Louis W. and Elsie M. Kirschner Sikes
Louis W. and Elsie M.
Kirschner Sikes recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. The
couple were married by Pastor Cecil Brockman at the parsonage of
Dripping Springs Baptist Church on January 3, 1948.
Elsie Sikes is the
daughter of the late John and Oma Kirschner. She was born in Willis,
Oklahoma and moved with her parents and six siblings to a farm located
East of Denison in December, 1944. A big change from the small country
school, she continued her sophomore year at historic DHS and graduated
in 1946. She enjoyed the country music video featuring old DHS and reflected
that she and other students would often sit on the walls outside the
building just as those depicted in the video. After graduation, Elsie
worked at Kress’ Department Store on Main Street.
Louis Sikes was born in
Denison and is the son of the late Benjamin, Sr. and Cecil Sikes. He
attended Layne Elementary and graduated from historic DHS in 1941. Louis
remembers racing out the North door of the old school with his brother,
Ben, and jumping into his car to speed home. After graduation, he worked
at a local lumberyard and entered the Air Force in 1943. Louis served as
a radio operator and gunner aboard a B24 Bomber and flew on numerous
missions. After the war, he returned to Denison and was employed with
the Katy Railroad.
One night, while out
with some friends, he found a “million dollar baby in Kress’5 and 10
cent store”. Formal introductions were made through a mutual friend -
Marie Curley. Louis and Elsie were soon off on their first date - a trip
to the carnival - in his shiny black 1941 Ford.
After their marriage,
Louis and Elsie built a small house and moved to 2319 W. Morton. In
1954, they joined Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church and remain
faithful members today. The couple lived on Morton Street for many
years, next door to the Church, and raised four children. In the
mid-80’s, they renovated and moved to Louis’ boyhood home - 2328 W.
Bond. Louis retired in 1985 after 40 years of service with the Katy
railroad. Elsie retired from Wackers/Winns Department Store after 19
years of service.
The couple have enjoyed
many happy years of making memories with their large family, church,
neighbors, and friends and feel that they have been richly blessed.
Jack
and Betty Bond - 60th
Jack and Betty Bond of Denison marked their 60th wedding anniversary Aug. 24
with a celebration with family and friends. The couple married in 1947 in
Denison after he returned from World War II.
Betty (Young) Bond graduated from Denison High School in 1945. She worked both
outside and inside the home for many years. W.E. “Jack” Bond, a Grayson County
native, was in World War II in Europe, serving in Gen. George Patton’s 739th
Tank Battalion. He retired from Southern Pacific Railroad in 1986, is a member
of the Elks Lodge, a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and enjoys
golfing.
Both are active in World War II veterans’ groups and attend the First
Presbyterian Church in Denison. They have three children, four grandchildren and
four great-grandchildren.
Wayne
and Bobbie Iafelice - 50th
Wayne and Bobbie Iafelice of Denison were honored July 19 with a surprise 50th
wedding anniversary celebration at Kelly Square in Sherman. The party, themed
“This Is Your Life,” was hosted by the couple’s children. Family and friends
attended from Texas, Tennessee, Illinois, California and Washington.
The couple married July 19, 1957 at Emmanual Baptist Church in Denison.
Officiating was the Rev. A.P. Skaggs. Attendants were Carolyn (Moncrief) Wright
of Denison and Billy Mack who was stationed at Perrin Air Force Base. Bobbie
Iafelice is the daughter of Arthur and Mary Ford of Denison and graduated from
Denison High School in 1956. She worked at the Old Dixie Dog Restaurant and the
Denison Cotton Mill office and was a bookkeeper for Lilley’s Department Store.
She then was a full-time homemaker and mother until her husband’s retirement
from the military and the couple’s return to Denison. She returned to work,
serving for more than 22 years as a church secretary, first for Calvary Baptist
Church and then for Trinity Baptist Church in Sherman from which she retired in
2002.
Wayne Iafelice is the son of the late Roy Iafelice and Onda Eldred of Cleveland
Ohio. He attended Cleveland schools and graduated in 1955 from Collinwood High
School. He served 22 years in the United States Air Force, followed by 15 years
with Gene Ford Plumbing, 10 years at Sam’s Club and five years at Bratcher
Funeral Home, retiring completely in 2006.
The couple has been active members of Parkside Baptist Church for more than 23
years where he serves as an ordained deacon and teacher for the Men’s Fellowship
Bible Class. Both have served on various committees and she is currently active
in the church’s Intercessory Prayer Ministry and serves as secretary for the
Pacesetters’ Leadership Team.
The Iafelice’s children are Stephen and Donna Iafelice of Peoria, Ill., Trudy
and Frank Wells of Murfreesboro, Tenn. and Penny and Greg Andrews of Denison.
There are seven grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, one great-granddaughter
and three step great-grandchildren.
Ray and Kay Fritts -
50th
Ray and Kay Fritts of Pottsboro
were honored July 14 with a 50th wedding anniversary party. The celebration was
held at Tanglewood Resort and Conference Center and hosted by their children.
The Fritts were married July 10, 1957 in Denison. Kay Fritts was born in
Denison, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W.K. Sampson. She attended Denison
Schools.
Ray Fritts was born in Denison, the son of Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Fritts. He attended
Denison schools and is employed with Fritts Concrete Construction.
The couple have one son, Toby Fritts, of Pottsboro, and two daughters, Brenda
Stewart of Cooper and Debbie Henderson of Pottsboro. There are eight
grandchildren.
Ray
and Patsy Morrison - 50th
Ray and Patsy Morrison of Pottsboro were honored Saturday with a reception
marking their 50th wedding anniversary. The celebration was held at East Baptist
Church in Denison.
Hosts for the reception were the couple’s children and grandchildren — Tammie
and Steve Anderson, Alfred and Terri Morrison, Alicia and Eddie Gossett, Justin
Anderson and Savannah, Michael and Kristiffer Morrison and Jarrett Anderson.
Both the Morrisons were born and raised in Denison. They were married April 13,
1957 in Durant, Okla. and lived in Denison until 1964 when they moved to
Pottsboro. Ray Morrison retired from Kwikset in 2004 and Patsy Morrison retired
from the Pottsboro School cafeteria in 1990.
Chuck
and Judy Schuessel - 50th
Chuck and Judy Schuessel of Denison were honored with a surprise 50th wedding
anniversary dinner party Jan. 19. The celebration was held at T-Bones in
Denison. Hosts were the Schuessel’s son and daughter-in-law, Marty and Natalie
Schuessel of Arlington, and Judy Schuessel’s niece, Angela Clute, of College
Station. The Schuessels were married Jan. 19, 1957 in the chapel at the former
Perrin Air Force Base. Officiating was Father John Cmiel. Attendants were Sherry
Franklin and William Willette.
Judy Schuessel was born in Denison, daughter of the late Leonard and Ruby
Overturf. She graduated from Denison High School in 1957 and has held various
jobs through the years.
Chuck Schuessel was born in St. Louis, Mo., son of the late Charles and
Elizabeth Schuessel. He served in the United States Air Force for 23 years,
retiring in 1976. The couple then moved to Denison and he was employed by Texas
Instruments for 17 years.
In addition to a son, the Schuessels have two granddaughters.
Jim and Ellen Burger - 50th
Jim and Ellen Burger of Denison marked their 50th anniversary with a renewal of
wedding vows and a reception on Feb. 3, 2007. The celebration was from 2 p.m.
until 4:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Southside Baptist Church in Denison.
Hosts were Ron Burger of Denison, Ariana Burger of Tulsa, Okla. and other family
members and friends.
The Burgers were married Feb. 1, 1957 by the Rev. Wayne Imboden.
Ellen Burger was born in Pottsboro, the daughter of Arthur and Graccie Nicholas.
She attended Layne Elementary in Denison, Denison High School, Grayson County
College and the University of Texas at Arlington. In 1970, she became the first
woman to be hired on to the Texas Tech University police force. She retired from
Texoma Medical Center after 20 years of service and is employed part time by Dr.
O.H. Habal. She is a member of the Gate City Chapter Eastern Star.
Jim Burger was born in Akron, Ohio, the son of Richard and Edna Burger. He
attended Schumacher Elementary School, Buchtel High School, Hartford Community
College, the University of Maryland and Grayson County College. He was in the
United States Air Force for 20 years. For his service in Vietnam, he received
the Air Force Accommodation Medal and the Bronze Star. He also received an award
for inventing a safety device for the ejection seats of airplanes. After the Air
Force, he worked at LOF for 17 years, retiring in 1997. He is a memer of the
Lone Star Masonic Lodge in Denison.
Both are members of Southside Baptist Church and the church’s Senior Saints
group.
The Burgers have two children, Ron Burger of Denison and the late Jim Burger
Jr., and one grandchild.
Carl and Doris Bilderback - 50th
Carl and Doris Bilderback of Pottsboro were honored Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007,
with a 50th wedding anniversary reception. The celebration was from 2 p.m.
until 5 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Calvary Baptist Church, 300 W. Acheson in
Denison. Hosts were their daughters and sons-in-law. The Bilderbacks met
while both were students at East Texas Baptist College in Marshall. They were
married at the Grand Bluff Baptist Church between Marshall and Carthage where
Carl Bilderback was serving as pastor.
Doris Bilderback was born in Port Arthur, the daughter of Frank and Myrtis
Feltman. She graduated in 1956 from Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur
and, later, earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii. She is a
housewife, mother and grandmother and aids her husband in his pastoral duties.
Carl Bilderback was born and raised in Denison, the son of Earl and Mary
Bilderback. He is a 1954 graduate of Denison High School, attended East Texas
Baptist College and earned degrees from Southeastern Oklahoma State University
and Southwestern Theological Seminary. He served as a military chaplain in the
United States Air Force for 26 years, retiring in 1994 as the Command Chaplain
for the Air Force Intelligence Command at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio.
While in the service, the Bilderbacks were stationed in a variety of locations,
stateside and abroad. Since his retirement, Carl Bilderback has served as
interim pastor for six churches including Calvary Baptist and Hyde Park Baptist,
both of Denison, and Georgetown Baptist and First Baptist of Pottsboro. He is
now the full-time pastor for the First Baptist Church of Pottsboro.
The Bilderbacks have two daughters and sons-in-law — Deborah and David Clark of
Monroe, Ga. and Sheila and Steve Richardson of Whitehouse — four grandchildren
and one great-grandson.
The reception is open to friends and family.
The couple will continue the anniversary celebration later this year with a trip
to Hawaii where Carl Bilderback was stationed for several years during his
military service. Their daughters and sons-in-law will accompany them.
THE PIRKLES CELEBRATE
58th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
Rodney and Rosemary Jones Pirkle, 1947 DHS
Graduates, celebrated their 58th Wedding Anniversary on September 4,
2006. They married at the First Baptist Church in Denison on September 4, 1948,
with the former Dr. Guy D. Newman officiating. Their close friends, Carl Ray
Hill and Virgil Dean McVay Hill, also DHS graduates, were their best man and
maid of honor. Other DHS graduates in their wedding party were John Hicks,
Martha White Travis and Marjorie Bridgefarmer Wilburn. Their overnight honeymoon
was spent at the Grayson Hotel in Sherman, Texas. They lived in Denison for one
year and then moved to Dallas after Rodney was layed off from the KATY Railroad
in Denison. Rodney went then went to work in Dallas for the KATY Railroad and
retired in 1991 after 42 years of service.
Rodney and Rosemary are retired and live
in Arlington. Rodney plays golf with Arlington Senior Men's Golf Association,
and plays softball with Arlington Senior Softball Association. Rosemary is a
volunteer at the Arlington Memorial Hospital and is a member of the Arlington
Woman's Club. They are members of Lamar Baptist Church in Arlington.
They have one daughter, Darlene, married
to Jim Berry of Murphy, Texas and two grandsons, Brian Berry and his wife
Shelley, of Rockwall, Texas, and Steven Berry of Rowlett, Texas. Their son,
Rodney, Jr., is deceased.
Clemens "Clemo"
and Mary Evelyn McCoy - 65 years