Life after college
Barb Forrey Wahlbrink is happy to report that they have baby grandsons, Griffin and Henry, born six weeks apart — both live locally so they are having lots of fun with them! Barb and Jeff Wahlbrink ’80 have been traveling a good bit, in and out of the country.
After 39 years of teaching physical education, Jane Garrity Plantholt, M.Ed. ’82 retired at the end of the 2022 school year. While she loved every minute of her career, retirement is wonderful. Jane keeps active by playing pickleball and doing some CrossFit. She also spends as much time with her three grandchildren as possible. Her son’s family with two grandsons lives in Syracuse, New York, and her daughter’s family with her granddaughter lives near Jane in Harford County. Jane and her husband just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by spending some time at their beach home in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Her mom is doing great, and at 97 years old, has only recently started slowing down.
Hunter Steadley says no retirement in sight, but he and Katy O’Dwyer Steadley ’82 have been making the most of it. With their travel buddies Scott Kallins, Jane Burch Friddell ’82, and their significant others, they had a chance to explore Germany and Austria by train, and the Danube by river boat for a two-week trip. Hunter spent New Year’s Eve 2023 in the Andes with the same crew, hiking and eating their way through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Their summer adventures took them on a trip through Greece and Türkiye. He states it was a beautiful and humbling experience. They got a chance to spend down time in Ocean City, Maryland, for a little R&R over the weekends. He is trying to see the grandkids as much as possible. Always a joy and exhausting to see his eldest son and wife with twin 4-year-olds and a 2-year-old — all girls. Hunter and Katie traveled in the fall for an extended weekend and a four-day hike in the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
Regan Smith got to spend a quality weekend with Bernie Merritt, Carl McWilliams, Seth Prager, and about 50 other Phi Delts from Classes of 1980-85. Greg Shockley ’83 hosted everyone at Shenanigans. It was great fun to catch up and enjoy the group of knuckleheads. He is still practicing law in Ocean City, Maryland, and his daughter Meegan Jayne is working there now as well. Meegan and her husband live around the creek from Regan with their two boys, and RJ is still shooting off rockets at Wallops Island and lives in Berlin, Maryland, with his wife and son, Regan III. Regan gets to see them all the time, and Julie gets to babysit several days a week. Regan also had a nice dinner out with his brother Kevin Smith ’80 and Rob Bowman.
Nancy Casey lives in western Wyoming. It is an outdoor life even with 400-500 inches of annual snowfall. She reports that you must own a combo snow blower/lawn mower machine here. Skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, fishing, golfing, and biking dominate seasonal activities. Wildlife is plentiful with regular sightings of moose, bears, elk, and eagles. Sadly, Nancy lost her husband to cancer. Fortunately, her children are doing well, with one in law school and the other applying. She connected with Jill Kortvelesy Mennicken, Jhan Shilling Tangires ’83, her children, McDaniel graduates, and supporters to honor Anthony “Tony” Tangires, who passed away. Please consider joining Jhan, Jill, Nancy, and other classmates/donors in supporting The Anthony James Tangires ’81 Endowed Scholarship Fund.
Mary Morningstar and her husband, Wilder Leavitt, continue to enjoy life in Bethesda, Maryland. Mary retired in November 2023 after 33 years as an in-house environmental attorney for Lockheed Martin Corporation. She is loving retirement and traveling with Wilder and, often, their 10-year-old Airedale terrier, Juno. Mary cycled off the National Board of Directors of the Appleseed Foundation in 2023 and joined one of its centers’ boards (D.C. Appleseed) in January 2024. D.C. Appleseed is a social justice and advocacy organization working on a variety of important issues. Mary is specifically involved in the environmental justice aspects of the Anacostia River cleanup project. Mary and Wilder love hiking and mountain climbing, and Mary has joined Wilder on his quest to complete all 50 high points in the United States. Wilder has 46 peaks under his belt, and Mary is close to accomplishing 30 hikes. They especially enjoy staying in touch with WMC friends, including Jane Cavanaugh and her husband, Mike; Della Butler Hager; Laura Angel-Hanratty and Dennis Hanratty ’80; Berit Killingstad ’82, M.Ed. ’84; Linda MacKenzie Verhoeff; and Linda Garcia Grogan and her husband, Tim. They all mourned the death of Bill Coolahan ’80.
After 36 years of living and working in Columbia, Maryland, Nancy Heinbaugh Cummins and her husband, Steve, decided to move to South Central Pennsylvania to live on a golf course. They are located between the third hole and the fourth tee of Penn National’s beautiful Iron Forge course. They purchased a home with a spectacular view, but that needed a little work, and that’s exactly what they’ve been doing for the past two years. Nancy still has some more improvements to make, but they are really enjoying it and love having visitors. They are both still working but only commuting about two times a week. Nancy enjoys the annual Phi Alph get-togethers at Hershey Spa with Lyn Keener Totty, Helen Wroe Kline, Betsy Walsh Geiger, Barb Forrey Wahlbrink, Laura McGinty Kobola, Connie Thompson Bowman, and the occasional others.
Doug Otte and his wife, Stephanie, both retired in 2023, and they have been enjoying relaxing and traveling. They still live in Hyattsville, Maryland.
After completing seminary at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Connie Thompson Bowman was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Maryland in June. She’s grateful to family and friends like Barbara Forrey Wahlbrink for their support and encouragement. She started her work as a curate (“curate” means “care of souls” and is another name for a new priest) at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Highland, Maryland, where Bill Brazis ’78 and Pam Noll Brazis ’80 are also members. Rob Bowman has officially retired from the Jiffy Lube business and is enjoying hobbies like golf, off-roading, and going to more church services than he ever expected to. Connie and Rob traveled over the summer with Korby Bowman Clark ’78 and Gail Bowman Mathes ’79 and were looking forward to visiting Kevin Smith ’80 at his new digs in Costa Rica in December with Jim Selfridge and Christina Mirecki Selfridge ’82.
Although Ginni Brown Morani has been retired for a couple years, Rick Morani joined the ranks of fully retired in 2024. They took a 10-day trip to Scotland to celebrate their 40th anniversary. It was a great trip but, believe it or not, they did not play golf. They did get to walk the Old Course at St. Andrews, where golf originated, so it was fun anyway. Ginni is playing golf whenever possible and volunteering at a local food pantry. Rick has more hobbies than he can count (fishing, crabbing, hunting, golf), and he is enjoying all of them in retirement. They see John Patrick ’80 and Nancy Paulsen Patrick ’78 as well as George Boinis and his wife, Cindy, who recently moved to Cambridge, Maryland. Ginni still gets together with Fontelle “Fon” Bennett McLauchlan, Molly McLaughlin Quinn, Debbie Bessman Funk, Debbie Ambrose, and Dottie Freeman. They attended a WMC lacrosse reunion in April 2024 and got to catch up with Connie Thompson Bowman; Rob Bowman; Scott Kallins; Regan Smith; Sue Tuley Routson ’79, M.S. ’88; and Jeff Vinson.
Ann Sowers Zimmerman’s husband passed away in September 2023. Ann’s boys all got married this past year as well. She sold their family home/business and downsized to a townhome. Ann is still in the York, Pennsylvania, area working part time as a parish receptionist.
Donna Regner Tamburelli still lives in Denver, Colorado, and she recently retired and loves it. She overbooked her schedule the first year with golf leagues that covered Monday through Friday. She is looking forward to ski season! Donna has been in touch with Susan Dean Asroff and Steve Asroff since the last Reunion. They both had a tough end of year in 2023. Donna broke her wrist playing pickleball, and Susan burned her arm badly the month after. They are now both healed and getting together soon to celebrate their recoveries, they hope! Donna and her husband went to Africa last May and will be returning to see more of the continent in April.
Jeff Vinson and his wife are enjoying retirement in Ocean City, Maryland, still going to Ravens games and traveling a bit. They took a fall 2024 trip to London and Munich, where they spent a couple of days at Oktoberfest. Jeff also saw Scott Nichols and Donna Butler Nichols ’82 over the summer.
Steve Awalt is now retired after 40 years of law practice, as is his wife, Debbie. They split their time between Baltimore and New Hampshire. They are expecting their first grandchild in March. Steve is happy to report that he still sees a good deal of Regan Smith.
Carla Fifer Staub is almost 84! She has been living at Cross Keys Village for six years. Carla is three years into surviving a heart attack and a couple of strokes. She is recovering well, especially this year.
Deanna “Dee” Taylor, M.S. ’91 continues to work as a postsecondary transition specialist at the Utah State Board of Education, supporting school districts and teachers to implement practices to improve outcomes for students with disabilities. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Dee continues to maintain a home office while traveling as needed for her work around the state, as well as throughout the country as a presenter at professional conferences. She reports that her career has been very rich and rewarding, and working to support teachers is the perfect finale. She maintains contact with dozens of students from over the years and all over the country, and she can’t believe that many of them are now grandparents! Dee plans to officially retire by the end of 2026. Dee and her husband, Tom, still reside in Salt Lake City, Utah. Tom also works for the State of Utah and in their spare time, Dee and Tom are active with their nonprofit that mainly focuses on educational initiatives around food sovereignty. Dee and Tom enjoy hiking, camping, and spending time with their children and seven grandchildren, ages 1 to 18. They also travel to Maryland at least once a year to visit family. Dee enjoys keeping up with everyone on social media.
Owen Rouse works at MacKenzie Commercial Real Estate representing investors, both buyers and sellers, of commercial real estate. Owen’s career in commercial real estate transactions, mentoring those new to the business, and advising clients large and small was recognized in 2024 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. Owen and Anne reside in Baltimore County and have been fortunate to enjoy some local, coastal, and global travels, bumping into Nancy Marlowe Merritt, M.S. ’02 and Bernie Merritt in Fenwick Island, Delaware; George Kleb ’82 on stage at various venues (both real estate and music); and Katie O’Dwyer Steadley ’82 and Hunter Steadley, often in Wegmans. Owen continues allocating time for board work with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, Stevenson University Advisory Board, St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, and the Federal Reserve Fifth District Roundtable.
Anita Smith Mason and her husband, Pat, continue to teach tennis and now pickleball. She loves the commute: 100 pedal strokes on the bike! Their summer break from the Florida heat includes visiting friends and family — Mary Schiller, Shellie Rosso M.S. ’13 and Jennifer Mitchell M.S. ’11 — as they drive to the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. Anita enjoys hiking and kayaking along with performances at the Caroga Lake Music Festival. Locally, she calls for contra dances while Pat leads the band.
Fran McCullin is enjoying retired life. He keeps active playing tennis on the Hill, golfing, and skiing. Along with his wife, Peg, they bought a retirement home in a lakeside community outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, near their three daughters and their families. They keep busy with seven grandchildren under the age of 9. Fran had the opportunity to do some traveling around Europe.
Todd Sarubin recently opened and bought a second dental practice at The Rotunda in Hampden, Maryland, because his older son, Koby, joined the family practice. He is the third generation and fifth Sarubin to become a dentist. His other practice is in Pikesville, Maryland, where he has been practicing with his first cousin, Dr. Danny Sarubin, who went to WMC for one year in 1987. Todd still practices full time and loves every minute of it! He still plays guitar and is an avid woodworker. He tries to keep in touch with all the Betes from his years at WMC. Todd does see Chip Steel ’80 and Paul Kinsey from time to time. They all went to dental school together.
Janet Trainor Byrne and Bill Byrne ’82 welcomed a granddaughter last year and were anticipating added a daughter-in-law in the spring.They are seeing out their sunset years toward retirement in 2026 and looking forward to the ever-changing chapters and evolving stages of life.
Colleen Kelly retired from MedStar Health and is enjoying every aspect of retirement life! She married Jim Schickner in 2016 and is living in Marriottsville, Maryland. Together they share five children, and they often joke that they almost have their very own “Brady Bunch.” Life is filled with good health, family, grandchildren, travel, golf, volunteering, etc. Colleen occasionally runs into WMC friends in Ocean City, Maryland, and keeps in touch with some of her dear Phi Alpha Mu sorority sisters.
Jill Kortvelesy Mennicken and her husband, Chip, are retired and still living on eastern Long Island most of the year. They spend winters down south, living and traveling on their boat, visiting with friends and family along the way. They dock the boat in Southport, North Carolina, for a month to visit family and friends. They love to stop in Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; St Augustine, Florida; and Amelia Island, Florida; and other coastal towns to join up with friends. Jill wants you to reach out if you are living on the southern East Coast or on the West Coast of Florida — she would love to reconnect! Jill gets to McDaniel at least two or three times a year for McDaniel Board of Trustees meetings and social events, but she would like to get to campus more often. So many exciting updates are taking place on campus with the conversion of Baker Memorial Chapel to an event space and the renovation of the first floor of Hoover Library to a state-of-the-art learning center. Jill is thrilled that McDaniel now offers a B.S. in Nursing with other new programming in the works. She looks forward to the upcoming campus sporting events under the leadership of Athletics Director Jeremy Shepherd. Go Green Terror!
Eileen Flynn Toohey loved hanging out with her WMC roommate Jane Burch Friddell ’82; Nancy Marlowe Merritt, M.S. ’02 and Bernie Merritt; Katie O’Dwyer Steadley ’82 and Hunter Steadley; and Carl McWilliams and his wife, Becka, this past summer.
Susan Dean Asroff and Steve Asroff were in the midst of Hurricane Milton when she wrote that they came out with only minor damage to their home with roof shingles blown off, lanai screening torn, and magnolia trees downed. Their home with hurricane windows and doors is affectionately known as “The Bunker.” The power went out after the eye of the hurricane passed over them (yes, they walked the dogs in the eye), and the backside of the hurricane came through. They were prepared and remained at home for a few days for first responders, power company trucks, and cleanup crews to clear the roads. They were incredibly lucky. Sue and Steve have both had surgeries in the last year. He had serious complications from his back surgery, but that didn’t keep him from skiing with Scott Kallins. Steve’s surgeon said that Steve is the most determined patient he’s ever had. He was skiing a mere seven months post-surgery. They spent three weeks in Argentina in August. While Steve skis, Sue is playing pickleball. She organizes weekly round robins for eight, 12, or 16 women. It’s been her obsession for exercise and fun during the last four years. They are the grandparents of six wonderful children and have two amazing dogs. They have been married for 42 years and enjoy residing in sunny Florida, so the hurricanes won’t scare them away.
Sherry McClurg Bukowski and her husband, Al, have done a lot of traveling in the past year. Sherry hasn’t retired yet but has a very flexible remote job, and Al retired in June 2023, so they have decided to travel while they’re still healthy and mobile! They have been to Rome and Florence, Italy, and took a Viking Ocean Cruise with seven port stops in Italy, three in Croatia, two in Montenegro, and two in Greece. They took their annual northeast road trip from their home in Port St. Lucie, Florida, all the way up to Connecticut, stopping along the way to visit friends and family. One of their stops was in Maryland to see Kim Cooper Remsberg. Kim looks great, has a beautiful life in the country, and is planning to retire next year from the school system. Al and Sherry also spent a few days in the beautiful city of Vancouver, Canada, before taking a cruise and land tour of Alaska. The natural beauty of Alaska is stunning, and they had a great time. The highlights were seeing a humpback whale bubble-net feeding, watching moose from afar, and enjoying the mountains and history of Alaska. When they are home, they live in a wonderful active community where they have been fortunate to make nice friends and keep busy. Sherry plays pickleball regularly; Al plays card games, uses the pool and fitness facilities daily. They both enjoy going to happy hours, dinners, the theatre, and the beach.
Bernie Merritt and I, Nancy Marlowe Merritt, M.S. ’02, continue to love living in Fenwick Island, Delaware. Bernie is still working, and we travel back to Old Town, Virginia, occasionally as we have an apartment there. This past spring, Bernie and over 50 Phi Delta Theta brothers from the Classes of 1980-85 got together for a weekend in Ocean City, Maryland. Scott Lohmann ’83 and Gary Harris ’83 were the gracious organizers of the weekend. I keep in touch with many classmates including Debbie Bessman Funk; Molly McLauglin Quinn; Eileen Flynn Toohey; Lori Frock Bucacink, M.S. ’87; Katy O’Dwyer Steadley ’82; Jane Burch Friddell ’82; Laurie Slasman Long ’82; and Barb White Murphy ’82. Jane hosted a bunch of us from BWI (Blanche/Ward) at her beautiful condo in Baltimore and we had a blast reminiscing about our college days.
Nancy Marlowe Merritt, M.S. ’021981 Class Reporternjmerritt@gmail.com
