Doris Holm To Celebrate 92nd Birthday

On October 1, our cousin Doris Fieg Holm will turn 92 years old.  Her daughter, Janet McHenry sends this blurb, and asks that we send our happy returns of the day to:

Doris Holm

9325 E. Stockton Blvd., #116, 

Elk Grove CA 95624

Standing: Janet, Pete, Roberta.  The birthday girl is seated.

Doris is thriving in her senior living apartment at The Meadows, active in events held there. She secures interviews for the Elk Grove Historical Society with native senior citizens, attends church at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and keeps the Elk Grove Inner Wheel organization together (associated with Rotary International). Doris very much enjoys hosting family and friends in the private dining room at The Meadows and would love to see any Fieg family if they happen to be in the Sacramento area. 

Doris is the only living child of Louise and Max Fieg and the only child of both of them. She was from a Brady Bunch type of family, as Max was a widower with two boys and two girls, and Louise was a widow with two girls. She and Bob Holm (dec'd) had five children: Janet, Nancy (dec'd), Peter, Roberta, and Matthew. Janet is a writer and speaker, Pete is an EMT, Roberta has a large daycare business, and Matt is a teaching golf professional.

She says she had a work history of 19: 19 years as a homemaker and designer, 19 years as an elementary school teacher, and 19 years drafting homes. She still creates landscape watercolors and enjoys her "favorite sports": eating out, visiting casinos, and watching San Francisco Giants games.  

She can also be contacted at 916-425-4869. 

Thank you!

Janet

Janet and Craig McHenry

Steve and Roberta Martinez

Joyce and Pete Holm

 

Columnist Remembers Greg Fieg, Senator Seward

Here is the link to a column recently published about Greg Fieg in the Oneonta Daily Star.  Read it and weep ... with laughter!

https://www.thedailystar.com/opinion/columns/backtracking-in-our-times-local-moviemakers-home-developers-had-ambitions/article_43011a97-95d3-561b-a902-9485257d5102.html

Fieg Cousin Wins Book Award

Janet Holm McHenry, daughter of Bob and Doris Fieg Holm, granddaughter of Max Fieg, and prolific author of Christian books, recently attended a publishing event in Nashville, signing her most recent book and enjoying the opportunity to network with other Christian writers and communicators.

At the event, Janet also received a publishing award.  Her book, The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus, was given a Golden Scroll Award (runner-up) for the Best Christian Living Book at the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association banquet, held in conjunction with the Christian Product Expo.  

(On her Facebook page, Janet noted that she also spent time at the expo doing what she terms "prayer walks" throughout the convention hall, asking blessings for the participants.)

Published by Bethany House Publishers, a traditional publisher with Baker Books, the work is Janet's twenty-third book in her thirty-year-plus career of writing.  Two of her books have been bestsellers:  PrayerWalk (WaterBrook/Random House) and 50 Life Lessons for Grads (Worthy/Hachette).

Her newest book was just released.  Stronger Every Day is a Bible study on the topic of strength, published by First Place for Health, a Christian health organization of 500,000 worldwide.

Janet is a journalism graduate of the University of California - Berkeley who has worked with words her whole adult life - as a technical writer/editor, newspaper reporter and city editor, freelance editor, and high school English teacher.

Janet is married to Craig McHenry, a cattle rancher in the Sierra Valley in northern California, about 40 miles northwest of Reno. They have four adult children, who Janet says "are all done with college, all married, and yay, all gainfully employed."

She loves to speak encouragement at women's retreats, conferences, and other events, and can be contacted through her website, www.janetmchenry.com, or via email at janetmchenry@live.com.

Diana Fieg Wins the Big One!

After moving to New Hampshire three years ago, Diana and Bill Doyle have found their niche.  They enjoy winter sports, like falling down in the snow, and they love watching the Common Loons nesting on Little Pease Porridge Pond outside their window. 

Each has also found a new athletic pastime.  For Bill it is horse-back riding.  For Diana, the passion is tennis.

After many hard-fought games and tournaments, Diana and her mixed doubles partner, Steve Piotrow, were victorious in the Bridgton (ME) Highlands Country Club Mixed Doubles tennis tournament on July 20.

You can see from the photo below that they make a really good team -- he goes for the high ones, she for the low ones.

Congratulations to Diana and Steve, and here's to many more!

Arwen Bookhout, Warrior Girl!

Arwen Bookhout, eldest child of Dan and Jenny Bookhout of Florida, recently underwent some corrective surgery.  Here's the skinny, from her grandmother, Diane Bookhout, whose hubby is Will Bookhout, and what a story!

Arwen has had an alternating strabismus, which means that she would alternate which eye she was using to see. Since her eyes were seeing everything at different angles, her brain was getting different pictures of the world from each eye, which causes double vision - and makes it even hard to learn!

To accommodate for this, she would use the picture from one eye and the other eye would turn in because she wasn’t using it at that moment, and then vice versa. The doctor had us try on glasses that mimic how Arwen was seeing the world with her eyes turned in, it was very confusing - everything had a double, and I almost instantly had a headache.

Arwen's eyes are and always have been fine, but her brain wasn’t communicating to her eyes typically.  Also we’ve been to two different ophthalmologists since Arwen was born in Jacksonville, but over time it was clear that they doubted if Arwen could even see.  Her MRI from a week old shows that her vision center in her brain was damaged very badly, it’s almost non-existent. But it’s always been clear to us that Arwen can see.

Over the last year  Arwen was using her vision more and more consistently, and not just at home. When we got the Tobii Eye Gaze device, I didn’t even have to question myself any longer! She was using her eyes to play games and identify pictures of her family to say hi!

A video of her playing and using her eye gaze (failed to convince) her ophthalmologist locally, and that’s how we found Dr. (Lawrence) Tychsen in St. Louis.  He specializes in correcting strabismus in children with cortical vision impairment. 

From the moment we were in his office he said, “Well, of course she can see. That’s not even in question in my opinion.” And after her diagnostic testing he concluded she actually sees really well!

During surgery, the doctor loosened her inner medial rectus muscles on both eyes to position them straight on. This will help her binocular vision develop so her eyes can work and see together.  She doesn’t need glasses anymore, and her processing time is only slightly slower than normal. Typically when you see something, it takes about 1 millisecond from the time the image hits your optic nerve to when it’s processed in the visual center of your brain. Arwen’s processing time is about 70% of that. (It) will probably start to get faster as her visual world is less confusing.

 
Her dental work was easy in comparison. Her enamel was gone on her four front teeth (due to) high doses of steroids for infantile spasms, which are rare seizures seen only in infants, for three months as an infant. She’s also been on seizure meds since 8 months old, so her front four teeth were stained and had some pits as well. Since she was already going to be under anesthesia (for the eye surgery), we arranged with a dentist at St. Louis Children’s to do four crowns on her front teeth and then preventatively seal all her back teeth. Kids with Cerebral Palsy are prone to dental issues, so hopefully the sealing will prevent future problems.

Through our whole journey thus far, God has really directed our steps and opened and closed the right doors. It’s often overwhelming to manage and need to educate yourself on so many new therapies, surgeries, but it gives me such peace knowing God is in control.

Arwen Charlotte June Bookhout - betcha can't keep from smiling!!

#superarwen #cpwarrior #corticalvisionimpairment

Roger Silliman, Last Surviving Employee of L. Fieg, Builder, Dies in California

Word has been received of Oneonta native and career Air Force officer Clifford Roger Silliman, recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, and survivor of a harrowing air crash at sea during World War II, has died at his home on the Pacific Coast, two and a half weeks shy of his 98^th birthday.

The news of his passing was delayed due to the remoteness of his location from Oneonta, his advancing age and infirmity, and the passing of most of his contemporaries.  Roger, as he was known to his childhood friends and immediate family, passed away on Jan. 28, 2018, in the beachside community of Lompoc, Calif.  

He was born on Feb. 15, 1920, the eldest of three children. His parents, Clifford and Velma (Beach) Silliman, and his wife, Bernadette, preceded him in death.  Silliman was the last surviving member of the L. Fieg, Builder construction crew in Oneonta.

His father, Clifford, for decades operated a filling station and auto repair business in the 400 block of Main Street in Oneonta. It was there that the younger Silliman, teaming with another adolescent, Lothar “Bud” Fieg, opened a shop where they produced, serviced and sold complete bicycles assembled wholly from metal tubing, salvage and various mechanical parts. 

This skill presaged Silliman’s mechanical aptitude later in life.  He received Bachelors Degrees in both aeronautical and civil engineering, and enjoyed a thirty-three year career in the military and the aerospace industry.

During World War II, Silliman saw action in the military theatres of Western Europe and in the Balkans.   He was also a veteran of the Army Air Corps’ North African campaign, engaged in vanquishing German and Italian units under the command of Nazi Field Marshall Erwin Rommel.  Silliman was the executive officer for the P-38 fighter maintenance depot there.  

En route to take this position, Silliman and the crew of the C-46 on which he was a passenger narrowly escaped with their lives when the plane developed difficulties in a storm over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Gibraltar.  

The pilot had declared that all aboard should parachute to supposed safety, but Silliman, as senior officer aboard, was able to persuade him that this would be foolhardy, and possibly suicidal, especially as it was night time, and that because the aircraft was well-built and very sturdy, it would remain intact on splashdown.  After the plane hit the water, the crew launched an inflatable raft, drifting for many hours before being rescued.  Silliman called it the worst experience of his life.

In the 1950s, Silliman was in charge of directing the multi-million dollar design and construction of the Far East Air Force Base on Guam.  From 1957 to 1961, he was responsible for the development, construction, testing and acquisition of the ground segment of the hardened Titan ballistic missile system.  

Colonel Silliman topped his career in the mid-1960s as Chief, Technical Requirements and Standards Office, Space and Missile Systems Organization.  The Legion of Merit Award marks his exceptional service.

Roger and Bernadette finally retired to a life of travel to sunny southern climes and hiking in the Rockies, until her death in 2002.

Silliman was likely among the few remaining, perhaps one of even the last two, from the Oneonta High School Class of 1937, along with former mayor Albert S. "Sam" Nader.

Silliman was nothing if not an exceptionally amiable friend and acquaintance to all who knew him, offering a snappy salute, a ready smile and a meaty handshake.

"I remember Roger as being a very nice guy," recalled Nader.

Clifford Roger Silliman’s survivors include Bernadette’s son, Barry Welker (Lynn), his nephews George Sidney Silliman (Rachel); Bruce Silliman (Michiko); David Silliman (Saundra) and his niece Wendy Silliman Creel (Richard).  Donations in his name may be made to Lompoc Meals-on Wheels.

Shields Family Reunion Date Scheduled

The 84th Annual Shields Reunion will be held on Sunday, July 14, 2019, at 12:30 pm at Nathaniel Cole Park, shelter #2, in Harpursville, NY.

Please bring a covered dish to share, and beverage and table service for your family.  Charcoal will be provided for those who wish to grill.

Call Vera  570 - 729 -8621 or Midge  607 - 441 - 0475 or email midgemcclenon@gmail.com for directions or more information.

Please share this invitation with as many family members as possible.

Coast-to-Coast Fieg Cousin Reunion

Bob and Carol Ramagosa

Thanks to Janet Holm McHenry for this contribution to the blog:

Janet Fieg McHenry (from left) and Carol Walter Ramagosa

Janet Holm McHenry of Loyalton, Calif. recently visited Carol (Walter) and Bob Ramagosa at their home on Topsail Island, N.C.  Janet and Carol are first cousins.  Carol is the daughter of Emma (Maggie) Fieg Walter (dec'd); Janet is the daughter of Emma's sister, Doris Fieg Holm, 92, who lives in Elk Grove, Calif.

Carol and Janet toured the island, took a boat tour, and visited the local turtle rehabilitation center.  Carol and her husband Bob are enthusiastic boaters, often touring up and down the East Coast in their 43-foot sailing yacht, Sunnylands.

From there Janet drove to Charleston S.C., where she attended a retreat hosted by her literary agency. Janet's books and speaking ministry are featured on her website  https://www.janetmchenry.com. 

Janet and her husband Craig live in the Sierra Valley, about an hour north of Lake Tahoe (40 minutes from Reno), and they have a guest house, where Fieg cousins are welcome to visit. 
 

Blessings,

Janet

Praying for you!

Janet Holm McHenry

Inspiring Author - Encouraging Speaker

www.janetmchenry.com

Kasibante Family Sends Update From Africa

Thanks to Sue Williams for this update from her niece, Laura Fieg Kasibante, in Africa:

April 23, 2019

Laura and Chief (back), Max, Zionne and Judah

Greetings from the Kasibantes in Nkumba!

Our family has adjusted well to life back in Nkumba, Uganda. The past two years have been spent partially in Georgia, USA with my family, and also living in Lubowa, near the International school where I was teaching. 

In October, 2018 we moved for the 7th time (since being married) to a new house…our OWN house!  It is an incredible blessing to no longer be renting. We are so thankful to the Lord that He has provided a wonderful home, in a large compound, where we are free to settle, plant and invest our lives. It is also very convenient to the church. It is only 4 minutes walk to House of Prayer Nkumba. The whole family is enjoying getting to know our neighbors, and appreciating the beauty of the nature that surrounds our home. We have guest bedrooms-let us know when you want to come visit!

We are in a season of settling and investing into ministry. Chief was given his last US visitor’s visa before Zionne was born, and the visa is now expired. This means we will stay as a family in Uganda until Chief obtains a US green card/citizenship. Pursuing this is quite an investment of finances and time, so we are waiting on the Lord’s timing of when to begin this process. I am currently homeschooling Max (5) and Judah (3), leading the children’s ministry, and is also involved in women’s ministry. Chief continues to lead the church; he preaches 2 services on Sundays, teaches in the Bible School, and is currently teaching the book of Joshua for the Wednesday night Bible study.

Since we are staying through the summer, I had the idea of doing a Vacation Bible School. Everyone is excited about the idea. Someone blessed us with a kit I chose called “Roar! Life is Crazy but God is Good.” I feel that the theme fits both my life and the lives of the children here in Nkumba. I also love that it is a safari theme so I know it will be easy to find supplies for decorating and crafts....and everyone loves songs with African drumming! It is exciting to live in a place where kids are free to run and play and attend church activities. 

However, during school holidays many children live in homes with very little structure. Parents live one day to the next, working for survival, leaving their kids to the neighbors or older siblings for care. This usually results in kids running and roaming around the community, often watching whatever is playing on the shopkeeper’s or neighbor’s TV. Meals are sometimes hard to find. Very few children have anything to really “look forward to” during school breaks.

We believe offering an annual holiday Bible program will be a great platform to bring home the kingdom of God to these little souls. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, for the kingdom of God is theirs.” (Matt. 19:14).  Despite 80% of our community being Catholic, many Catholic parents allow their children to attend our growing Sunday School program. We have more than 100 children coming to our church on a Sunday morning; investing in them is important to us. 

As a community church, we feel called to provide opportunities that can show them the love of Christ and give them opportunities for spiritual growth. We will have times of dancing, singing, prayer, Bible time, crafts, meals, and other interactive activities. We are intentionally laying the right foundation in these young lives because they are the church and the hope of tomorrow.

Please labor with us as we embark on such a wonderful journey of transforming and redirecting lives of the children in Nkumba.

The “ROAR” holiday Bible school will go from 9 AM -1 PM from May 20-24th.

Here are the ways you can labor with us:

PRAYER

-God’s spirit to be upon the entire event. That all glory would go to God!

-Logistics of running the program: finances, volunteers, organization, parents, children, supplies, food

-Salvation - for both children and their parents

-Volunteers - that the Lord would give us wisdom, to effectively serve the children’s needs, have teamwork, be committed, that we would also learn, stay healthy, and have enough people to be successful!

-That we can start on time every morning

-Nice weather

-Clear communication between everyone involved

-Safety with food, snacks, play, etc (and, if needed, we would have a nurse on duty)

-Enough sponsorship to enable at least 40 children to join this program.

-Joy! That despite chaos and unexpected events, we would have a blast the entire week...remembering that God is good!

GIVING

Please visit this SoKind website if you are interested in giving. You can sponsor a child for just $16. If you feel led to give more, we have other needs you can donate towards as well. A few of the requests are things that we will continue to use throughout the year and future Bible School events, like playground sand, tents, and tables. Any amount helps! The sooner we receive the funds the easier our preparations will be!  (Ed. Note:  You can also go to Laura's Facebook page for more inormation.)

God bless you!

Love,
Laura Kasibante

House of Prayer Children’s Ministry Director

Fieg Siblings Graduate and Advance

Nancy Fieg, 32, and her brother, Max, 22, are among the brand new spring graduates this year.

Nancy Fieg

Nancy, who has an undergraduate degree in hospitality from Iowa State University in Ames, has graduated from the Rutgers University Nursing Program in Newark, N.J.  She now becomes a registered nurse in the mother and baby program at New York University Medical Center in Manhattan.  She graduated summa cum laude.

A Des Moines native, Nancy is a member in good standing of Sigma Beta Tau, the national nurses' honor society.

Max, originally from Omaha, Neb., graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in physics from his sister's alma mater in Ames.  He has received a full scholarship with stipend and residency at the University of California at Irvine, which he selected from about a half-dozen other schools that wanted him to matriculate.

He will enroll in the Ph.D program and looks to begin a career as a scientist.

Max Fieg

Their father is Dr. Edward L. Fieg, Col., USAF, (ret.) of St. Louis, and formerly of Oneonta.

Water, Water Everywhere!

After an inquiry about the effects of the recent flooding in the Midwest, Marsha Whiteside Adams shared the following:

Yes, we have plugged our basement drains in case the water gets so high it affects the sanitary sewers.  This flood is different from 2011 in that it will only be a few weeks, not the 4 months we endured before, and not as high.  We have not been told to evacuate so far.

We had about 10" of snow on the ground, then 3" of rain in 2 days that caused the river ice to break up into chunks and the snow to melt too fast.  The other issue is that the ground is so frozen, it couldn't sink in, so all ran off into the rivers.  We had many days below zero this winter and all of February we were 20 degrees below normal.  Kind of the perfect storm thing.

There is what they call "minor flooding" on the 2 rivers that are within half a mile or less from us.  So far the levee they built after the last time has been high enough, but we are expecting another crest at the end of next week when the snowpack up north starts to melt. From what we heard today, not as high as they thought it might be, but things change really fast....

The worst of it starts about 20 miles south of us in Nebraska and Iowa, both states on the other sides of the 2 rivers near us.  Giant chunks of ice have caused ice dams and some have even ended up in people's houses.  Many towns evacuated, turned into islands, so many roads damaged and still covered with water that they have been flying people in and out.  Huge loss of livestock and many farmers won't be able to plant at all this year.  It is a mess.  It will be more than a few weeks for them and then the massive clean up effort. 

We are so thankful that this has not been as difficult for us.

Marsha

Ed. Note:  I read an account of what happened after an ice dam finally broke.  The man who was interviewed said it was like someone had pulled a plug, allowing the water to rush down the drain.  The flood waters decreased within just a few minutes, he said.

Jean Fieg, Nonagenarian!

On February 9, Jean Fieg celebrated nine decades on Earth, at her home in Greensboro, N.C.

All three of her children, Judy Kestner, Diana Doyle and Phyllis Fieg, were able to be there to make the occasion special, and her two sons-in-law, Joe Kestner and Bill Doyle, and her only grandchild, Emilie Kestner, also attended.

Jean called it "the best birthday (she) ever had," and sends her thanks to each and every person who sent a card, called, or even thought about her on her special day.

Looking forward to doing it again in 2020!

Christmas Celebration in Florida

Between Christmas and the new year, Doug Fieg traveled to Florida to visit his sister and her husband, Sue and Ed Williams, who recently moved to the Sunshine State in retirement.  The three  also spent some time with cousins John and Anne Roman, who live about ninety minutes away.

Sue shared some photos of this reunion, as well as Christmas pictures of the families of her niece and nephew.  Brian and Emily Fieg have three children - Caleb, age 6, Lily, age 4, and Nathan, age 2.  Laura and Chief Kasibante's three young 'uns are Max, age 5, Judah, age 3, and Zionne, age 1.  Don't you know they have fun when they all get together!

Thanks, Sue!

The Brian Fieg family, from left: Caleb, Nathan, Brian, Lily and Emily

Doug and John dreaming...

Sue Williams, Ed Williams, Anne Roman, John Roman, Doug Fieg -- big tree!

The Kasibantes from left: Max, Chief, Zionne, Judah, Laura

Lothar Fieg Sr. Recounts His Hobo Days

Your editor just came across this on the Facebook page of her sister, Diana.  Very interesting, and it fills in some gaps in the Fieg family history.  Read on!

Ironically, a man who built homes for many around Oneonta once experienced homeless life, by choice.

Lothar Fieg, Sr. in 1953

 Lothar Fieg, a noted contractor and builder, told his story of a long trip as a “hobo” when he was a youngster, to the Oneonta Rotary Club in March 1933.

While Mr. Fieg told his story, Oneonta was experiencing transient unemployed men in the area, due to the effects of the Great Depression.

The Oneonta Star of March 3 reported on a plan for feeding and lodging the transients, coming and going on the highways or stowed away in cars of the Delaware & Hudson Railway, stopping in Oneonta.

A community kitchen opened on March 7 in the Municipal Building, today’s 242 Main St., through plans of the Oneonta Chamber of Commerce. The Star told how Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Scanlon supervised the preparation of the food. Sleeping accommodations were provided as well.

“Those who are cared for will be expected to contribute of their efforts to operate the kitchen and the lodging room, so that little expense will be occasioned.”

For Lothar Fieg, he’d been there and done that, but as he told the Rotary Club on March 2, his experience took place during 1906 and 1907.

“That many of those who travel about the country, without any regular means of support, but assisting in harvest periods in various sections of the country, are essential to our well-being and that many of them only need a little encouragement to become more regular citizens of fixed responsibility,” were the assertions of Mr. Fieg on his cross-country journey.

The trip began in Port Jervis with a friend, pretending to know the tricks of easy traveling. Fieg carried only $40 and bare necessities, a pair of overalls, a change of some linen, a razor, soap, mirror, jackknife and towel.

“A freight was hopped,” as explained in The Star, “to Susquehanna (Pennsylvania) and there a jungle camp was made, and there Mr. Fieg learned that his chum had little experience with hobo life, but had read extensively of it.

“The speaker won a hearty laugh with his assertion that all hoboes are not bums, and that all bums are not hoboes. He said that he found he was looked at askance because he carried a toothbrush. Mr. Fieg said that all brakemen on the railroads were not as hard as they might appear and said that he felt his life was saved traveling from Susquehanna to Hornell when a brakeman pointed out to him that he was in danger riding a gondola car in which were being transported two freight car trucks. Any sudden change of speed of the train would cause the trucks to roll the length of the car and that the hobo sleeping in the center of the car would be fortunate if he escaped with his life.”

As Fieg continued traveling, he found work and traveled in passenger cars. He worked a couple of weeks in Pueblo, Colorado. At Cheyenne, Wyoming, he secured a job with a bridge and building gang with which he was employed through the winter.

While traveling in Salt Lake City, Utah, he found that his valuables he’d placed under his pillow had been stolen. “I found then that being broke is not half as bad as it seems at first, and soon was started on my way again.”

Fieg continued west and arrived in San Francisco just after the historic earthquake and fire. He secured a position on a hydroelectric development in the nearby mountains and worked there about seven months. It was after that he returned East.

Putting his experience to compare to 1933, Fieg said, “These unattached young fellows traveling around usually are serving a good purpose and many of them undertake serious responsibilities when the opportunity offers. The next time you have a caller at your door, look at him carefully, not at his clothes, but at his face. If his eyes are bright, he is probably all right, he needs a chance and a little encouragement. A pat on the back and a little help may keep a young fellow on the right path, instead of throwing him into desperation for something to eat.”
Oneonta City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area before 1950. His Monday columns address local history 1950 and later. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/opinion/columns/.