St. Louis Park High School Class of 65

Sparky is sad to announce the passing of another classmate. Linda Weber Zuel on 02/12/2024. Her obituary can be found on our "Personal Memorials" page.
09/01/2023...Sparky is pleased to say I am finally able to get into the new website and make some long needed updates. I am sad to report, we have lost three additional classmates this year. They are as follows: Thomas "Mouse" Bracher, James Broughton and Walter "Scott" Clark. I have added their names to our "In Memorial" page and also to the "Personal Memorial" page.
07/26/2023...Sparky has been working with the vendor to create a more user friendly site for us. Some of the old features are coming back on line today so, standby!
06/25/2023...Greetings Classmates..Some of you have likely already visited our website and noticed there are some rather dramatic changes.(!?) Sparky was also surprised to see the new look and is presently plowing his way through the manager portion to get himself up to speed. I know there are some important announcements waiting to be posted and Sparky asks for your patience as he sorts things out..... thanks
11/10/2022...Sparky is pleased to finally update you with a recape of our "75/57..Stroll Down Memory Lane" event from this summer. Go to the "New Reunion Info" page to see the cover letter we created to accompany our Class donation to The Ronald McDonald House. Please read the letter, it tells the story around our efforts to make this contribution.
10/21/2022...Sparky is, once again, reporting the loss of yet another classmate: William "Billy" Jacobson has passed away. Billy lost a valiant battle with cancer on October 9th. Here is the URL for his obituary.
09/09/2022...Sparky's least favorite tast: we have lost two more classmates in the pased month. Steve Hansen passed away on August 19 th and Lynda Spencer Durst on August 30th. The link to Steve's obituary, Lynda's.
07/26/2022...If you missed the Reunion, it was a great time! Watch the Photo Albums page for a photo recap...(coming soon)
07/12/2022...Sparky is looking forward to seeing all of you who have registered for the "Stroll Down Memory Lane" weekend! It's little more than a week away!! There's still time to sign up so, don't delay..
07/05/2022....Be sure to check the "Who's Coming" pages to see who has already registered to attend the upcoming reunion!
06282022...Sparky's unfortunate duty to inform you we lost another classmate. Jack Spetz died suddenly on June 21st. Here is the url to his obituary.
06/24/2022.....Sparky wants to remind you: the registrations for the upcoming Reunion Event close on July 7th... don't delay!
05/25/2022...Sparky's least favorite duty is to report the loss of another Park High 65er. Lynda Van Poll passed away on September 29, 2021. Here is the URL for her obituary:
05/02/2022..Sparky is excited to alert you to the "New Reunion Info" page where you can see the, soon to be released, reunion announcement and registration piece. This will be either emailed to you or put into regular mail this week. If we don't have your email on file, please be sure to indicate to us what it is. It is becoming more and more difficult to communicate through traditional mailing and it will help you Committee to reduce that number.
4/25/2022... Check out to total hits we've had on our Class Website. As of now we have over 145,000 views!
4/10/2022...This is Sparky's least favorite duty: I must pass on the loss of two more classmates. Tom Hartland and Tom Laurie. Details can be found on the "Personal Memorial" page.
3/31/2022...Sparky has been asked to alert you to the passing of a former classmate Mary Barnum Holt onSeptember 24, 2022. Here is the link to her obituary.
3/28/2022...Sparky has created a survey on the new "RSVP for the 7557" page. Please take a look and fill out the questions.

This is only an indication of your interest and not a firm reservation. When the final costs are calculated, Sparky will provide a formal reservation page. More news to follow....
03/22/2022...Sparky is working on updating the PowerPoint show from the 50th reunion and needs some help. If you have any photos from the "70th Birthday Bash", please let Sparky know so he can build a few of them into the ppt. Thanks!
01/18/2022...Plans for the "75th-57th" reunion are moving ahead. So far the activities have been set and details concerning refreshments, costs and registration will be finalized soon. Updates will be posted on the "New Reunion Info" page so, stay tuned for more!!
12/10/2021...Once again, our class has lost another member. Dave Dikel pass away on
11/26/2021. Here is the URL for his obituary.
11/21/2021...Sparky had a sit down with the new Class Reunion Committee Chair: Rollie Troup to go over some prliminary plans for our "57/75" party next year. Here is an brief overview from Rollie:
Fabulous "Stroll Down Memory Lane" weekend planned for July 22-23, 2022. Friday we'll have a golf tournament, lawn bowling, bar, salads and pizza at Brookview.
Saturday night we will have the best seats in the city for the Aquatennial Fireworks, one of the top five fireworks displays in the country. The evening will include food, beverages, music and maybe some surprises.

We are working on the pricing and hope to have bus service from a hotel in St. Louis Park to The Carlyle on the Mississippi.

Please have everyone Save the Date for a "Stroll Down Memory Lane."
11/19/2021...Classmmate Jeff Gordon alerted Sparky to the passing of another Park High 65er: Robert "Bob Wexler" passed away in July of 2020. Unfortunately, Sparky has so far been unable to locate an Obituary.
09/8/2021...The story continues: Sparky has been made aware of the loss of two more Class of 65ers. Susan Lynch Almquist and Richard "Dick" Nestor have both pass away recently. Links to their obituaries can be found on our "In Memoriam" page.
08/15/2021...Sparky's least favorite job, I was just notified our classmate, Ron Roberts passed away on August 1, 2021. Here is the url for his obituary.
07/10/21...Once again it is Sparky's duty to report the loss of another classmate. Patti "Trisha" Bach Robbins passed away on July 2nd. Here is the URL to her obituary.
05/17/21...Sparky was just alerted to some more sad news. Sandra Eidem (Alexander) passed away on March 24, 2021. There is acopy of her obituary on the Personal Memorials page.
02/27/21...Sparky received an email from Merit Fredheim in response to our Reunion Questionnaire and I thought I would share it with you:

Hello to all of you,
I see no point in filling out the questionnaire. For me it’s not the time to plan holidays overseas, but of course it may be different for you who live in the US. It would have been wonderful to be back and see you all - even if I don’t play golf

If you go ahead with the reunion please post pictures so I can image how it was. I’m waiting for the vaccine (shouldn’t be long now), and I suppose I’ll feel better when that’s done. But I belive it will take time before the world is safe enough and the airfare cheap enough for me to travel from Norway to Minnesota.

Maybe in 2025

Good wishes to everybody!

Marit
01/04/2021... Classmate Don Feinberg alerted Sparky that Park High 65 Classmate John Hughes passed away on January 3, 2021. No other details are available at this time.
09/14/2020...Yet another. Classmate Nancy Christopher passed asway on September 8, 2020. Here is the link to her obituary.
9/09/2020...Sparky's least favorite role as Web Manager for our website is to report the loss of our classmates. Today I have to report the loss of two more: Robert Wexler and Gloria Soles. I regret so far I have not found a link to Robert's obituary but here is the link to Gloria's.
8/03/2020...Sparky was notified we've lost yet another classmate, Dr. Harold Londer passed away on July 29,2020. Harold transfered from North High and joined the class of 65 in his Senior year. Here is the URL to his obituary.
6/29/2020...Sparky just received a touching email from Linda Zuel Weber's husband. It is available to be read on the “Your News and Update” page.
6/5/2020...Another sad news day, Sparky just learned fellow classmate Jay Hoffman passed away on June 4th. Here is the link to his obituary.
05/11/2020... Sad new today, ParkHigher 65er Harvey Filister passed away. Here is the URL to his obituary.
04/02/2020...Sparky was notified one of our recent direct mailers came back marked as recipient deceased. I am sad to report classmate Patricia Younger is believed to have passed away. After searching for a link to an obituary, Sparky was unable to locate one. Hopefully this report is accurate and, as soon as it can be located, her obituary will be posted.
03/24/2020....The Reunion committee has had some of the most recent mailings they sent out returned. Please take a moment and glance at the updated "Help Us Find" page and see if you can help us out.
03/24/2020...You may have noticed there is a new page on our website now. It has been created to provide a space for anyone who wishes to share encouraging thoughts on today's crazy times. Please feel free to send them to Sparky and he will attempt to post them on the new page.
03/18/2020...Sparky has a special message from our Norwegian exchange student Marit Fredheim:

Hi,

I have no change of email address and no information of the people you’re searching for. Just wanted to say I’m sorry that I won’t be able to travel overseas this year. Hopefully there’ll be a 60 years celebration in five years, and also hopefully I’ll be just as healthy then as today. My host sister Deb came to see me in Norway last September. The last time she came was 50 years ago, so it was about time. It was wonderful to see her again.

I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic celebration. Please say hello from me to everybody.

Enclose a photo. Getting old!

Greetings,

Marit Fredheim
03/16/2020...With all the scary news these days, Sparky has an uplifting video for you all to watch. I sure most, if not all, of you remember our classmate Bob Stein. Just recently he received a surprise award and I am providing here the link for you to see this. Here is the link to the video. Congratulations to Bob for some well deserved recognition.
12/18/19....Sparky is, once again, sad to post the loss of one more classmates. Sandralynn "Sandi" Bowlin Miller passed away in August. Here is the url to her obituary.
12/05/19...Sparky is sad to post the loss of another classmate. Steve Gill passed away yesterday. Here is the url to his obituary.
10/21/2019...Sparky was just alerted to the loss of another classmate; Nancy Beaubaire. Here is the URL to her obituary.
10/08/19...Sparky received an email from Eleanor Zanna Brown, Tom Zanna's sister, alerting our class to a special ceremony in Tom's memory. Here is the text from her email:

Sadly, as you may already know from your Memorial reunion site, my brother, Tom, passed away last February. Roy Stromme, your classmate, provided me with your class emails so I could invite those who may wish attend a Celebration of Life in his honor at
Town and Country Club (300 Mississippi River Boulevard St. Paul) November 10, 2019 11:00-2:00.

When I talked to one of Tom's colleagues from New Jersey last week, I was informed that the Center for Autism Research at Rutgers is in the midst of establishing an ongoing Fellowship in Tom's name to honor him for all his recent work on highlighting Autism Research in New Jersey. This news, to me, was incredibly heartening in these last many months of feeling bereft. For sure, it is a wonderful cause to celebrate Tom's memory as wells as his St. Louis Park High School's roots. I hope to have more information to share by the time of his Celebration of Life event. Thank you for allowing me to reach out.
My Best,
Eleanor Zanna Brown

08/19/19... As the lyric goes: "And the beat goes on".. Classmate Rollie Troup just notified Sparky of the passing of another member of the class of 1965. Pam Neff Rothstein recenly passed on. Here is the link to here obituary.

A Personal Memorial will be posted soon.
07/12/19... Sparky was just notified the class of 1965 just lost another classmate. Bob Bergeson passed away on July 9, 2019. More information will be available shortly on our Personal Memorials page. Here is the URL for his obituray.
03/12/19... It seems like these things come in bunches, Sparky is, once again, sad to announce the loss of another classmate. Marcia Strimling Tuttle passed away on Sunday, March 10, 2019. Here is the url to here obituary.
02/15/19... Sparky has not had to post any sad news for a long time however, it is that time again now. He is sad to report the loss of another classmate: Martin Thomas "Tom" Zanna. Here is the url to his obituary in the Minneapolis paper.
04/25/18...Seems like this part of Sparky's duties are becoming way too regular: Sparky is asked to announce the passing of our classmate Cathie Duncan (Johnson-Sepp). Formal details have not been officially published but the family has announced some of the details of her memorial. The memorial service will be held on Tuesday, April 1, 2018 at Wooddale Luther Church in St. Louis Park. The address is: 4003 Wooddale Ave. So. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am followed by a memorial service at 11:00 and luncheon at the church will follow that. Also, after the luncheon the internment will be held at Lakewood Cemetery. Here is the link to her obituary.
04/15/18... Sparky has another bit of sad news to pass on today. Classmate Robert Sage has passed away. Here is the URL to his obituary.
3/1/18...Sparky is pleased to announcd to everyone, that one of our many distinguished classmates: Mike Martin was recently invited to a special event at the Minnesota Twins training facility in Fort Meyers, Florida. Here is a link to his preparation for his role in the event...
2/4/18.... Sparky was informed about yet another classmate passing away. Mary Jane Yeager Crawford passed away on January 27, 2018. Here is the link to the formal announcement.
01/24/18... Classmate Bonnie Sell notified Sparky that another Class of 65er passed away. Sunny Sizer passed on September 15th. Here is the link to her obituary.
11/22/17... Sparky received an email today announcing the loss of our classmate Linda Hartman (Rozen). More details can be found posted on the "Personal Memorials" page.
11/11/17..... It is another sad day for the class of 65. Another classmate, Steve Feldman, died on unexpectedly on 11/10. Many of you knew Steve served on the Class Reunion Committee for many years and Sparky will miss his participartion and warm friendship. Here is a link to his obitiuary in the Minneapolis paper.
11/02/17.... Here is a link to Dave Chorzempa's obituary.
10/24/17... Not a particulary good week for the Class of 65, the passing of two more classmates has just been brought to Sparky's attention: Both Greg Gears and Dave Chorzempa passed away over the past week. Here is a link to Greg's obituary
9/18/17... Sparky was informed we lost yet another classmate: Mark Freidson passed away on September 16th. Here is the link to his obiturary.
8/16/17... Sparky was, once again, notified an unidentified element accessed our website information. Sparky has gone into the security settings and placed an additional restriction on who can access certain pages. So, you will be asked to identify yourself with your assigned "password" to gain access to both the "Contact US" page and the "Classmate Profile" pages.
7/21/17... Sparky was informed we lost two more calssmates: Arnie Hymanson passed away on 7/17/2017. Here is a link to his obituary in the Star Tribune. Also, Sparky was just notified Barbara Blettner (Offerd) passed away about a year ago. I have not been able to locate her obituary yet but, will continue to search for it.

6/19/17... Sparky is sad to say: "Last week was not good for the Class of 65". We lost two more classmates, Mary Ann Johnson (Olander) and James Probst both passed away.

You can also find more on the Personal Memorials page of our website.
5/17/17... Sadly the list gets longer all the time. Sparky has been alerted to the loss of classmate Rick MacKrell. Here is the link to his obituary and information concerning his memorial service.
4/18/17... Sparky was just notified about yet another, Steve "Stoney" Burke passed away on 4/16. Here is the link to his obituary in the Minneapolis paper.
3/30/17... Sparky was alerted to the loss of classmate Nancy Lear yesterday. Here is the link to her obituary in the Minneapolis paper.
1/27/17... On a slightly lighter note: 2017 is the year the class of 1965 turns 70...... wow.... Sparky can't hardly believe it!
1/27/17... A new year and another loss. Classmate Nathan Neff passed away on January 25, 2017. Sparky received an email last night alerting him to Nathan's obituary. Here is the link.
11/23/16... Yet another classmate has passed on recently. Sparky just learned that Dan Berdass passed away on 11/22/16. Here is a link to his obituary from the Minneapolis Star.
11/22/16... Sparky is passing on a recent email from our Class President:

I am sorry to report that one of our favorite teachers/coaches/caddymasters, Mr. Bohmbach passed away last week. According to his obituary, memorials can be sent to St. Louis Park High School- Athletics department, 6425 W. 33rd St. , St. Louis Park, Mn 55426. As I have often told his son-in-law Jay Simons, Cliff was the best pure shooter I have ever seen on a basketball court. His players and students will miss him.

TMSipkins
11/17/16... And again, Sparky needs to inform you that our classmate Sanford "Sandy" Proosow passed away on 11/16/16. Here is the link to his obituary:
10/06/16... They say these come in threes...

Sparky has been notified that our classmate: Bill Dahl passed away on Monday 10/3. Here is the url link to his obituary.
9/22/16... It saddens Sparky to announce the loss of another classmate, Bruce Chesin passed away on Monday, September 19, 2016. Here is a link you can copy and paste to an article about Bruce and his "Chicago Dogs" business in Stillwater, MN and at the Minnesota State Fair.
8/23/16... And once again Sparky is sad to report the loss of yet another classmate. Mark Rettig alerted us to the passing of Nancy (Milless) Gray. Here is the link to her obituary.
05/09/16... It's been a while since Sparky has posted any news and Sparky is sad to say this post is, once again, not good news. Ken Tupper has alerted us to the loss of former classmate Timothy Haley. Tim was on the "Help us Find List" for a very long time and, unfortunately, we have found him. Here is a link to copy to access his recent obituary.
01/11/16... Happy New Year from Pharkhigh65. This year you will soon be seeing some new looks at the website. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to comment via the "Contact Us" page, this is your website and your imput is certainly welcome. Also, if you are still holding on to any photos of the 50th reunion you would like to see uploaded to the Photo Albums, please send them along. Sparky would be glad to get them installed.
11/25/15... SPARKY IS PLEASED TO ALERT YOU TO THE NEW PHOTO ALBUMS NOW UP AND AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO VIEW. THE 50TH REUNION PICTURE ALBUMS ARE NOW TURNED ON!!!
11/24/15... Sparky isn't having fun today. It was just announced that yet another classmate: Steve Litt passed away on 11/22. Thank you to Jeff Koval and Jay Hoffman for alerting me to this. Here is the link to his obituary.
11/23/15...Once again Sparky has the sad task to report the loss of another classmate and former swim team collegue. Ron Pfannsmith pass away on November 19, 2015. Here is a link to a memorial page set up for him by his family.
10/21/15... Some sad news to pass along today. Sparky has learned that our old coach and friend "Lefty" Wright has succumbed to cancer after a long and valient battle. Many of you know he was a regular participant at some of our past reuion gatherings. Here is the link to an announcement posted on the UofM website.

Thanks to all of you who passed this along for others to see.
9/09/15... Sparky has good news today! Barb Eckstrom Norkus replied to us with her email address! One more off the "Help Us Find" list. Thanks go out to John Skalet for pointing us in the right direction.
9/04/15... Sparky is sad to report the loss of yet another classmate. Penny Sudit Glassman has been added to the "In Memoriam" page. Here is the link to her obituary: http://www.hodroffepsteinmemorialchapels.com/m/obituaries/Penny-Glassman/Memories
9/02/15... WOW what a party!! Sparky is still trying to digest all the fun we had at all the events associated to our 50th Class reunion. The boat cruise, the high school tour, pizza at the PT, golfing at the Wilds, and last but certainly not least, the GALA EVENT Saturday night and the rocken sounds of Barry Siewart and the "Rocker Brother Band" and the amaizing return performance by "The High Spirits"!! I hope everyone had as good a time as I did!! Now it's time to capture your pictures and compose a photo album to display on the "Photo Albums" page here on our class website. Also, Linda Steele Harrier is working on the final set up for the Memory Book CD and wants to include any and all pictures she can fit on the disk. So, please send them in their original format to the parkhigh65@gmail.com address too. If they are uploaded onto our website the picture reprint quality is not as good. Thanks in advance for that.
8/18/15... One of Sparky's least favorite tasks is to keep you all updated on the loss of our classmates. As we contacted everyone we had information on, we received this response from a former classmate's spouse : I am sad to inform you that my wife, Sue Hanson Rees, died in August 2014, after suffering from cancer for three years. We were married at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in St Louis Park in January 1970, and immediately after moved to London, where we remained, but Sue visited Minneapolis regularly.

Yours sincerely

Robert Rees
8/12/15... As a result of our efforts to contact as many classmates as possible, Sparky is please to say: Chris Kaminski is no longer on the help us find list...! Thanks for contacting us Chris!
8/2/15... FOUND! Sparky is happy to report, Elsa Teicher Sonder has found us and is coming to the 50th. Thanks Elsa, for sending in your comments!
7/20/14... We found another classmate, Linnea Wells Campion has registered for the 50th so Sparky can take her off the "Help us Find" page. YEAH one less missing classmate! Linnea, if you happen to check back on the web on occasion, please go to the "Classmates Profiles" page and update your contact information for us. Sparky wants to be sure we have you on our list for announcements etc.
6/17/15... More sad news today, a number of our classmates alerted Sparky to the loss of another former Park Higher. Penny Sudit Glassman passed away. Here is the link to her memorial information:View Penny's memorial website here
5/22/15... Sparky has some positive news today: Marsha Chernoff Golob found Georgia Andreson Carlson for us so, she is now off the "Help Us Find" list. Thanks Marsha! Please remember, there are still a number of missing classmates so check the Help Us Find page and see if there is someone there you know about.
5/6/15... Seems to be a flurry of not so good news these days. Classmate Deb Gelhar alerted us to the recent passing of Elaine Larson. Sparky found a copy of the brief death announcement from her home town in Washingtion state.
5/5/2015... Sparky just learned, classmate Elayne Crane passed away. She was believed to be living in Florida but no other details are available right now.
4/22/15.... Thanks to fellow classmate, Mike Wildes, Sparky is pleased to tell you we have found a missing classmate, Dwight Miller. He is currently living in the Portland, Oregon area and, If you would like to contact him, his most recent email address is: twomillers6552@q.com.. Thanks Mike!
04/20/2015.... Sparky received an email through our "Contact US" page with the following sad news: I came across this on the web while searching for an old friend from high school. She was a very sweet person. Dianne Nestvold Fulton, Class of 65. (May 11, 1947 - July 4, 2012) Dainne K. Fulton, Age 65 of Burnsville formerly of Aitkin, MN, passed away on July 3, 2012. She is preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Esther Nestvold. Survived by loving daughter

Thanks to J Langseth for the information.
03/23/15.. New comments on the "Reunion Updates" page.. check it out!
03/23/15.. Sparky is pleased to report, another missing classmate has been found!! Reidun Swenson made contact via the website and is now off the "Help Us Find" page.
03/12/15.. One day after Sparky posted we were looking for classmate Steve Granning, he responded with an full update of his contact information. Thanks for the update Steve and for your interest in our class website!!
1/24/15.. In our ongoing search for missing classmates and, as a result of the recent 50th Reunion mailing, Sparky has been alerted to the sad news about former classmate Duane Tervola. It appears he passed away on September 1, 2013. Our thanks go out to Bridget Tervola for sharing this with us.
1/6/15... Yet another classmate has passed on. Donald "Skins" Larson passed away on 12/30/14. Thanks go out to Bruce Wallace for posting this on FaceBook today. There is also a new posting on our "Personal Memorials" page.
1/6/15... There is a new page added to our Class Website today: "Personal Memorials" This page now will allow classmates to post a memorial to any classmate that has passed on. Sparky invites you to visit this new page and share your thoughts, post pictures and pay tribute to a classmate and share it with others.
1/2/15... Thanks to classmate Rollie Troup, we have found two more missing classmates. However, Sparky is sad to say, they have both passed away. Marcia Mattsen and Andrew Foss have been added to our "In Memoriam" page today.
12/25/14... Sadly Sparky has to announce the lose of yet another classmate. Linda McKusick Romov passed away on Christmas day after a long battle with cancer. Here is the link to the announcement.

more information has been provided by Cindy Pratt Thayer on the "Your News & Updates Page" and Nancee Scholtec Wright on FaceBook.
11/20/14... Sparky has some additional updates on the loss of two more of our classmates: Jann Montgomery passed away in 2012 and, more recently, George Vita passed on November 15th. Live for the moment Park High 65ers..
11/02/14 Sparky is sad to announce the passing of another class mate, Peter Hagen. Here is the link to his obituary in yesterday's Star Tribune:
10/20/14 Thanks to Craig Wylie, we were updated on the status of another classmate. Curtis Hall passed away in September of 2012 from the lasting side effects of his exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Viet Nam in the sixties.
10/13/14. Sparky is, once again, sad to report the loss of another classmate, Sandee Cohodes Landa passed away suddenly on October 6th. Here is the link to here obituary in the Minneapolis paper:
5/27/14.. Seems like a not so welcome pattern has evolved lately, Sparky is, once again, sad to report we have lost another classmate. Dennis Ikola passed on May 20th. Here is the web address to his obituary in the Minneapolis Star:

for those of you keeping track of this, Dennis' passing brings our total lost classmates to 78 of the over 800 in our class.
4/21/14.. Not so good news today. Sparky is sad to annouce, our classmate, and Sparky's swim team teammate, Jeff Nelson has passed away. His step sister, Cindy Pratt Thayer, has posted a more formal announcement on the "Your News and Updates" page. update 071414: here is a link to Jeff's
3/17/14... WoW yet another classmate has passed away. For those of you that knew Linda Benjamin, she pass away on March 10, 2014. Here is a link to Linda's obituary.
1/25/14 .. Again Sparky is sad to announce the passing of yet another one of our classmates, Terje "Terry" Hausken passed on January 18th. Here is the link to Terry's obituary.
12/27/13.. Sadly, Sparky needs to update some important information: Ronnie Sherman and Rebecca Longabaugh also passed away in mid September. Here are the links to their obituaries:

Longabaugh....

Sherman.......
09/13/13.. Sparky is sad to announce the passing of another classmate: Roxy Orenstein Applebaum passed away on Aug.14th. Here is a link to her obituary: http://www.forevermissed.com/roxyapplebaum/#about
12/9/2012 Sparky is, once again, said to announce the passing of another class mate: Patti McFarland Botes passed away December 5th at home surrounded by friends and family. No other details were available.
11/12/12 For those of you that had Lyle Hanks as a coach, teacher or rold model he passed away recently. Here is his obituary:
8/20/12 Sparky is sad to report Mark Rosen passed away on August 15th of natural causes. Recent communications with Mark indicated he had just retired and looked forward to seeing some of his old classmates at the upcoming celebration on August 25th.
5/17/12 Sparky is sad to announce the passing of Diane Kaplan. Here is the information sent to us by our classmate Nancy Johnson:

...There seems to be a question of how many classmates where in the class of 1965. As editor of the senior section of the Echowan, I can tell you that we received 820 senior pictures for use in the 1965 yearbook. Unfortueately, no names were on the pictures. With the help of yearbook and paper staff, friends, and anyone else we could find we managed to identify and match all but seven people to the class list. The other seven we just guessed and placed with the seven remaining names (we must have been correct because no one complained!). The class of 1965 with 820 members was the largest graduating class of St. Louis Park High School. I hope this is helpful. Sparky thanks Nancy for her help here ... any way you spell it, there are a lot of us!!??

10/21/2022...Sparky is, once again, reporting the loss of yet another classmate: William "Billy" Jacobson has passed away. Billy lost a valiant battle with cancer on October 9th. Here is the URL for his obituary.

09/09/2022...Sparky's least favorite tast: we have lost two more classmates in the pased month. Steve Hansen passed away on August 19 th and Lynda Spencer Durst on August 30th. The link to Steve's obituary, Lynda's.

07/26/2022...If you missed the Reunion, it was a great time! Watch the Photo Albums page for a photo recap...(coming soon)

07/12/2022...Sparky is looking forward to seeing all of you who have registered for the "Stroll Down Memory Lane" weekend! It's little more than a week away!! There's still time to sign up so, don't delay..

07/05/2022....Be sure to check the "Who's Coming" pages to see who has already registered to attend the upcoming reunion!

06282022...Sparky's unfortunate duty to inform you we lost another classmate. Jack Spetz died suddenly on June 21st. Here is the url to his obituary.

06/24/2022.....Sparky wants to remind you: the registrations for the upcoming Reunion Event close on July 7th... don't delay!

05/25/2022...Sparky's least favorite duty is to report the loss of another Park High 65er. Lynda Van Poll passed away on September 29, 2021. Here is the URL for her obituary:

4/25/2022... Check out to total hits we've had on our Class Website. As of now we have over 145,000 views!

4/10/2022...This is Sparky's least favorite duty: I must pass on the loss of two more classmates. Tom Hartland and Tom Laurie. Details can be found on the "Personal Memorial" page.

3/31/2022...Sparky has been asked to alert you to the passing of a former classmate Mary Barnum Holt onSeptember 24, 2022. Here is the link to her obituary.

3/28/2022...Sparky has created a survey on the new "RSVP for the 7557" page. Please take a look and fill out the questions.

This is only an indication of your interest and not a firm reservation. When the final costs are calculated, Sparky will provide a formal reservation page. More news to follow....

03/22/2022...Sparky is working on updating the PowerPoint show from the 50th reunion and needs some help. If you have any photos from the "70th Birthday Bash", please let Sparky know so he can build a few of them into the ppt. Thanks!

01/18/2022...Plans for the "75th-57th" reunion are moving ahead. So far the activities have been set and details concerning refreshments, costs and registration will be finalized soon. Updates will be posted on the "New Reunion Info" page so, stay tuned for more!!

12/10/2021...Once again, our class has lost another member. Dave Dikel pass away on

11/26/2021. Here is the URL for his obituary.

11/21/2021...Sparky had a sit down with the new Class Reunion Committee Chair: Rollie Troup to go over some prliminary plans for our "57/75" party next year. Here is an brief overview from Rollie:

Fabulous "Stroll Down Memory Lane" weekend planned for July 22-23, 2022. Friday we'll have a golf tournament, lawn bowling, bar, salads and pizza at Brookview.

Saturday night we will have the best seats in the city for the Aquatennial Fireworks, one of the top five fireworks displays in the country. The evening will include food, beverages, music and maybe some surprises.

We are working on the pricing and hope to have bus service from a hotel in St. Louis Park to The Carlyle on the Mississippi.

Please have everyone Save the Date for a "Stroll Down Memory Lane."

11/19/2021...Classmmate Jeff Gordon alerted Sparky to the passing of another Park High 65er: Robert "Bob Wexler" passed away in July of 2020. Unfortunately, Sparky has so far been unable to locate an Obituary.

09/8/2021...The story continues: Sparky has been made aware of the loss of two more Class of 65ers. Susan Lynch Almquist and Richard "Dick" Nestor have both pass away recently. Links to their obituaries can be found on our "In Memoriam" page.

08/15/2021...Sparky's least favorite job, I was just notified our classmate, Ron Roberts passed away on August 1, 2021. Here is the url for his obituary.

07/10/21...Once again it is Sparky's duty to report the loss of another classmate. Patti "Trisha" Bach Robbins passed away on July 2nd. Here is the URL to her obituary.

05/17/21...Sparky was just alerted to some more sad news. Sandra Eidem (Alexander) passed away on March 24, 2021. There is acopy of her obituary on the Personal Memorials page.

02/27/21...Sparky received an email from Merit Fredheim in response to our Reunion Questionnaire and I thought I would share it with you:

Hello to all of you,

I see no point in filling out the questionnaire. For me it’s not the time to plan holidays overseas, but of course it may be different for you who live in the US. It would have been wonderful to be back and see you all - even if I don’t play golf

Maybe in 2025

Good wishes to everybody!

Marit

01/04/2021... Classmate Don Feinberg alerted Sparky that Park High 65 Classmate John Hughes passed away on January 3, 2021. No other details are available at this time.

09/14/2020...Yet another. Classmate Nancy Christopher passed asway on September 8, 2020. Here is the link to her obituary.

9/09/2020...Sparky's least favorite role as Web Manager for our website is to report the loss of our classmates. Today I have to report the loss of two more: Robert Wexler and Gloria Soles. I regret so far I have not found a link to Robert's obituary but here is the link to Gloria's.

8/03/2020...Sparky was notified we've lost yet another classmate, Dr. Harold Londer passed away on July 29,2020. Harold transfered from North High and joined the class of 65 in his Senior year. Here is the URL to his obituary.

6/29/2020...Sparky just received a touching email from Linda Zuel Weber's husband. It is available to be read on the “Your News and Update” page.

6/5/2020...Another sad news day, Sparky just learned fellow classmate Jay Hoffman passed away on June 4th. Here is the link to his obituary.

05/11/2020... Sad new today, ParkHigher 65er Harvey Filister passed away. Here is the URL to his obituary.

03/24/2020....The Reunion committee has had some of the most recent mailings they sent out returned. Please take a moment and glance at the updated "Help Us Find" page and see if you can help us out.

03/24/2020...You may have noticed there is a new page on our website now. It has been created to provide a space for anyone who wishes to share encouraging thoughts on today's crazy times. Please feel free to send them to Sparky and he will attempt to post them on the new page.

03/18/2020...Sparky has a special message from our Norwegian exchange student Marit Fredheim:

Hi,

I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic celebration. Please say hello from me to everybody.

Enclose a photo. Getting old!

Greetings,

Marit Fredheim

12/18/19....Sparky is, once again, sad to post the loss of one more classmates. Sandralynn "Sandi" Bowlin Miller passed away in August. Here is the url to her obituary.

12/05/19...Sparky is sad to post the loss of another classmate. Steve Gill passed away yesterday. Here is the url to his obituary.

10/21/2019...Sparky was just alerted to the loss of another classmate; Nancy Beaubaire. Here is the URL to her obituary.

10/08/19...Sparky received an email from Eleanor Zanna Brown, Tom Zanna's sister, alerting our class to a special ceremony in Tom's memory. Here is the text from her email:

08/19/19... As the lyric goes: "And the beat goes on".. Classmate Rollie Troup just notified Sparky of the passing of another member of the class of 1965. Pam Neff Rothstein recenly passed on. Here is the link to here obituary.

A Personal Memorial will be posted soon.

07/12/19... Sparky was just notified the class of 1965 just lost another classmate. Bob Bergeson passed away on July 9, 2019. More information will be available shortly on our Personal Memorials page. Here is the URL for his obituray.

03/12/19... It seems like these things come in bunches, Sparky is, once again, sad to announce the loss of another classmate. Marcia Strimling Tuttle passed away on Sunday, March 10, 2019. Here is the url to here obituary.

02/15/19... Sparky has not had to post any sad news for a long time however, it is that time again now. He is sad to report the loss of another classmate: Martin Thomas "Tom" Zanna. Here is the url to his obituary in the Minneapolis paper.

04/15/18... Sparky has another bit of sad news to pass on today. Classmate Robert Sage has passed away. Here is the URL to his obituary.

3/1/18...Sparky is pleased to announcd to everyone, that one of our many distinguished classmates: Mike Martin was recently invited to a special event at the Minnesota Twins training facility in Fort Meyers, Florida. Here is a link to his preparation for his role in the event...

2/4/18.... Sparky was informed about yet another classmate passing away. Mary Jane Yeager Crawford passed away on January 27, 2018. Here is the link to the formal announcement.

01/24/18... Classmate Bonnie Sell notified Sparky that another Class of 65er passed away. Sunny Sizer passed on September 15th. Here is the link to her obituary.

11/22/17... Sparky received an email today announcing the loss of our classmate Linda Hartman (Rozen). More details can be found posted on the "Personal Memorials" page.

11/02/17.... Here is a link to Dave Chorzempa's obituary.

10/24/17... Not a particulary good week for the Class of 65, the passing of two more classmates has just been brought to Sparky's attention: Both Greg Gears and Dave Chorzempa passed away over the past week. Here is a link to Greg's obituary

9/18/17... Sparky was informed we lost yet another classmate: Mark Freidson passed away on September 16th. Here is the link to his obiturary.

6/19/17... Sparky is sad to say: "Last week was not good for the Class of 65". We lost two more classmates, Mary Ann Johnson (Olander) and James Probst both passed away.

You can also find more on the Personal Memorials page of our website.

5/17/17... Sadly the list gets longer all the time. Sparky has been alerted to the loss of classmate Rick MacKrell. Here is the link to his obituary and information concerning his memorial service.

4/18/17... Sparky was just notified about yet another, Steve "Stoney" Burke passed away on 4/16. Here is the link to his obituary in the Minneapolis paper.

3/30/17... Sparky was alerted to the loss of classmate Nancy Lear yesterday. Here is the link to her obituary in the Minneapolis paper.

1/27/17... On a slightly lighter note: 2017 is the year the class of 1965 turns 70...... wow.... Sparky can't hardly believe it!

1/27/17... A new year and another loss. Classmate Nathan Neff passed away on January 25, 2017. Sparky received an email last night alerting him to Nathan's obituary. Here is the link.

11/23/16... Yet another classmate has passed on recently. Sparky just learned that Dan Berdass passed away on 11/22/16. Here is a link to his obituary from the Minneapolis Star.

11/22/16... Sparky is passing on a recent email from our Class President:

TMSipkins

11/17/16... And again, Sparky needs to inform you that our classmate Sanford "Sandy" Proosow passed away on 11/16/16. Here is the link to his obituary:

10/06/16... They say these come in threes...

Sparky has been notified that our classmate: Bill Dahl passed away on Monday 10/3. Here is the url link to his obituary.

9/22/16... It saddens Sparky to announce the loss of another classmate, Bruce Chesin passed away on Monday, September 19, 2016. Here is a link you can copy and paste to an article about Bruce and his "Chicago Dogs" business in Stillwater, MN and at the Minnesota State Fair.

8/23/16... And once again Sparky is sad to report the loss of yet another classmate. Mark Rettig alerted us to the passing of Nancy (Milless) Gray. Here is the link to her obituary.