Point Arena Pirates Reunion, Classes 1950 through 1967

 Our July 22 reunion at Trinity Hall, St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Point Arena, was well attended. The reunion had been postponed for three years because of Covid, and almost got postponed this year too when a vandal burned down our wonderful Gualala Community Center building (constructed in 1954) in February.   

Fortunately Trinity Hall was reopened after a long shut-down period. Then the Gualala Lions pitched in and did the cooking plus helped with setting up the tables and chairs and decorations in our Pirate blue and gold theme. 

Lion helpers were Richard and Sandra Ryder and son, Chuck Cappotto, and Tim Cowman, plus our friend Rusty.

Attendees

Betty and Richard Rondeau

Michael and Alice Combs

Chuck  York

Cindy Franci and Gary Sundstrom

Lawrence Girelli

Allan Dingman

Marcie Cook

Patricia (Cook) Leavitt

Ruby Cook Davis

Ron and Kathy Combs

Randi and Clarice Olsen

Caren Franci

Tamara Fishberg

Dennis Craig, Denise, Janet Robinson

Cheryl Dennison

Tom and Leslie Walker

Roger and Judy Seymour

Alice Garret and daughter

Phil Reynolds

Richard Scaramella Ken and Eva Spacek

Gary and Dorothy Craig

John Stibi

David and Lissa Schuler

Stan and Angela Solbeck

Candy and Richard Harris

Walt and Donna Stornetta

Judy Ferguson

Roger Edwards and Agnes Brenneman

Our next reunion will be July 26, 2025, in Ellington Hall, Santa Rosa. Why Santa Rosa? More of our schoolmates live there or close by than anywhere else. I remembered a lesson from History when Mohammad said "If the mountain won't come to Mohammad, Mohammad will go to the mountain." 

So we are taking the party to the people because it's a lot easier for most to get to Santa Rosa than Gualala or Point Arena. More hotels. More restaurants. Less driving narrow winding roads. Charles Schultz airport. SMART train. Cost will be $100 per person, so start saving.

Details will sent in the 2024 Christmas letter, but start planing to attend now so this will be our biggest reunion yet.

Mike

Michael Combs

PO Box 1639

Gualala, CA 95445

(707)884-3741 or (707)321-7671

mcombs@pacifc.net

http://strongasanoxandnearlyassmart.blogspot.com/

2023 Reunion Attendees

 

So far forty-two have indicated that they will attend our reunion. Betty and Richard Rondeau Michael and Alice Combs Chuck York Lawrence Girelli Jeff Nelson Marcie Cook Patricia (Cook) Leavitt Ruby (Cook) Davis Ron and Kathy Combs Randi and Clarice Olsen Caren Franci Michael Key and Lauren Buchanan Cheryl Dennison Tom and Leslie Walker Roger and Judy Seymour Alice Garret and daughter Phil  and Michelle Reynolds Carolyn Yeaman Gary and Dorothy Craig John Stibi David and Lissa Schuler Stan and Angela Solbeck Candy and Richard Harris Walt and Donna Stornetta Judy Ferguson

July 22, 2023 Reunion - an important update!

Dear Pirates 

We have a wonderful reunion site, Trinity Hall next to St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Point Arena. 

Now I can concentrate on our menu, decorations, and getting the word out so we can have great attendance. 

Please let your friends/schoolmates know we want them at our reunion. The more the merrier!

Date – July 22, a Saturday. Time – 4PM. Invitees – Pirates, plus their families and friends. Cost - $50 per person payable by check to Mike Combs.

Click on this link for a current list of lodging available 

Please get back to me as soon as possible and make the next step an easy one!

 

Hail to the Pirates!

 

Mike Combs

PO Box 1639

Gualala, CA 95445

707-884-3741 or (cell) 707-321-7671

 

 

Lodging Accommodations for Reunion

 For many wonderful reasons we are a very popular tourist destination and July 22, a Saturday, should be very busy at local hotels and restaurants. We recommend making reservations ASAP. Please click on the each link to go to the websites.

Not only hotels, but very inviting vacation homes are available,

Point Arena Lighthouse. Great for families or with friends.

Mar Vista Cabins. Just north of Anchor Bay. Their website is gorgeous.

The Gualala Country Inn Centrally located in beautiful downtown Gualala.

The Surf Motel Also centrally located in Gualala and economical.

The Hotel Breakers Also centrally located in Gualala with a great Gualala River view.

Seacliff Motel Also centrally located in Gualala with a great Gualala River view.

The Sea Ranch Lodge Being refurbished and will reopen this summer.

Rendezvous Mendocino Formerly the North Coast Country Inn. Just north of Anchor Bay where Fish Rock Road intersects Highway 1.

Wildflower Boutique Motel.  Point Arena, on Main Street.

Wharf Master's Inn. At Arena Cove.

Lighthouse Pointe Resort. At Rollerville, by the Rollerville Cafe. 

Coasting Home Vacation Rentals has an office in Gualala. 

Whale Watch Inn Just north of Anchor Bay overlooking Anchor Bay Beach.

AirBNB in Gualala area. These are properties available at the moment over the July 22 weekend.

Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO) in Gualala area. These are properties available at the moment over the July 22 weekend.

Bookings.com  Gualala and Sea Ranch properties.

Vacasa.com  Sea Ranch listings.

Abalone House. Hosted by our near neighbors Katherine and husband Randy "Abalone" Jones.

Anna Marie (Miller) Robbins, July 3, 1941- August 10, 2017

 

Our 2023 Reunion

 Our reunion is set for July 22, 2023, starting at 4 pm at the Gualala Community Center. Classes from 1966 back to the beginning of time are invited. Cost is $50 per person. Please mail me a check: Michael Combs, PO Box 1639, Gualala, CA 95445. I can be easily contacted (sometimes) by phone, 707-884-3741, or 707-321-7671, and more reliably by email at mcombs@pacific.net. 

You would please me to no end if you would email me a biography or update one already on this website. 

No matter how many or how few sign up to attend, our reunion will go ahead as planned. 

I'll update this with the names of those who will attend as they come in. Right now we have Alice and I, Brother Ron and Kathy, Chuck and Mickie York, Carolyn (York) and Charlie Biles, Betts (Cook) Rondeau, Roger and Judy Seymour, Lawrence Girelli, and Tom and Leslie Walker. As always, at this memorable moment in time, some of these may be tentative, but it's a good start.

We hope to see a large turnout. 

See you then!

Jeri (Ledford) Nissen, November 28, 1941-March 21, 2021

 

Geraldine Marie “Jeri” Nissen November 28, 1941 – March 21, 2021

Jeri graduated from Point Arena High School in 1958, was engaged to Gary, and they had plans for the future. As often happens, life steps in, and those plans got changed. Like everyone, Jeri enjoyed good times and survived bad times during the next 40 years. A strong and caring person she raised 3 children, was a help to many people, and worked a variety of jobs. She was known as “the cool grandma” to her grandchildren.

 

In 1999 she and Gary reconnected at a high school reunion and spent the next 21 years together, living in Riverside for 18 months and then moving to Willits. They were married August 12, 2002. During those years they traveled a great deal, often on one of their motorcycles. She overcame her fear of flying and had the opportunity to visit many places in the US, something she had not been able to do before. Rocks from Death Valley and dirt from the Churchill Downs racetrack in Kentucky were among her favorite keepsakes. Bowling, Line Dancing, and tending her flower garden were three of her favorite activities and she excelled at all. She had many friends on the coast and made new ones everywhere she went. The last couple of years were challenging as Jeri developed a form of dementia. 

Jeri is survived by her husband Gary, her daughter Joni Murphy, her son Brent Pritchard, grandsons Riley and Mitchell, granddaughters Katie, Rebecca, and Breanna, and great granddaughter Avery.

She is also survived by her sisters, Dana (Ron) Galletti, Tracy (John) DuPont, and many nieces & nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Charles “Irv” & Dolores Ledford, and her son, Mark Kespohl. 

She will be missed and never forgotten.

 

I CRIED WHEN YOU PASSED AWAY, I STILL CRY TODAY. ALTHOUGH I LOVED YOU DEARLY, I COULDN’T MAKE YOU STAY. A GOLDEN HEART STOPPED BEATING, HARD WORKING HANDS AT REST. GOD BROKE MY HEART TO PROVE TO ME HE ONLY TAKES THE BEST. 

Jeri's obituary was published in the Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, on November 26, 2021