https://www.doughertyfuneralduluth.com/obituaries/edward-ed-wirtanen

Our classmate Phyllis Albertson Gerber passed away on Sept 3rd, 2023. Infomation was given by her husband, Steven Gerber

An obituary is here:

theobituaryapp.com/obituaries/phyllis-gerber/4062066

Robert ring, 73, Duluth Minnesota, died Thursday, September 21 in 2023 at hospice House from heart disease. Military honors were held at the Minnesota State veterans Cemetery in Duluth.

Thanks to Jerry Niemi for letting our class know.

Elwin “Babe” Carl Anderson, 73, of Duluth, MN, passed away peacefully in his home with his children by his side, on March 17, 2023, after battling cancer.

Babe was born in Duluth, MN to Fritz and Ailie (Erickson) Anderson on March 1, 1950. He went to Duluth Central High School, graduating in 1968.

Celebration of Life service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, April 14th at Sunrise Funeral Home, 4798 Miller Trunk Hwy, Hermantown.

Edward Bruce Shanblott

Of Duluth, died Wednesday, October 18, 2023 in St. Luke’s Hospital after a lengthy battle with kidney disease. He was born in Duluth on August 21, 1949 and graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1968. Ed was employed by Home Beautifier Company Incorporated from 1971 until his retirement. Throughout his life Ed was a member of the Minnesota Air National Guard, the Duluth Zoning Board, the Shrine, and served as president of the Duluth Builders Association.

https://www.doughertyfuneralduluth.com/obituaries/edward-shanblott

Janice F. (Carlson) Dulinski, 73, of Fredenberg, passed away on Friday September 29, 2023, in her home from complications associated with Alzheimer’s. She was born in Duluth on Jan. 17, 1950, to Albert E. and Genevieve Carlson. Jan graduated from Duluth Central High School in 1968

So sad to hear about Kris, a fine individual whose passing came to soon. God bless you Kris 😞

Our classmate, Kris Liljeblad, of Duluth, MN passed away on June 2nd from a terminal brain tumor. A memorial service will be held at First Lutheran Church, in Duluth,  at 1pm on July 19th. The church addess is 1100 E. Superior St.,Duluth, MN.

Hello Classmates,  It is with great sorrow that I announce the passing of Kris Liljeblad,  our class President & promoter of our reunion. Kris and Lana were instrumental for the success of our class reunions for over 50 years.

       His Celebration of Life will be held on Wed Jul 19th at 1pm at 1st Luthern Church in Duluth, Mn.

                                                Skip

Our classmate and basketball star, Dick Pennington, passed away a few weeks ago. Dick was a major force and instrumental in the success of the Duluth Central basketball team when we went to the state tournament in both 1967 and 1968.  Dick always had to take on some of the toughest centers on the teams we faced; many of which were substantially taller or heavier. He maneuvered around them with ease.  Dick was nice, kind, and humble guy.  He worked very hard to be a great basketball player. He will be missed. Here is his obituary - https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/richard-pennington-obituary?id=36646403

    Will we have a 55th class reunion? Some talked about 5 years from now on but I haven't seen any mention of it.

                           Thanks Skip      ss2270@live.com

I am very sad to hear of Bonnie Gill’s passing. I had just spoke to her a few months ago.

RIP 😥

Bonnie Gill passed on Nov 11, 2021 according to an obit in the Duluth News Tribune. She was a resident of Hopkins, MN.

According to his son, Kevin, he died of a stroke in California. Wayne had recently built a house on the big island of Hawaii with his wife Jill and were planning to spend considerable time there in the coming years. Jerry Niemi and Dale Mell  

So sad to hear of Sherman passing...🙏🏻🙏🏼🙏

Hi All- anyone have any details on the passing of my Homecroft basketball teammate and friend Rick Mass? FEel free to email me at tknut1999@gmail.com. Thanks.

Tom Knutila

Sherman Erickson passed away at the age of 70, on Dec 28, 2020

Just watched my copy. Such a great idea to have a permanent record of our reunion.

I didnt  get a chance to see Everyone. This video gave me the opportunity to do just that.

Loved the stories, rekindled friendships and camaraderie. Took us back to 1968 where we graduated from one of the most majestic High Schools in the nation - Duluth Central.  Go Trojans.

Hope we do it all over again in 5 years time.



A DVD produced by Raines Video Production from footage shot at both the Boat Club and Ridgeview CC events on June 28 and 29 is now available. It accurately captures the people who attended and the events of both evenings - it's pretty good. Copies were mailed by Raines to those who pre-paid for them. If you did not order one previously but would like a copy, please contact us and we'll put you in touch with Raines.

Attendance: The turnout was great! On Thursday, June 28th there were 15 golfers at Enger in the morning and 80 classmates at the Boat Club in the evening. On Friday, June 29th 40 participated in the Historic Old Central Tour, most of whom also enjoyed Sammy's Pizza beforehand in the Board Room cafeteria. The Friday evening banquet at Ridgeview CC attracted 94 classmates and guests. 

Financials: At the start of planning for both the 40-Year Reunion in 2008 and the 50-Year Reunion this year we had $500 or less in the bank as seed funding. That was not enough to cover costs to set up a website, prepare a mailing and pay for postage, or to pay deposits to reserve reunion venue. We're in better shape today: At the close of the 50-Year Reunion we have a bank balance of about $1,500 which should be adequate to maintain this ClassQuest website and jump-start the next reunion. It's important to point out that several classmates helped reduce or eliminate our costs - Ron DeGrio and Mars Supply prepared and donated the name badges, Jim Cadotte and Carol Kempf donated the sound system and music for both major events, and donations to the Silent Auction by Ron, David Brown, and Jay Conradi raised additional funds.

The Next Reunion: In reply to the Questionnaire on the website about how often to hold reunions there was an even split between every 10 years or 5 years or less. We recommend that we hold a 55-Year reunion in 2023 for several reasons - 1. our website will still be active so we shouldn't have to rebuild it; 2. it will be easier to find people in 5 than in 10 years; and 3. every year that we wait our class gets smaller.

Volunteers Needed: Lana and Kris have announced that they are stepping down as reunion organizers. Patty Herrick has volunteered to take on ongoing website maintenance, but she is looking for an assistant. So, volunteers are needed to stay in touch with our class and to organize the next gathering, in 2023 or whenever that may be.

Those nostalgic and lovely centerpieces at Ridgeview CC were designed by Barb Teske and assembled with help from Cathy Overland, Lynn Vukonich and Ron DeGrio. Awesome work all! Most of the photos posted here that were taken at Ridgeview CC were Barb's work too. Thanks Barb for sharing your talent!

After dinner, EJ shared hilarious personal stories and recollections of her education experience in Duluth. Others were inspired to follow. What a gas!

Guests John Hill, Gale & Ron Graves, Tom Knutila, John & Terry Cismowski enjoy a pre-meal conversation.

Richard & Edith Johnson, Dan Jahr, Mike Galdonik, Marian & Bob Denno, Margie and Mike Millet 

Preparing to enjoy Ridgeview's buffet: Roger Dahl & Eleanor Anderson-Dahl, Tracy & Chuck Goman, Tom & Georgia Miller

Sharon Eid, Rick & Lucy Gardner, Barry Eid, Steve Paquay....enjoy after dinner conversation in the Ridgeview sun porch.

David Brown, Dale & Kathy Kilby, Larry Lanhart, Karen & Bill Agenter and Peggy Barbeau share a light moment.

Skip Syvertsen, Ron & Maureen DeGrio, Cindy Harris and Linda Gross enjoy their meal.

Mark & Cathy Overland, Lana & Kris Liljeblad, Janet Worthing & Barb Teske was taking the picture!

A videographer filmed a couple of hours of both the Classmates Evening and the Banquet for Classmates and Guests. The resulting video files will be edited and DVDs produced for sale to all classmates, not only those in attendance. After the reunion you should expect a mailing from Raines Video Production offering you the opportunity to purchase a copy of the DVD for a nominal price. There is no cost to the Class for this service, or to you unless you choose to purchase the 50-Year Reunion DVD.

There were six items auctioned off, which raised $220 in donations to the Class of '68: 1) A framed reproduction of a photo of the Historic Old Central Building, donated by Ron DeGrio and Mars Supply; 2) A new men's red satin, cotton-lined warm-up suit, jacket size large, pants size medium donated by Ron DeGrio; 3) and 4) two copies of classmate author David J. Brown's novel, "Daddy Had to Say Goodbye"; 5) a letter jacket "D" without the jacket; and 6) a hand-crafted birch serving bowl donated by Jay Conradi.

The successful bidders were: Jeff Widness for the framed photo; Patty Ames Herrick for the warm up suit; Anita Graham Samson and Sharon High Eid for the two novels autographed by David Brown; and Reino Paaso for the birch bowl by Jay Conradi.

Oh how I wish I could have been there!!!

RIP Bonnie...

Richard ‘Dick’ Allen Pennington, 73, of Duluth, passed away September 26, 2022

Visitation to be held at 2:00 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 6th, at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, Duluth, 4100 Grand Ave.

Prayers for the family. Yes,  Dick was a fantastic basketball player. He certainly was instrumental is our going to State. I remember him as being a very nice and considerate person. He will be sorely missed. 🙏