby was in trouble. Returning to the living room, she found their very big dog Ralph with the baby's head in his mouth. Luckily, because he was strapped in, the dog was not able to pull him out of the swing, which may have saved his teeny, tiny new life.
She rushed baby Beau to the hospital emergency room where he was examined and declared OK aside from tooth marks resulting in blood and a little bruising, but, for sure Beau's Momma and Daddy are going to need a few days to recover.
And, no, the dog no longer lives with the family!
We are so proud of Stephanie Shipley Lovell, a wife, mother and now also a Certified Public Accountant working for a couple of years in the accounting department at Domo, Inc., a cloud software company based in American Fork, UT. Domos specializes in business intelligence tools and data visualization.
It’s been a long road to her goal but she has just received word and it’s official! To reach this milestone, the State of Utah (the certifying agency) required her to get her education in the state. She is a BYU graduate with a degree in accounting. She was also required to take Utah’s uniform CPA exam; get the necessary experience in the Beehive State; get the Utah CPA license; and, now she will be required to maintain her license through continuing education studies.
Simeon’s Mrs. and Sydney’s momma has now made her
own mark in the world and she’s going to continue to achieve because … well,
that’s just the kind of woman she is. We are pleased to call her one of our
own.
The next stop on our Circuit Vacation was Seattle, where we spent two nights with my brother (and only sibling) Larry Henion in his one-bedroom, one-bathroom condo where we got to know his three cats – Roscoe, Grady and 6-month-old Theo. While in this bustling city, we enjoyed seafood, family stories, ice cream and watching a couple of hours of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. We also enjoyed a self-guided tour of the Kobota Gardens (aka the Seattle Japanese Garden), “a tranquil sanctuary” with winding paths and benches and open to the public since 1960.
My dad was one of 8 children born to my grandparents Harry and Else Werner Henion. At one time, I had 17 living cousins but today only 8 remain … of which 5 were around the table at the very expensive Duke’s restaurant in Tacoma, WA. Those in attendance were Don Wheeler (whose brother Ken passed since our last cousins’ reunion), Clifford Elford, Coyia Keables and my brother Larry and me. My cousin Barbara Elford Larsen’s daughter Caren was also with us, as were her husband Ron, their son Corbin and their granddaughter. We talked, shared stories and got caught up over a lovely three-hour lunch. What surprised me was how little most of them knew about the Henion side of their DNA. Some of them asked me to share my Henion family information … and Coyia asked if I wanted some of the large photos she has of our grandparents and other relatives! Well, YES!!!
SIDENOTE: In conversation with my cousins, the topic of another reunion came up. Those who attended the one in St. George called it one of their favorites. However, my oldest cousin Don Wheeler (he’s 90) only remembered Kris and Stacy “fought the whole time.”
From Tacoma, we made a little side trip to Dallas, OR (inland about 60 miles from Portland) for an overnight stay with my cousin Judy Rickards McAlpine (one of only 5 cousins on my mother’s side, including Judy’s sister Janee and my uncle Bill’s kids – Jamie, Julie and Billy [deceased]). It was a short but pleasant visit punctuated by dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant – one of her favorite places because they allow her to bring her two miniature poodle “service dogs” Pandora and Paris.
SIDENOTE: Judy is the oldest daughter of my mother’s sister Mickie but my mother considered Judy the daughter she never had. Like my mother, Judy loves glitz, glamour and bling while I am a work horse who is not afraid to get my hands dirty. I don’t spend a lot of time stressing over who my mother wanted me to be because I am confident in who I am. While my relationship with my mother affected me, it did not define me!!!
AND FROM THE “6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION” DEPARTMENT: My cousin Judy mentioned one of her good friends in Dallas, OR had recently returned from St. George where she attended the funeral of her brother who had died from cancer. It turns out, Judy’s friend Jan Halter is the sister of Dean Cox, our recently deceased Washington County Commissioner and a longtime member of St. George Rotary Club.
My goals for our 2nd circuit vacation were to “escape Rotary" which totally consumed me throughout our long and challenging COVID year as Utah Rotary District Governor and to see friends and family we haven’t seen in several years. Ed’s goal was to take lots of photos of every stretch of seacoast, every rocky landscape and every stand of trees.
We had planned to spend two nights with Charlene, but it turned out she was dog sitting for Tiffany and Bob who had taken some time off with their kids before Josh leaves for Fukuoka, Japan (where Todd lives) on a full-time Church mission. She had left her front door unlocked so we could get in, but a few minutes after we arrived, she showed up. We spent the evening getting caught up with our favorite sister-in-law. The next morning, we headed home to pick up 17 days of mail, get reacquainted with our St. George kids, watch some of the 50+ hours of our favorite (mindless) TV shows saved in our queue and snuggle with our cat, Charles. It took us 12 hours from Fresno to St. George … and 3 days to recuperate!
