High School Classmate has died... Bill Nye

High School Classmate has died... Bill Nye

 

It is always a bit of a shock when a classmate passes away. We lose older friends and family all the time, of course, both older and younger. We had less than 30 students in our class. We have lost about a half dozen. Each one hits very close. The last one was a cousin. 'Willie' Nye, as we knew him then, was not someone I was close to, in school, but got to know him better at a reunion or two. A U. S. Marshall. Wow! That was not expected, for sure. He will be missed by all who knew him.


COON RAPIDS ENTERPRISE - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Private ceremony for Bill Nye, 79

A life well lived is all anyone can ask. Not rich, not poor. Not famous, nor influential.
Never quiet and occasionally rough around the edges. Bill Nye’s life was well lived through his sense of humor, generosity, love of the land, patriotism and loyalty to his friends.
Born January 20, 1939, as the only child of Dr. William Nye and DeEtta Nye, Bill’s sense of duty and responsibility developed at an early age with the death of his father when Bill was 12. His preparatory education consisted of attending school in Dedham, Iowa and working on the farm before and after school.
Studies at ISU, NW Missouri State and Drake preceded his entry into his career in law enforcement.
Bill graduated from the Des Moines Police Academy in 1964 and went on to work with the Iowa State Narcotics Unit and the Des Moines Police Department.
He concluded his law enforcement career as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in 1988.
Never fully retired, Bill worked as a private investigator on a local and nationwide basis for many years and served as president of the Council of International Investigators.
He actively invested in farming and devoted many hours to the annual Variety Club telethon.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Kristy Nye, Milo, Iowa, her mother, Diane Nye Morris of Simi Valley, California and granddaughter, Amanda Nye of San Diego, California.
A gathering of friends will be held at the Mason Funeral Home, 902 N. State Street, Pleasantville, Iowa on Wednesday, September 5 at 6:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Des Moines Police Burial Association, U.S. Marshal’s Foundation or Variety Club.
William P. Nye died August 30, 2018, at the age of 79. A life well lived.
A private burial ceremony will be held at the City of Carroll Cemetery.

Household, Family & Friends 7 - Alex earns Life Scout

Household, Family & Friends 7 - Alex earns Life Scout

His Grandpa takes a moment to be proud of his Grandson.
Just received this photo via Facebook of Alex Rathsack earning designation as Life Scout.
Had to share! Congratulations!! ;-)

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Household, Family & Friends 6 - Have your Facebook Friends changed over the past year?

Household, Family & Friends 6

Have your Facebook Friends changed over the past year?

Back on January 3, when I first posted under this HFF theme, my oldest daughter, Annette, responded to the Facebook comment this way, which I thought was very useful:

“I find that Facebook serves three purposes:
1) Essential connections with my immediate family through personal pages as well as "closed" group page.
2) Important connections with close friends and family through sharing photos and keeping in touch.
3) Informal connections with acquaintances and others from my past. Not essential, but still lots of fun.
Each serves a different function, but is an easy way to stay in touch.”

First, do you agree with this assessment, or do you find you use Facebook differently (assuming you use Facebook at all, of course!)?

Second, do you feel you use Facebook differently now than you did, say, a year ago? How? Why?

Third, do you find you are spending more or less time on Facebook now than you did a year ago?

Finally, have the friends you regularly follow and communicate with via Facebook changed from a year ago? How? Why? Have you given it any thought? Has it been intentional?



Think about it. Share your thoughts.

Please use the Comments below, or Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, to let us hear from you.


Will you take the opportunity to leave a comment? Hope so! ;-)

Think Positive, Do Good! ;-)

Community - What Happened - 65,844,610 asked

Community

What Happened - 65,844,610 asked

 

I just finished reading the book “What Happened.”

If you are one who voted for Hillary Rodham Clinton and you really wanted (want) to know, you really need to read this book. It is a very pleasant and satisfying read if you voted for her, or now wish you had. Put aside what you may have read, seen, or heard in your favorite (or other) media. You do need to read the book, in her own words, written from the heart. You will learn many things you will wish you had heard during the campaign that got drowned out by the mess that was the campaign.

She clearly admits all the mistakes she made as a candidate. Let’s start there. The important thing, now, is where do we go, from here. How do we fix the mistake for our country that came about via the Electoral College vote versus the popular vote?

Each of us has had a lot of time to think about this, by now, I’m sure. I certainly have. I’m reminded every day of the key principles of government that I thought were fixed, that are being eroded, torn away, torn apart, each and every day of the current administration. We each need to be active in our own way to work on this…every day.

I’ve spoken some about this in earlier posts. This blog was created as a platform for this dialogue. I’ve been away for awhile, but, in coming weeks, I’ll be sharing what I’ve been reading (this book and otherwise) and what I think we should be doing to make our lives, and our country, better. This is one thing I can do. It will be up to you to decide what you can do. I invite you to join me on this journey.

More on this later, but, in closing, in the words of HRC:

“Resist, insist, persist, enlist.”

Happy Birthday, Annette - 1960

Happy Birthday, Annette

1960

Nancy holding Annette, our oldest daughter, at two weeks... in Ames, Iowa.

Slides from that period, especially cheaper film, it seems, are starting to deteriorate. Got most of them scanned a couple of years ago, but a bit late, on some of them... Ah, the memories, though!!! ;-)

Throwback Thursday - Remembering PhD Study Days - early 1990s

Throwback Thursday

Remembering PhD Study Days - early 1990s

I came across this photo recently that brought back a lot of memories to me. I believe I was starting on my dissertation, perhaps '93... we had moved to a small apartment near campus at the University of Arizona in Tucson, from our house in the suburbs, so I could concentrate on finishing my degree.

Pretty heavy reading ahead, it appears. Even as Christmas approached. What fun?!?!?! ;-)

Throw-way-back Thursday - Another world of the early 1940s

Throw-way-back Thursday

Another world of the early 1940s

Roy Rogers and Lash LaRue at the local Lyric theater on Saturday were the 'heroes.'
Long before television. West-central Iowa farm community - look at that tractor and that barn.
Cousins played together on Sunday, after church...on the farm, or in small town...perhaps that hasn't changes so much...what was your experience??
Mom and Dad worried about sugar rations and such from a war, far, far way; hoped the boys came back safe... but, otherwise, it was a good life. What do you think?

Families are Forever!! ;-)

Photo: Cousin Kathleen - Bill - Cousin Karen, my buddies!