Friday, January 9, 2015

Bernice Munton Williams, Class of 1950

Bio for Bernice Munton Williams 





After graduation in 1950, I got married to my wonderful husband, Henry (Hank) Williams; we had 2 children, Gail and Paul, and lived in Sacramento for 19 years.  During this time we went camping at the Lake Tahoe area very frequently to get away from the hot weather. Hank’s job then took us to Sierra Vista,Arizona where we have lived since 1970.  I received a teaching degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson with a major in education and art and a minor in music.  I taught 2nd and 4th grades, art in high school and loved it very much.
  
Because of a heart problem, I retired early and became active in the  local art association.  I painted mostly landscapes using oil paints, sculptured mostly Southwestern Indian figurines in clay. Hank and I made jewelry mostly using the “lost Wax” method of casting sterling silver jewelry. We’d also go rock hunting with the local gem and mineral club. Every October, I would sell the art pieces I made at “Art in the Park”, which was once a year. 

I  joined the local chorus (100 members)and have been a member for 12 years. I enjoy singing at the “rest homes” and also 4 major performance for the town with this chorus.  I also sing with a small group within this chorus – we call our group “The Souvenirs” – there are 7 small groups within the large chorus.  We have a great time. Hank and I bought a motorhome and always traveled during Arizona’s hot weather, all summer long.  We’d always go to the National Parks: going up through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and sometimes go into Canada (the Canadian Rockies), Washington, down Calif., (of course Lake Tahoe) and then  
home to  Az.  We did this for 18 years and loved every minute of it. 

We were married 63 ½  years, and then my husband passed away this year May 8th.   Our son lives in Washington and will be escorting me to the reunion. 
    
  Bernice Munton Williams

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Sandy (Peterson) Langley, 1943-2015

1943 - 2015 | Obituary 
Sandra Loree (Petersen) Langley Obituary
Sandra Loree (Petersen) Langley of Lone Pine passed quietly on the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 8 at Renown Hospital in Reno.
Sandy is survived by her husband, Christopher Langley; and by her brothers, Mark Petersen, of Fairfield and Steve Petersen of Malibu. She is also survived by her sons and their families, Simon Langley and wife Wendy of Chico and Matthew Langley and wife Juliana of Sebastopol; and three adoring granddaughters, Alexandra, Caroline and Scarlett.
She was preceded in death by her father and mother, Peter and Anita Petersen.
Born on April 7, 1943 in Healdsburg, Sandy grew up in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. She graduated from Point Arena High School in Point Arena in 1961, and she attended college at Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University. She received a degree in English from SSU as a member of the college's inaugural class.
Shortly upon graduating from college, Sandy enlisted in the Peace Corps and traveled to Austin, Texas for training. It was in Austin that she would meet her eventual husband of 46 years, Christopher Langley. The pair were both stationed in Iran during their Peace Corps service. Sandy reveled in telling stories of her adventures in Iran all of her life. The couple married in New York City on Aug. 8, 1968, shortly after returning to the United States. Christopher relocated from his native New York to join his new bride in California.
Lifelong educators, Sandy and Chris soon found themselves teaching elementary school in a remote northern California mining town called New Idria. Their tenure there was short-lived, however, as the mine closed and the town became deserted in 1972. This led them to seek out jobs with the Lone Pine Unified School District. Sandy taught the primary grades at Olancha School from 1972- 1977, and in various grade levels at Lo-Inyo Elementary from 1977-2001. In her retirement, she served as a member of the LPUSD Board of Trustees for several years. To say that Mrs. Langley had a significantly positive impact on the youth of Lone Pine and their families would be a gross understatement. Her influence went beyond the classroom, and many of her students remained lifelong friends.
Sandy had a passion for reading, collecting thousands of books over her lifetime and rereading hundreds of her most beloved novels time and time again. She also adored her beloved Los Angeles Dodgers, prompting her and Chris to make multiple visits to Spring Training in Arizona in recent years. Those who knew Sandy know she also had a flair for the dramatic, and the community was treated to many of her performances over the years as a member of the Southern Inyo Community Theater and in Lone Pine's fabled Jabberwocky productions. Perhaps her most notable role was as the voice of the man-eating plant, "Audrey Two" in the SICT production of Little Shop of Horrors.
Sandy imparted many pearls of wisdom to members of her family and her community over the years. She approached people with an open mind, an open, loving heart and a generous spirit that never stopped giving.
She will be memorialized at a service in Lone Pine at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24 at the Lone Pine reservation's tribal gymnasium.
Published in Inyo Register on Jan. 17, 2015
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/inyoregister/obituary.aspx?n=sandra-loree-langley-petersen&pid=173915235#sthash.VzEaCVUd.dpuf