Ecumenical Council honors Clothes Closet, Food Cupboard volunteers
Written by Cathy Finnegan Monday, 03 October 2011 11:18
The Ocean City Ecumenical Council held its Annual Volunteers’ Luncheon at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church last week. Nancy Notaro, Elaine Wilson, Joan Chapman, Barbara Deaney and Jean Robinson greeted guests and gave them name tags when they arrived. Warren Hughes, a volunteer in the Food Cupboard, arrived early to entertain at the piano before lunch. Pete and Cathy Guinosso, Sue Baker and Andrea Paul, who coordinated the luncheon, were busy setting out salads, chips and sandwich trays while Pat Crowley sat in the kitchen supervising Sally and Dick Condon, Bill Bateson and John Dower as they filled pitchers with ice tea and water. Dick and Sally, who have volunteered in the Clothes Closet for eight years, just returned from a vacation in Toronto. John Dower, who sported rubber gloves, recalled the time he was mistaken for a doctor dressed in white with rubber gloves when he worked for Jack & Jill selling ice cream during the summer while attending Villanova and then Temple for his Masters.
Barbara and Bob Lautenslager arrived early and got a table near the podium. The Lautenslagers are looking forward to attending their grandson Dallas Ouano’s basketball games at Villanova where he is captain of the team. Doris and Joe DiCorcia are headed to Notre Dame to visit Margaret and Al Gutierrez and see the Notre Dame-Navy football game. Eleanor Eason, who works in the Clothes Closet, is headed for Ashville, N.C. to visit her daughter Carol next week. I enjoyed meeting Eileen and Bernie Ray who lived in Bucks County and have volunteered at the Food Cupboard since retiring to Ocean City three years ago. Bernie was an electrician for Nabisco while Eileen is a nurse who still works part time.
Alice and Bill Crockford have a new great granddaughter, Dune Ackley, bringing their total to three. Rich Hawthorne and Pete Probasco are in charge of the community gardens around town and report the Crockfords have lots of interest in the old corn stalks in their garden that folks want to use to decorate for Halloween. Ruth McCall told me her son, Donald, used to work at Powell’s Exxon with Dewey Powell and my husband back in the seventies. Evie Bachich joked about taking husband Bob’s place at the luncheon. Bob also grows fresh vegetables for the Food Cupboard.
Marge Bradley is looking forward to her vacation in Hawaii this fall while Sandy Laird will be spending the winter in Melbourne, Fla. Pat Ray volunteers at the Food Cupboard and Clothes Closet when she’s not busy singing with the Cape Shore Singers, Masterworks Choir, Meister Singers and the St. Francis Cabrini Choir. Brian Roberts just returned from attending Parents Weekend at Messiah College where daughter Alyson is a freshman. Brian joked about his daughter’s room being on the fourth floor with no elevator and when he reached the top the sign read “You have just burned 6.5 calories.”
The luncheon was catered by Casa Del Dolce on Asbury Ave. I enjoyed lunch chatting with Michele and Jay Gillian, Mike Dattilo, Mike Rossbach, Laurie Howey, Beverly Mossop and Theresa Zimmerman. Michele and Jay were away over the weekend checking out a new ride for Wonderland. Laurie reported the two-day air show over the weekend was a huge success despite the cool weather. When I caught up with Emma and Nate Davis they told me they have four grandchildren, the oldest is in college and the youngest, Nathan, named for his grandfather, is 21 months. Emma recently attended her 50th college reunion at North Carolina A & T University in Greensboro. When Dottie Cianci said she spoke at the Exchange Club dinner recently I told her my husband didn’t realize it was her or he would have said hello.
Co-president of the Ecumenical Council Joan Robertson is one busy lady and still finds time to take care of her three children, eight grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Barbara and Tom Weber just returned from an 18-day bus tour out west to the national monuments and national parks. Anne Gallagher highlighted the many years of service Jeff Deal has given to the Ecumenical Council working at the Food Cupboard and Clothes Closet and accepted the Appreciation Award on Jeff’s behalf because he was not feeling up to attending the luncheon. LeRoy Robertson entertained with a fine rendition of “Spirit Song,” one of this columnist’s favorites. Joan Robertson read a list of names of volunteers who were to take home the fall floral centerpieces donated by Mark Videtto at Spinning Wheel Florist. As guests headed home I caught up with Marizetta and Dick Grimes who have been married 64 years. I joked with Dick Stanislaw that we better go on diets or stop going to all these luncheons.
If it’s Labor Day you can bet there’s a party at the Jessels. Yes, Denise and Gary Jessel hosted their End of Summer Celebration at their home overlooking the beach and boardwalk. Jim and I arrived on our bikes as Ron Denney walked up after parking his car a few blocks away. We older folks got our exercise as we climbed the steps instead of taking the elevator. Gail Blevin, Maribeth Neall and Joanne Budnick had squatter’s rights as they took over the round table on the front deck relegating Cathy and Joe Rebl, Peggy and Ed Howe and Joanne and Bob Marzulli to the wicker swing and chairs. Cathy and Joe were looking forward to their 44th anniversary on Sept. 16 while I admitted Jim and I were celebrating our 49th on Sept. 15.
Joanne, Bob and I reminisced singing lyrics of golden oldie TV commercials. When I admired Jan Meehan’s gold necklace featuring a school of fish, she told me she got it while vacationing in Florida. I enjoyed catching up with Sue and Tim Murphy also relaxing on the front deck. Carol and John Herrington are excited about the birth of their new granddaughter, Abigail, who arrived along with Hurricane Irene. Gail and Scott Ping were getting ready for their 10-day European cruise in October to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Mare Frei and Betty Ray assisted our hostess, Denise, in the kitchen while Gary Jessel held court on the back deck with Melissa and Tony Wilson, Dave DeWeese, DJ and DJ and Clay Rossiter and Steve Gillian. Carol Heenan threw caution to the wind since it was the end of summer and everyone was checked in at her Garden Court Apartments and left her cell phone home. She wasn’t taking any calls. Susan and Fred Miller are glad to have their newest book complete and off to the publishing company. I stopped to chat with Eric Wakabayashi, Alice Wolf and Sue and Otis Reich while we sampled the delicious desserts. Sue ran in the Mayor’s Fun Run while Otis was working his last day on the beach patrol. Aimee and Jim Schultz are delighted with their new home in Ocean City with Aimee’s daughters attending the intermediate school and the high school. Steve Ang and my husband regaled Keith Hartzell (attending his fifth party) with tales of Jim’s escapades while working on the Ocean City Police Department. Marion and Ned McCaughey arrived late when many of the guests were leaving.
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