Memorials matter

Wanda Resler sends this commentary on her work, with Richard Strong and others, to compile a list of our classmates who have passed on.

" About nine years ago I realized that no one in our class was officially keeping track of classmates that had passed. I posted on Facebook, searching for information. Everyone readily shared any information they had. Richard Strong had collected obituaries from all the ones that he saw in the Muncie newspaper. Since that beginning, as the 'off-year' gatherings at Pizza King brought people together from the years around us, we learned of more who have died. And this year, the Reunion Committee has found several more.

We had almost 600 people in the class of 69. I doubt anyone knew each one personally. Yet, there is a strong bond between anyone saying they are from the class of 69. Maybe we had a class together, or perhaps we were in an activity, sport, or club. Some grew up in the same neighborhood or went to the same elementary school. Some classmates we only passed in the hallways or on the stairs.

The death of each classmate matters. It touches each of us. We think of them. We think of their families. We wonder how their lives turned out. We feel a loss.

We are aware of more than 60 … about a tenth of our class. The pace is speeding up as we get older. That is one of the reasons that is important to attend our 50th year class reunion. We want to see YOU! Please come! We’ll reminisce about old times, catch up on our lives, and have fun."