Donley said, “I started woodworking in 1962. I had changed jobs. My wife wanted a secretary office desk. I started it, but it was stored in the basement until I had time to finish it.”

Irwin’s friend had just witnessed a dog being thrown out of a moving vehicle on Lake Cook Road in Barrington. The terrified canine was a six-month-old female American Staffordshire Terrier that Irwin ended up adopting after the dog was treated for its injuries at a local vet. The newly named Kiley not only accompanied Irwin to her senior year of college but also changed the trajectory of Irwin’s career path.

Kelly said, “My father used to talk about his time in the Navy all the time. He was an American naval officer. Upon graduation from the University of Illinois in the spring of 1942, he enlisted in the Navy.”

Shemerdiak was initially assigned to the Great Lakes and then to Farragut Naval Station in Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho. This was the second-largest Naval Training Station in the world. It was built in North Idaho during WWII following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Over 293,000 sailors received basic training at Farragut during its 30 months. The last recruit graduated in March 1945, and the facility was decommissioned in June 1946. The site became Farragut State Park in 1966.

Belue said, “My daughter crochets, and she needed something to not only store her skeins of yarn, but also make it easy to pull the yarn through as you work. So, I started working on a design. I wanted a box shaped piece that would hold several skeins of yarn with a cover, and she could feed the yarn without fraying it.”

“This is our sixth year since I came up with this wild idea. I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Glenn Grobli, club founder, said.

Donna Bordsen is offering an opportunity to put those cards to great use.

Bayser said, “I like to keep busy. The first committee I volunteered for was the Activity Committee, now Lifestyle. I have been on the Facility Advisory Committee, Fitness, Election, Liaison to Modifications, Wellness, and currently on the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee.”

Angel Flight Central (AFC) is located in the Midwest, but collaborates coast-to-coast, helping people in need by arranging charitable flights for health care or other humanitarian purposes. The chapter serves Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana.

David Shadle, a Sun City resident and retired pilot, was instrumental in starting the Great Lakes Wing of AFC. He is a charter member of Angel Flights and a volunteer pilot.

Class attendees were happy to see that in the November Lifestyles Magazine, a greeting card class taught by Jane Hancock was starting in January 2024.

“I never had time before retirement,” she said. “I came here and took a class on a Cricut machine. I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ It’s too complicated.”

But then, Ross got a Cricut Explorer and started crafting.

It all began when Mike’s family chose to build their new home on Longview Court in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Cathy and her family, the Shorts, already lived on this street and were curious about who their new neighbors would be.

Cathy said, “I watched the Verzals’ new home being built along with my brothers and sister and the other neighborhood kids.”

Overnight, the holiday magic came down just as quickly on January 4. How did this all begin?

“My family is spread over three states and this grandma just wants to spend more time with my kids and grandkids. I have worked for municipalities for about 28 years and full-time totally for 44 years — it is time,” Read told My Huntley News.

Laurie Pokorny, watching the game, said, “I remember it being a beautiful day, with the bleachers packed with fans for both teams. The teams got one inning in, and then, before they could start the second inning, Dave collapsed in the dugout.”

Gingerbread houses also became popular with the Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel. They find a house made entirely of treats deep in the forest.

Reading about book clubs online, she came across clear ornaments filled with miniatures of books. She started making a unique ornament for her granddaughter to commemorate her role in Sun City’s production of The Sound of Music.

That’s the power of music. That’s an occurrence that happens often at Sun City’s Prairie Lodge. Sun City resident Jim Sura plays the grand piano in the lodge while residents walk, play cards, or meet near the Fountain View area. He even plays when no one is around.

Colleen Flaherty, marketing assistant, said, “SHS has a unique peer-to-peer model to caregiving. Seniors connect best with other seniors because of their common life experiences, compassion, and appreciation for the aging process. Seniors who need services, receivers, are carefully matched with seniors who render services, providers, creating mutually rewarding relationships.”

Family, neighbors, and friends attended the celebration. The weather cooperated, allowing the guests to wander outside for conversation and enjoy the perfect weather. Other guests sat upstairs in the loft and watched while others danced to the familiar music of their youth provided by the band Rick Lindy and the Wild Ones.

The sculptures gave pause to residents as they passed them on the way to a meeting or getting their steps in for the day. The three sculptures tell a story.

Applegate is aware of some of the story.

“My father retired in August 1975 at the rank of E—9, Chief Master Sergeant serving in the Strategic Air Command (SAC), working at The Vault,” he said.