I remember Lorna in our grade school years. Our brothers were in the Black Knights together. We went on a lot of trips together with our families. Lorna was so sweet. It was a real shame that God took her at such a young age.
I only knew Lorna a few years before she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was tiny, quiet, smart and very sweet. Her Mom and Dad made every attempt to give her a normal teenager's life. One winter weekend, her parents took Lorna and me to their clubhouse in Marissa. We met a bunch of other teenage friends on their lake. We all went ice skating, built a roaring bonfire, roasted hot dogs and drank hot chocolate. It was a FUN evening and is one of my favorite memories of Lorna. That evening you never would have known that she was terminally ill. A few months later she died.
Lorna and I were next door neighbors and best of friends. We went every where together riding bikes to East End Park, Turners Swimming Pool, the USO, and over to Sandy Mueller's and Sarah Beekman's. Lorna and I would rummage through the trash bin behind my parents' store looking for papers we could use when we played school or office. We would spend time at the drug store next to the Green Teapot looking at Terri Lee clothes for our dolls. In the fall we would rake leaves and either shape the leaves to form "walls" of a make-believe house or just make huge piles and take a running leap! We "kept in touch" constantly by making and using the tin can telephone. Her bedroom and mine were facing each other so it was easy to take a VERY long string, connect the cans, and have the separate cans in each of our rooms.
I knew Lorna missed school quite a bit, and I even spent days after school with her in her bedroom playing Canasta; but I was shocked, saddened, and even upset that I was never told just how sick she was. I'm sure her parents wanted it to be that way since; I don't think even Lorna knew how sick she was.
I'm glad she has been recognized with our class. She's never far from my mind.
What more can I say to add to Terry's and Nikki's comments. I lived just a block away from Lorna and Nikki, and Sarah was a few blocks away. We attended Douglas School and Jr. High together. Lorna, Nikki, Sarah and I went to girl scout camp together and as Nikki said, we spent many, many hours together playing and having a great time. It was very difficult for all of us when she died of leukemia in March of our freshman year in high school. We were so young and it was so difficult to imagine a friend dying. I have thought of Lorna so often through the years. I am so glad we are remembering her here.
I too have memories of Lorna from grade school at Douglas School, bacause a number of years she had the desk in front of me and a lot of times she wore pigtails that I had fun messing with during class. If it would have been in the earlier years when they had ink wells, I'm sure she would have gone home with black ends on her pigtails at least once or twice. I hadn't remembered that she had passed that early in life, Iguess I lost track of her in Jr. High.
I also wanted to share a few memories of Lorna. As Sandy and Nikki both mentioned the 4 of us were very close friends. We formed a club and I think it was called the SBA club. We swore to love Tab Hunter and Pat Boone and hate Elvis Presley, and I don't remember any other parts of our pledge. Terri Lee and Jerri Lee dolls were a big part of our play and buying doll clothes at Edens Drug Store is what we saved up money for, the clothes were on the mezzanine level that you reached by a spiral staircase!
When Lorna was on some medications in Junior HIgh and high school her face would get puffy and she hated that, I was just recalling to Sandy last month that Terry Yocks was her date for a Junior High Dance (maybe at southside hall, and when I recall this as an adult I get teary thinking about how much it meant to Lorna that Terry took her to the party and didn't say anything at all about her swollen face- and he was pleased to be with her- Terry was certainly mature for his age, and a wonderful friend!!!! Yes, our parents all kept us in the dark regarding the severity of her illness, and maybe that kept our friendship more natural.
It is wonderful how many people are remembering Lorna. I did not know Lorna very well because she went to Douglas and I went to Dewey. Our parents knew each other because my Mother was from Marissa, as well as, Lorna's parents. When I was either in Jr. High or a Freshman at BTHS I decided to have a party at our home. My parents said, "I think it would be very nice if you invited Lorna Alberts". Of course I did and she came to my party. Lorna was both sweet and kind and I think she had a lot of fun that evening. None of us had any idea that she was so ill.
I do believe that her parents, as well the adults in our lives, wanted Lorna to have as normal a life as possible. Even though it has been 53 years we will always remember Lorna as that sweet, quiet and gentle girl who enriched our lives.
Lorna lived down the alley from me. We went to Douglas School, Junior High, and then headed off to BTHS. I will always have fond memories of Lorna. We used to often walk to and from grade school, well three of us, Nikki also. She was as sweet a person as you will ever know. I never heard a mean word from her, she was a very positive person. It was heartbreaking when we heard of her illness. I always wondered, why her? Our class lost a true friend. She holds a special spot in my heart.
Although I did not attend BTHS with all of our Douglas School classmates, Lorna is one I remember well as we lived across the alley from her family, Nikki Brunsman's family, Nikki's grandparents, and down the street from Bill Orrick. We all grew up together and Lorna and I ended up in the same home room in Jr. High.
As Sandy, Sarah, Nikki, Bill and others have noted, we did not know how ill she was at the time. I do remember though one of our teachers in Jr. High remarking when it was observed how much school Lorna was missing that she was not well. I later heard by the grapevine that Harry Sterling, another of our Douglas bunch, had asked her to a dance during the freshman year before she passed away.
As neighbors our families were available to help when necessary as her dad took my brother and mother to St. Elizabeth's Hospital when Stu flipped himself over the handlebars of his bicycle going down the hill at East End Park and suffered a concussion. Our dad was not in the office and could not be contacted as this was before the days of cell phones and he had the car.
Lorna stands in the second row of our 6th grade class picture, the guys are kneeling in front, allowing us to remember how she was a part of us and will be long remembered.
Judy Richardson (Bugger)
I remember Lorna in our grade school years. Our brothers were in the Black Knights together. We went on a lot of trips together with our families. Lorna was so sweet. It was a real shame that God took her at such a young age.
Terry Yocks
I only knew Lorna a few years before she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was tiny, quiet, smart and very sweet. Her Mom and Dad made every attempt to give her a normal teenager's life. One winter weekend, her parents took Lorna and me to their clubhouse in Marissa. We met a bunch of other teenage friends on their lake. We all went ice skating, built a roaring bonfire, roasted hot dogs and drank hot chocolate. It was a FUN evening and is one of my favorite memories of Lorna. That evening you never would have known that she was terminally ill. A few months later she died.
Nikki Brunsman (Lyons)
Lorna and I were next door neighbors and best of friends. We went every where together riding bikes to East End Park, Turners Swimming Pool, the USO, and over to Sandy Mueller's and Sarah Beekman's. Lorna and I would rummage through the trash bin behind my parents' store looking for papers we could use when we played school or office. We would spend time at the drug store next to the Green Teapot looking at Terri Lee clothes for our dolls. In the fall we would rake leaves and either shape the leaves to form "walls" of a make-believe house or just make huge piles and take a running leap! We "kept in touch" constantly by making and using the tin can telephone. Her bedroom and mine were facing each other so it was easy to take a VERY long string, connect the cans, and have the separate cans in each of our rooms.
I knew Lorna missed school quite a bit, and I even spent days after school with her in her bedroom playing Canasta; but I was shocked, saddened, and even upset that I was never told just how sick she was. I'm sure her parents wanted it to be that way since; I don't think even Lorna knew how sick she was.
I'm glad she has been recognized with our class. She's never far from my mind.
Sandra Mueller (Mathis)
What more can I say to add to Terry's and Nikki's comments. I lived just a block away from Lorna and Nikki, and Sarah was a few blocks away. We attended Douglas School and Jr. High together. Lorna, Nikki, Sarah and I went to girl scout camp together and as Nikki said, we spent many, many hours together playing and having a great time. It was very difficult for all of us when she died of leukemia in March of our freshman year in high school. We were so young and it was so difficult to imagine a friend dying. I have thought of Lorna so often through the years. I am so glad we are remembering her here.
Douglas Hough
I too have memories of Lorna from grade school at Douglas School, bacause a number of years she had the desk in front of me and a lot of times she wore pigtails that I had fun messing with during class. If it would have been in the earlier years when they had ink wells, I'm sure she would have gone home with black ends on her pigtails at least once or twice. I hadn't remembered that she had passed that early in life, Iguess I lost track of her in Jr. High.
Sarah Beekman (Wolf)
I also wanted to share a few memories of Lorna. As Sandy and Nikki both mentioned the 4 of us were very close friends. We formed a club and I think it was called the SBA club. We swore to love Tab Hunter and Pat Boone and hate Elvis Presley, and I don't remember any other parts of our pledge. Terri Lee and Jerri Lee dolls were a big part of our play and buying doll clothes at Edens Drug Store is what we saved up money for, the clothes were on the mezzanine level that you reached by a spiral staircase!
When Lorna was on some medications in Junior HIgh and high school her face would get puffy and she hated that, I was just recalling to Sandy last month that Terry Yocks was her date for a Junior High Dance (maybe at southside hall, and when I recall this as an adult I get teary thinking about how much it meant to Lorna that Terry took her to the party and didn't say anything at all about her swollen face- and he was pleased to be with her- Terry was certainly mature for his age, and a wonderful friend!!!! Yes, our parents all kept us in the dark regarding the severity of her illness, and maybe that kept our friendship more natural.
Barbara Muehlhauser (Bailey)
It is wonderful how many people are remembering Lorna. I did not know Lorna very well because she went to Douglas and I went to Dewey. Our parents knew each other because my Mother was from Marissa, as well as, Lorna's parents. When I was either in Jr. High or a Freshman at BTHS I decided to have a party at our home. My parents said, "I think it would be very nice if you invited Lorna Alberts". Of course I did and she came to my party. Lorna was both sweet and kind and I think she had a lot of fun that evening. None of us had any idea that she was so ill.
I do believe that her parents, as well the adults in our lives, wanted Lorna to have as normal a life as possible. Even though it has been 53 years we will always remember Lorna as that sweet, quiet and gentle girl who enriched our lives.
F. William Orrick
Lorna lived down the alley from me. We went to Douglas School, Junior High, and then headed off to BTHS. I will always have fond memories of Lorna. We used to often walk to and from grade school, well three of us, Nikki also. She was as sweet a person as you will ever know. I never heard a mean word from her, she was a very positive person. It was heartbreaking when we heard of her illness. I always wondered, why her? Our class lost a true friend. She holds a special spot in my heart.
Bruce McMillan
Although I did not attend BTHS with all of our Douglas School classmates, Lorna is one I remember well as we lived across the alley from her family, Nikki Brunsman's family, Nikki's grandparents, and down the street from Bill Orrick. We all grew up together and Lorna and I ended up in the same home room in Jr. High.
As Sandy, Sarah, Nikki, Bill and others have noted, we did not know how ill she was at the time. I do remember though one of our teachers in Jr. High remarking when it was observed how much school Lorna was missing that she was not well. I later heard by the grapevine that Harry Sterling, another of our Douglas bunch, had asked her to a dance during the freshman year before she passed away.
As neighbors our families were available to help when necessary as her dad took my brother and mother to St. Elizabeth's Hospital when Stu flipped himself over the handlebars of his bicycle going down the hill at East End Park and suffered a concussion. Our dad was not in the office and could not be contacted as this was before the days of cell phones and he had the car.
Lorna stands in the second row of our 6th grade class picture, the guys are kneeling in front, allowing us to remember how she was a part of us and will be long remembered.