Thanks to all 50th Homecoming attendees for coming. Many of you have reported that it was a great weekend, which was exactly what was intended. Hopefully, the spirit will continue through many future reunions. And if you haven’t already done so, please send in a donation for the refurbishment of the Aud. The WCI auditorium was a high profile venue during Homecoming Weekend and badly needs help, as those of you know who witnessed the sudden self-destruction of one of the seats during the performance series! Details about how to donate can be found at: www.wci50th.ca (click on the Donations tab).
You now can see the results of our years of planning and preparation for WCI’s 50th Homecoming online! Check it out and — most important — plan to attend!
Lynne (Gingrich) Schendel (class of 1964 & 1965) passed away suddenly in September.Lynne was avivacious popular studentduring her years at WCI and her many activities included being a Vikings cheerleader .She leaves her husband, Ken, five children, their spousesand one grand-daughter.Her greatest joy was her family and she was anticipating with much excitement the arrival of her second grand-daughter.Family and friends celebrated Lynne’s life on September 16, 2009 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Waterloo.
One of WCI’s opening year teachers in 1960, Orville Good, passed away on August 5, 2009 at the K-W Health Centre of the Grand River Hospital. During his years at WCI he taught Industrial Arts as well as various occupation training courses. Also while at WCI he and his students built the sets for all the school productions. In his private life he was a tireless environmental advocate for Wilmot Township and had just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, Patricia (Stewart) Good, on July 11, 2009. Funeral services were held at the Mark Jutzi Funeral Home on August 9, 2009.
Bill Fetter (class of 1961) passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends, Monday July 27, 2009. A memorial service was held for him August 4th at KW Christian Fellowship. Bill described himself as “Cerebral, brooding yet light hearted enough to laugh and my secret desire was to either as comic or architect … Ended up an ad man.” He was looking forward to WCI’s 50th Homecoming and had volunteered to help — he’ll be missed by many.
Derek Xavier Weiler (WCI class of 1987) passed away suddenly on Sunday, April 12, 2009 at his home in Toronto at the age of 40. He was the editor of Quill & Quire, the premier magazine of the Canadian book trade, and wrote about books for several publications, including the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Driven and Chatelaine. Derek is survived by his wife, Sari Morrison; his parents, Gerald and Marie Weiler; his sister Marcy Hespeler and family. A memorial service was held April 18, 2009 at the Henry Walser Funeral Home in Kitchener. Derek is eulogized eloquently on the Quill & Quire web site and blog: http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2009/04/13/derek-weiler-1968-2009/.
A recurring theme in the responses to the reunion survey we sent out last year was the desire to have specific class years get together during the 50th celebrations. Sunday afternoon, June 6, 2010 is a time that would be available for this type of event. WCI’s facilities could be made available. All that would be needed is for those interested to self-organize their reunions. The wcialumni.com site can contact alumni from specific years on request. If you’d like to spearhead such an event let us know at info@wcialumni.com
Bill Metcalf (class of 1962) - philosopher, good man and fine jazz pianist passed away quietly June 13, 2009 after a lengthy illness.