Here's me (left) and my friend Mike S. at Maggie's house in 1998. He's a big Foo Fighters fan. We saw them in 2000. That show rocked! It's the closest thing I'll ever get to a Nirvana concert.
My friend Nic gave me a wonderful Christmas present in my sophomore year! A little while later that same day, I gave Maggie a present of her own! (Just for the record, she does NOT wear glasses anymore!)
Tina and me at her house the morning of our first day as Juniors. (August 1998) (I'm on the right)
Trisha holds Sandy in my room in 1997
Cats (Move mouse over pictures for captions)
Kurt lets me know what he thinks of my camera My cats often wonder about me
*(If you think youmight know me, click the box that says "Add as friend")
So, who is this person with the weird cats? The name's Katie. I'm a graduate from GMU in Fairfax, VA. I have a younger brother. My pets are two cats, Kurt and Sandy, and one goldfish, Ozzy.<--Yes, the goldfish is 14 years old!
Here's some likes and dislikes of mine:
(Blue indicates I have seen them in concert.)
Music Likes: Oldies, Rock, etc...(NO POP!) *Nirvana, The Cure, Alice in Chains, Echo & the Bunnymen, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, The Four Tops,The Beatles, *George Harrison, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Pete Best,Hole, (Felix Caveliere's) Rascals, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Paul Revere and the Raiders,Three Dog Night, Wham!, The Doors, Bruce McCulloch, Bruce Springsteen, Depeche Mode, The Spinners, Bob Seger, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Huey Lewis and the News,Metallica, Talking Heads,Tears for Fears, Napoleon XIV, Neil Diamond, Tony Bennett, Godsmack, Disturbed, Dead or Alive, Gordon Lightfoot, Foo Fighters, Drowning Pool, Billy Joel, Little River Band, Jethro Tull, Tool, Styx, Peter Frampton, The Box Tops, The Shadows of Knight, Nine Inch Nails Billy Squier, Joy Division, New Order, Joe Jackson, Big Audio Dynamite
Music/Movie Dislikes: boy bands, Jonas Brothes, Hannah Montana,techno, rap, hip-hop, country, teen-pop, i.e... Britney S., Christina A., Jessica S. Hillary D., and any other teen-appealing girl with less talent than "good looks.", country-western
Movie Likes: (Most Lemmon-Matthau movies) Office Space The Breakfast Club, Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Peter's Friends, Bruce Almighty, Animal House, Ferris Buller's Day Off, Brain Candy, Send Me No Flowers, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (The 1972 one--NOT Johnny Depp!)
Food Likes: (Just to name a few): Lasagna, Manicotti, Cheese Raviolli, Mozzarella Sticks, Milk, Cream Cheese, cheddar, yogurt, Medium-Rare Steak, Cheese Cake, Mott's Apple Juice, plain Cheese Pizza, baked potato & sour cream & butter, potato-cheddar-bacon frozen food combo, Milky Way, cranberry-apple-raspberry blend from Minute Maid, Banana Berry-flavored frusion, chocolate eclair from Good Humor, cheese burger (w/ smashed potato chips ) ketchup, Mac & Cheese, Cadbury Creme Eggs, Cherry-Blend Frusion, Bacon
Food Dislikes: squash, tripe, alcoholic beverages, mustard, well-done steak, onions, pickles, mayonaisse, plain cranberry juice, a pizza with anything on it except chesse, Whitehouse Apple Juice
Personality Likes: Anyone who respects others and doesn't try to change them
Personality Dislikes: trendy bitchy people, bullies, posers, ego-maniacs, arrogant cat-haters, people who consistanly harrass others about dumb things, such as their musical preferences. For example, if someone likes rap or teen-pop, I will not bother them about it as long as I do not have to listen to it!
Television Dislikes: There's actually a lot I don't like, but I particularly HATE reality shows! I also don't like so-called "music" channels when all they show are those retarded reality shows! (I did, however, lik"e "Supergroup," but that's the ONLY exception!)
An Exceptional Day I Had: When I went to Riverfest (which used to be an annual Oldies concert around the DC area) on August 25, 2001, I met some local celebrities such as Goldy, Dave Adler, and Tom Kelly (whom I have met several times since.), and I also met two very well-known lead singers: Martha Reeves (Martha and the Vandellas) and Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals).I've wanted to meet Felix since I was in 7th grade. The concert was extraordinary! I got to see those bands along with Paul Revere and the Raiders. (I did not have a chance to meet them, however.)
Me and Felix Cavaliere, one of my all-time favorite singers. I never thought I'd see the day when I would meet him. Talk about a dream come true! I've been wanting to meet Mr. Cavaliere since I was 12. (I am 19 in the photo.) He was such a friendly man. He greeted me with a kind "Hello" when he saw me. I couldn't stop flattering him! I told him I adored him and I owned three of the Rascals' albums. (I do own more now!) He appreciated that and thanked me. I will never forget meeting him.
Thanks goes out to my fellow Manassas (Park) resident, Don, for taking the photo I've been waiting years for
I've decided to put some odd photos of my cats on here. These are just as weird (if not weirder) than the previous ones.
Disclaimer: My cats perform all of their own stunts. I'm just lucky enough to have a camera near by when they do these things.
Here's Martha Reeves and me. She was so nice! Right after I got her autograph, I asked if I could get a picture with her, and she had no problem doing so, even though some people moved the table in front of her as soon as she got up. She signed the next person's autograph (the same one who took this photo) and walked over to me so that I could get a picture with her.
Thanks goes out to "the Girl Whom I Used to be on the 'Oldies 100' Sound Byte With" for taking this picture of me and the lovely Martha Reeves
Whatever happened to Riverfest? Well, after the 9/11 attacks (only 17 days after these photos were taken), Bolling Airforce Base was told to stay on alert. Goldy (one of the former DJs) told me when I asked him who was going to perform at Riverfest in the summer of 2002. (See photos of RF 2001)
Move the mouse over the pictures above to show their names and the year they were diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (& what they take)* (*only if available to me)
Annette Funicello--You might know her as a former Mouseketteer on The Mickey Mouse Club, she was also in the Beach Blanket Party movies
David L. Lander--You might know him as "Squiggy" from Laverne and Shirley. He has published the book, Fall Down Laughing about dealing with MS. Like Montel, he has appeared on fellow MS-er Neil Cavuto's show "Your World w/Cavuto." (He did so in 2000.)
Montel Williams--You might know him as the host of his own talk show, The Montel Williams Show. Read his comments onMS at his site. (Look under Montel on MS.) He has appeared on felllow MS-er Neil Cavuto's show on the FNC
Richard Pryor--You might know him as the blind man in the movie See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and in Silver Steak (both ofwhichalso starred frequent comedian pal Gene Wilder), the Wizard in The Wiz, and as himself, the stand-up comedian, who joked about his illness. He once said that he has seen people with MS, and they looked like zombies to him. He died on December 10, 2005, so click here to see him.
Teri Garr--You might know her as Caroline Butler in Mr. Mom (starring Michael Keaton) and Inga fromYoung Frankenstein (starring Gene Wilder)
Clay Walker--You might know him as a Country music star
Jonathan Katz--You might know him as the voice of Dr. Katz in the Comedy Central show about a professional therapist. He has published the book, A Balancing Act: Living with MS
Kelly "Girl" Sutton--You might know her as a professional racecar driver
Victoria Williams--You might know her as a professional singer who has toured with Neil Young, among others
Lena Horne--You might know her as a singer and actress. She played the "Good Witch" in The Wiz (The black version of The Wizard of Oz) She has also guest-starred on a few times on Sanford and Son
Alan Osmond--You might know him as one of the lead brothers in the Osmonds music group
Neil Cavuto--You might know him as the host of his own show on the Fox News Channel. I had the priveledge of meeting him on October 6, 2005 in Reston, VA, and he was very nice to me. I got an autographed copy of his book More Than Money, which I would recommened to anyone. I have not read his other book, Your Money or Your Life yet. See the 2 photos from when I met him in October '05--->
Ann Romney--You might know her as the wife of former Mass. gov. Mitt Romney (R)
Read more about Strokes/ MS on this page of TonyKurtSandy
I want to take a moment to remember all the celebrities who have had MS in the past, and, sadly, are no longer with us. The first one I would like to honor is Ronnie Lane of Small Faces fame ("Itchycoo Park," "Stay With Me"). He was diagnosed in the late 1970s, and suffered with MS until June 4, 1997. He appeared in ARMS (Action Research Multiple Sclerosis) benefit concerts along with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Steve Winwood, Ron Wood, among others. The second one is comdian great Richard Pryor, who had MS for almost 20 years beforw having the heart attack which claimed his life. Also see Ronnie and Richard on this page of TonyKurtSandy.
This is my very good friend, Cristy, holding her dog, Daisy.
Me (Katie R) & my friend, Michelle F (above) from back in 1996. I never got her new address when she moved later that summer. I am hoping she will try to search for me, like I have done for her. (I DO NOT look like that anymore, by the way!)
Riverfest photos! (7 total)
Kurt as a kitten in 1997. Sandy the kitten had to stay outside his first few days with us
Here's most of my friends in Middle School: (from left) Trisha H, Katy B, Crystal R, Kristin D and Fatima Z
Here, I put an old picture of my family up, Pictured are:Katie (me) on my father and Dan (my brother) on my mother
Here's a picture of Margaret B, me, & Brian S.
Click on Napoleon XIV for "They're Coming to Take Me, Away, Ha-ha!" Lyrics
Some (not all) of the dumbest things I've ever heard(You know how some people say, "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard?" I mean this literally here!
!
1. THE #1 DUMBEST THING I EVER HEARD (and will always be number 1) : "Katie only likes Nirvana becauseI like them!
2 WHILE ON THAT SUBJECT, I HAVE TO ADD WHAT ONE OF THE ASSHOLES WHO CHASED ME DOWN THE HALLWAY FOR LIKING NIRVANA SAID TO ME (read story on this page) ....I had asked him & his friends not to make fun of Kurt Cobain because I knew someone in my family who committed suicide.(That DOES NOT mean I am convinced that he did, rather than the murder theory!) Anyway, the guy said the following: "We're not making fun of you for (your relative), we're making fun of you because of KURT COBAIN!"~Can you believe that this guy had the nerve to say that to me? What an asshole!
3. ALRIGHT, THIS IS EXTREMELY STUPID...The treatment GARDASIL is supposed to prevent young girls from contacting HPV, but it is pointed out in the commercial that "Gardasil will not prevent or treat it." Um, what's the point of taking the shot then? What good does it do if it doesn't prevent or treat it?
4.THIS IS JUST DUMB! This where commercials rhat say, "Burgers again?" then a wave comes and says "Throw boring overboard..." If you are so bored with burrgers, why did you order them in the first place?
5.THERE IS THIS COMMERCIAL WHICH STARTS OUT WITH this woman on the phone who says to the other person, "Sorry I didn't hear the phone ring; I'm standing here admiring my new patio..." If you didn't hear the phone ring, princess, tell me how the hell you KNEW the phone was going to ring in the first place? Are you saying that if I get a new patio, I'll have psychic powers. too? Think about that!
6. DURING THE 2006 ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME CEREMONY, ELVIS COSTELLO (WHO IS ENGLISH) SAID SOMETHING TO THE DEGREE OF:, "We now know that Hurricane Katrina was man-made." First off, that is just STUPID! Second off, what do you care? Did you see it coming? I suppose you'll be saying next that the president commanded the hurricane to attack New Orleans! Do me a favor...Go back to your own country! You dumbass!
7. IF ANYONE HAS SEEN MY "NIRVANA PAGE,"THEN YOU'D THINK THEY'D KNOW THAT I ADVERTISE IT AS "NOT THE TYPICAL TRIBUTE PAGE, RIGHT? Apparently not from one of my viewers! He thought I am the type of person who would take cheap hits by posting, what else, but his "suicide note!" Um, isn't that the opposite of what my page is about? Since he is a viewer of mine, I didn't insult him for saying that to me. It does make a lovely addition to this portion of my site, though.
8.THIS IS ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT SHERYL CROW SAID IN APRIL 2007: "I think it would be very resourceful if everyone only used ONE square of toilet paper each..." Now, THAT is disgusting! Excuse me, Sheryl, but, believe it or not, NOT everyone has a "bidet" and can get away with "only using ONE square! That's just ...eeew! Gore-lover!
9. YET ANOTHER NIRVANA-RELATED STATEMENT...On VH1 Honors, one of the dumbasses from Def Leopard said someting like the following: "The reason Kurt Cobain joined Nirvana was because he didn't want to be in a band that sounded like us." Well, dumbass, yes, he obviously didn't want to be in a band that sounded like what you consider to be "music." Where you're wrong is that he didn't just "join"; he FORMED Nirvana! Then to make it look like he knew what he was talking about, the dumb lead singer began the first song by saying, "It's better tp burn out than fade away." Hey, why don't you just stick to your pussy rock and leave Kurt out of it? I know you what to be like him and all, but try getting your facts straight before saying crap thar indicates you don't have a clue in hell what you're talking about? And while I'm on a roll, here's number ten:
10. I WAS WATCHING SOMETHING ON E! CALLED SOMETHING LIKE The handbook to making a comeback...#3...Death In which the following was said about Kurt Cobain: "Although Kurt Cobain's been 6 feet under since 1994..." Okay, let me expain this...I get your cute little metaphor, but anyone who knows about Kurt KNOWS that he was creamated!
11.I OKAY, HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT ALL THESE WEIGHT LOSS COMMERCIALS: I think that going down from a size 12 to a size 2 is just rediculous! You know who wore a size 2? Calista Flockhart!!! It is more realistic when I see the commercials that say, "I can now wear a size 8 and sometimes a 6..." Anything below a 4, in my opinion, is anorexic!
12. AND YET, THEY KEEP COMING! There is this commercial which asks: "Are you going through menopause? If so, there is a study being conducted in your area...participates must be between the ages of 40 and 64, be post-menopausal for at least 6 months, etc...HOW can you be post-menopausal AND be going through it at the same time? You got me...
13. I HAVE TO ADD THIS BECAUSE NO BODY ELSE SEES WHAT'S SO DUMB ABOUT IT...There is this kids food commercial where the mothers turn the snack boxes up-side-down, then get confused looks on their faces like they can't figure out where the kids GOT the snacks.....Gee--You think you bought it for them?
14. THE REASON I HADTO SHRINK THE FONT WAS SO I COULD ADD IN THIS ONE..(It's an old favorite that I had forgotten about.) "Eggland's BEST Eggs....Don't buy any other egg!" You know what? It is a fucking EGG! IT IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER EGG THAT COMES OUT OF THE ASS OF A chicken!
15. IN YET ANOTHER COMMERCIAL, there are all these women sitting outside for breakfast (or so I assume), and one of the women, Jane, stops to eat breakfast with them. One of the other women say, "You look amazing! What's your secret?" Jane replies, "Eating breakfast!" The woman who asked her says, "Really?" Now, I have to ask, why were all those women there for breakfast if they weren't planning on eating breakfast? Duh!
16. I HAVE TO ADD this because it makes NO sense...It is the commercial for Yaz, the PMDD drug, which wouldn't be so dumb, except for the fact that it says that it is different than PMS symptoms...guess what? The symptoms are EXACTLY the same! Look it up...
Actual Newspaper Headlines (We can only assume!)<--Courtesy of acromax.com
These are so funny, and I've had these for a few years now; Some will make you go "DUH!"--You be the judge:
1. Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
2. Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
3. Safety Experts Say School Bus Passengers Should Be Belted
4. Farmer Bill Dies in House
5. Is There a Ring of Debris around Uranus?
6. British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
7. Lung Cancer in Women Mushrooms
8. Eye Drops off Shelf
9. Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
10. Reagan Wins on Budget, But More Lies Ahead
11. Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim
12. Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told
13. Miners Refuse to Work after Death
14. Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
15. Two Soviet Ships Collide, One Dies
16. Two Sisters Reunited after 18 Years in Checkout Counter
17. Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in 10 Years
18. War Dims Hope for Peace
19. If Strike isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last a While
On a personal note, I wish to pay tribute to two very important people who meant very much to me, and who are finally reunited-- my father and his mother. (Since I was unable to give a verbal tribute at my grandmother's memorial, a visual one will do.)
I was too little to go to my father's funeral, and would not have understood what was going on. (Go to the further down the page for a tribute to my great-uncle, and even futher down still for tributes to both of my grandfathers..)
My friend Angela's cats
I promised my friend, Angela, that I would do this for her, so here are the photos. (Place mouse over for their names.)
John P. RoemAugust 28, 1950--December 27, 1987
Here is me with my father on my first birthday. I wish he could have been there for more of them (than only 5).
*.I get my taste in good music from him.*
Isabelle "Belle" L. Roem February 17, 1925--July 14, 2006
Here is me 13 days later with my grandmother, affectionately known as "Nana."
* I get my stubborn streak and unwillingess to change my ways from her*.<--I don't mean that in a bad way! I mean that in an honest way, because it is the truth.(Please see where she signed my guestbook.)
It is my faith that enables me to believe that they have been reunited in Heaven after nearly 18 1/2 years apart.
I know my grandmother was heartbroken to lose her son so early in his life, but, as I told my mother upon hearing of her passing," at least she is with her son now."
She lived a full 81 years, whereas my father only lived for 37 years. In her good-heartedness, she DID make sure that my brother and I had plenty of memorabilia to remember our father by.
My mother and my brother both gave speeches at her memorial, but since I still can't speak clearly even over 2 years after my stroke back in July 2004, I didn't want to stress everyone further by making them go, "Huh? What? Can you say that again?"
In a way, I'm lucky, since this is permanent. I am NOT saying this is better than anyone else's. All of the family who spoke gave honest, heart-felt tributes. I just have other limitations. (See above)
Now, on the OTHER side of my family...(I do adore this photo!)*Below are my paternal grandparents, Belle & Dave
Guess which one was my grandma? Now people know why I get irriatated when they always say, "Why don't you smile more? My response is the same as hers would've been--"Get away from me!"
Stupid Warning Labels
(11/22/06) I jfound these gems while cleaning my room. These are INCREDIBLY stupid, judge for yourself:
1. Sears Hairdryer:Do not use while sleeping. (I've heard of not using it in the shower, but this is on a whole other level of stupid!)
2.On a Bag of Fritos: You could already be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside! (Why not just say, "Hey! Shoplifters! Have we got a treat for you?!)
3.Bar of Dial Soap: Directions: Use like regular soap. (I guess if you've never taken a bath/shower before, you are SOL.)
4. Some Frozen Swanson Dinners: Serving Suggestion: Defrost (Gee, thanks for telling me! I may have eatten it frozen!)
5. Tesco's Tiramisu Dessert (Printed on bottom of box): Do not turn upside-down (Oops! too late! Guess I'll have to throw the whole thing out!)
6. Mark Spencer's Bread Pudding: Product will be hot after heating (Well, I would sure hope so!)
7. Package for a Rowenta Iron:Do not iron clothes on body (But I have to get these wrinkles out NOW! So what if I burn myself?)
8. Boot's Children's Cough Medicine: Do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery after taking this medication. (Sonny, do you have a valid driver's license? No? Then why are you driving your parents' car?)
9. Nytol Sleep Aid: Warning: May cause drowsiness.(Sorry, am I not supposed to get tired when taking a sleep aid?)
10. Christmas Lights: For indoor or outdoor use only. (What? I don't get a third choice?)
11. Japanese Food Processor:Not to be used for the other use. (OTHER USE? What could that be?)
12. Sainsbury's Peanuts: Warning: Contains nuts. (Not unlike the person who came up with THAT warning!)
13. American Airlines Packet of Nuts: Instructions: Open packet; eat nuts. (But what do I do when I'm finished? I'm so dumb, I can't figure out what to do whith the empty pack! Insstruct me, ole wise one!
14. A Child's Superman Costume:Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly. (Then what's rhe point of being Superman?)
15. Sw edsh chainsaw: Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands. (But I want to be an amputee!)
16. Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid: Do not use on food. (Then what am I supposed to use for dressing?)
17. Tube of Crest T oothpaste: If swallowed, contact poison control. (Could you be more specific on the amount that would be considered "poisonous?"
18. Bottle of ALL Laundry Detergent: Remove Clothing before distributing in washing machine. (You mean I can't go swimming in the washing machine? That's not fair!)
William Van Wickler, Jr, age 72, of Manassas, Va. died Tuesday, April 3, 2007, at his home.
Mr. Van Wickler was an active member of the Manassas Church of Christ. He was a U. S. Army veteran, having served in the Korean Conflict. He graduated from Rutgers University and worked at IBM as an electrical engineer for 25 years. He briefly played professional baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was very athletic, humorous and witty.
Survivers include his loving wife of 30 years, Billie Van Wickler, one brother , Robert Van Wickler and his wife, Sue, of Scottdale, Ariz.;eight children, Rick Potter of Woodbridge, Va, , Bob Potter and wife Diane, of Charleston, S.C., Cathy Frost and her husband, Jack, of Boiling Springs, Pa., William Van Wickler III and his wife, Leslie, of Manassas, Va, Bonnie Rhoads of Manassas, Va, Linda Jones and husband, Jim, of Virginia Beach, Va, Beth Potter and husband, Peter, of Germany and Doug Van Wickler of Portland, Maine; 17 grandchilren, Warrent Officer Scott Potter, Gina Potter, Jeff Mahaffey, Britbey Van Wickler, Nick Rhoads, Laura Potter, Amanda Rhoads, Crystal Jones, Addie Potter, Kenzie Potter, Emma Van Wickler, Will Van Wickler and Cory Jones; and one great-grandson, Robbie Potter.
No, I still have not recovered enough from July 28. 2004 to speak, and I know there isn't any way I'm going to miraculously be fit to speak by the time of the services (which, as I write this, is tomorrow), so I'll do another (my third) personal tribute.
William Van Wickler Jr was better known to his family and friends as "Bill."
He enjoyed life, but knew that it could not go on forever. In fact, he was the one who called me back in July to have me tell my mother and brother that his sister-in-law (my Nana) had just passed away.
He figured I would be upset, so he immediately said, "Remember that death is just a part of life."
The thing is, my grandparents lived on the other side of the country, not in the same town as me, so I wasn't too close to her. Don't get me wrong: I loved my Nana, but I didn't just see her this past January (2007), like I saw my Uncle Bill and Aunt Billie. We (my mother. brother and grandpa) saw their new condo and saw their new cat, Patches.
Anyway, it;s a lot harder to deal with after you just see someone, and the next time you hear from them (figuretively speaking), they're gone.
I bring that up because the reason they were here in January was because they were planning to go to Florida the next week, and they were wondering if we could watch Patches while they were gone.
Even at that point, he was in tremedous pain, and he kept saying his hip was hurting him. As an MRI turned out, he had a tumor on his hip, which was causing him all that pain. They never did go to Florida, to say the least.
I would like to share with you all the man that my Uncle Bill was:
Ever since I was diagnosed as having strokes, he was always looking out for me. He came to see me everytime I had another stroke. (Unfortunately, I never completely recovered from my last one, but fortunately, the last time I saw him, I told him that I loved him.)
Yes, he was kind to me as well as my grandpa, whom he would often take to the senior movies every month, sometimes even taking me along. (Until they stopped doing that.)<--The movie's sponsor stopped;. not my uncle!
When my cousin had seriously injured himself in the summer of 2006 and was in the hospital, it was my Uncle Bill and Aunt Billie came by our house and told us about it. We saw him in the hospital within an hour; we never would have known if they didn't tell us. My cousin was happy (and surprised) to see us, and we told him that it was Bill and Billie who had told us about him being there. (He wasn't as surprised.)
He was a great man, yes, I'm sad to see him go, but at least he is no longer suffering. No one should ever have to endore that kind of pain and suffering, especially the ones as kind as he was.
He is already truly missed...
William "Bill" Van Wickler: December 16, 1934--April 3, 2007
Click below to play Frank Sinatra's "That's Life" as many times as you want!
My Uncle "Bill" and my cousin Todd on Christmas 2006. (Todd sent me this photo.) Thanks, Todd!
"Bill" photos; all courtesy of Todd.
Bill's immediate family. Rick Potter, Diane, Bob Potter, (Todd's girlfriend,) Todd, (Chad's girlfriend), Chad, Bill & Billie.
Bill and his wife of 30 years, Billie (taken on Billie's birthday, 2006).
Todd, along with Billie and Chad
So, you wonder, how am I related to the Van Wicklers? It's all by marriage, really.
Billieis my father's mother's sister. (She, Belle, passed away in July 2006. See above, to R)
Bill's Last Letter to Me (Below)
Bill, Todd, Billie and Chad (on Christmas 2006).
In loving memory of "Bill" Van Wickler
Summarization of this: I had asked my Aunt & Uncle to "...help with the 18th annual MS Walk," which, of course, they did.
Although this was written back in March 2006, it is the last thing my Uncle wrote to me. (He was too sick to do much writing in 2007.)
Please note: The last thing he said on here was: "We love you, Katie" (I regret that he died thinking I had MS!That was NOT my fault!)
David P Roem
September 22, 1919--August 16, 2007 With "Puddy" (his cat)
I rermember my Grandad as a joyful man.
He had lost his middle child, John (my father,) in 1987.
He, unfortunately, fell down in June of 2007 (and went downhill from there.)
His wife (my paternal grandmother) had passed away in July 2006, and I visited him after her memorial sevice in August 2006...I had NOT expected him to go so soon after she was gone, though.
In the words of Frank Sinatra, "That's Life..."
Just because I am coping well with his passing does NOT mean that I am okay with it. I have accepted it, but that's because I don't want to make myself sick over it. That's all...
It goes withourt saying that he wil be greatly missed...(and he aready is.)
Below is my Grandad, brother & my dad in 1985. (My brother does not wear glasses; they were just being silly.)
IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT I DO NOT HAVE MS...I AM NOT GOING TO MESS MY PAGE UP BY TAKING THESE PEOPLE DOWN!!! (They did not misdiagnose me; my former neurologist did!)
My friend Chrissie's cat
Here is my brother, Grandad & me (around 1986)
Me, Cristy & Maggie at Margaret's reception June'07)
Here is a photo (taken in 1987)of the whole family;
My mom, me...my brother & my father
Cousin Blake watches me in 1983 My Aunt Patty hold her son Blake and me
This is a sad story, but it is true, I'm sorry to say:
Two neighborhood cats, Mr Lufty and Bobby were captured by a twisted-minded freak of nature, slightly more than two weeks before Christmas 2007:
-This monster apparently tried to poison the two cats, and , when that did not work, he took it upon himself to call Animal Control and had them both put down!
These two cats belonged to good families, but sometime on the night of December 12, 2007, the monster, who had NO business harming these cats, catnapped them off the street and called Animal Control, who put down both cats. Why? He told them they were two stray cats, just because they lived outside. (Ever heard of outdoor cats? Idiot!)
i've said before that I can call this asshole evrery name in the book, but it still won't bring back the pets of the families...
All I can say is how sorry I am about what he's put the families through.
He's basically a hermit who has two dogs that bark at everryone and everything, but he hates cats, who don't make any noise!
We live in a cul-de-sac, where everybody knows everybody, but that monster, not being social, rarely comes outside...I could not tell you what he looked like to save my life..Not that THAT would ever happen
Interesting how he' s a hermit, but he goes out of his way to destroy animals that are not his! He's evil!
My 92-year-old Grandpa, Anthony "Tony P."Oliveto. December17, 1917--April 4, 2008
He was a jovel man, who enjoyed life. but I foolishly thought he
would be around longer than he was. (He had lived with me, my
mom and my brother since 1988.)
II do not have a tribute to his wife (my grandma) because I really
do not remember too much about her. (She passed on June 21, 1992)
She had Parkinson's and that's what killed her. (My Grandpa, at the time,
said, "I'll be dead within a year". ) Fortunately, that did not happen.
He lived well more than 10 years after she passed, in fact he didn't realize
his own will-power...He lived nearly 16 years longer than he said he would.
The last few days...
On Wednesday.my brother Dan, told Grandpa that the Yankees had won their game from the day before.He nodded his head. On Thursday., Dan brought his boombox to the hospital and played Frank Sinatra for Grandpa. Though he didn't respond, he could still hear. On Friday, the nurse told my mother he could still respond to taste,
so mom took the mocha from her own cup, and, using a swab, drenched it in the mocha and put it around his parched lips. He actually raised his eyebrows and smacked
his lips. Everyone went home around 5:30pm, figuring he was going to make it untl the weekend, which is not what happened. He passed around 8:15 that night.
Grandpa joins my parents for my 2nd b-day (1984, below)
Grandpa joins MaryKay, Todd; Mom & me on another celebration of my 2nd b-day.(below, 1984)
I realize should have told everyone that my bandwidth will reset on the 11th of every month...Sorry!
What do I remember about my Grandma....
She was not your typical "sweet old lady" by any means...
I remember I had the chicken pox when I was in second grade...I was "asleep" on the couch (not really) when she started screaming at my Grandpa (I don't know why). Anyway, I remember he said, "If you wake that kid up, I'll bust you right in the nose!"
He was not a bad-tempered, man he was just trying to make her be quiet (for me).
My mom reminded me that on Fridays when I was younger, I used to go to my grandparents home and she would make the best chicken soup for my lunch.
I guess that was as close to "sweet old lady" as she ever got.
Anthony Peter Oliveto
December 17, 1915--April 4, 2008
Anttony Peter Oliveto "Tony", an easy-going radient man, died peacefully at Prince William Hospital in Manassas, VA. He was 92 years old.
A native of the Bronx N.Y, and of Roman Catholic and son of Itailian immigrants, Anthony was the first member of his family born in the United States. He worked with his father, Pasquale, on a truck carrying ice and coal during his youth and left high school shortly after his mother Josephine's death, to support his family.
He served in World War II woth the 81st Ordinance.
Friends and family nicknamed him "Legs" because was always the tallest person in any group. Anthony loved playing sports, epecially baseball, football, boxing and hockey. He was a member of the Westchester Hockey Club in the 1930s.
After being honorably dischared from the Army in November 1945, Anthony took a job hauling bulky mail bags with the United States Postal Service for both the New York City Board of Education and Forbes Magazine. He married Josephine Lagana on Dec 8, 1945, and they had four children together.
Anthony reveled in the simple pleasures in life, like a morning cup of coffee or basking under the sun. He grew up near Yankee Stadium and recalled Babe Ruth hitting a homerun everytime he attended a game.
As "Dad", Anthony made sure all his children got the education he never got the chance to obtain. All four of them graduated college and started families of their own.
As "Grandpa" and moving to Manassas, Anthony loved sharing stories around the dinner table and watching his grandchildren grow up. Along with his daughter Marian, he helped raise grandchildren Katie and Daniel Roem once their father John died in 1987.
(He said) "My best day was when Dan said, 'Grandpa, why don't you be president?'" Anthony once wrote in a diary,
"Hey, this young fellow atudies a lot of history in school."
Anthony, a lifetime Cf the Knights of Columbus member, was preceded in death by his mother, Josephine Oliveto, stepmother Josephine Oliveto, father Pasquale Oliveto, brother James Oliveto, and his wife Josephine OlivetoHis memory lives through his brothers Salvetore Oliveto and James Olveto. though his adult children Joann Gratt, Marian Roem, Patrick Oliveto and Geraldine Oliveto; his grandchildren Paul Gratt, Courtney Oliveto, Katie Roem, Patrick Oliveto , James and Ruben Stann and one great-granddaugther, Regan Olivia.
I won't soon forget this:
May 14th, 1998 was the day that Frank Sinatra died.
I didn't have the heart to tell him that his favorite singer had passed, so i just left his TV on th news, knowing it would come on.
I knew it came on when him say, "OH NO!"
Now, he is wirh Frank...and they will always be wirh each other.
I have "That's Life" by Frank because in one my high school classes, I brought that song in, and the teacher really liked it. (That, and it is fitting for this page.)
Here is Bobby, one of the cats trapped by my evil neighbor on Dec 12, 2007.(I have a "fluff" friend named "Bobby II" on Facebook in his memory.)
