InMemory Fall 2023

Martha (Shoemaker) Strumpfer ’47 on January 29, 2022. Martha grew up with Robert Strumpfer ’49, and they married in 1948. Martha and Robert moved to Kalamazoo to attend and graduate from K. Martha worked for Gull Lake Community Schools in administration from 1963 to 1991. She then went on to a second career as an assistant historian at Richland Community Library from 1993 to 2006. Martha was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, in 1997, and her granddaughter in 2018. Martha is survived by her daughter and son, four grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. 

Jane Hunter Parker ’48 on February 8, 2023. Jane taught high school in Dowagiac, Michigan, and Mannsville, New York, and retired in 1986 from Webster Central Schools, where she taught elementary grades. Jane enjoyed the family cottage at Lake Bonaparte, camping trips and vacations to the western U.S., Canada and Europe. She was a long-term member of West Webster Methodist Church and later a member of Webster Presbyterian Church, where she served as an elder, chair and member of the mission committee for many years, a Sunday School teacher, a board member of the William Warfield Scholarship Fund and a teacher at Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky. In late 2015, she and her husband, Dave, moved to a retirement community in Rochester, New York. Jane later resided at St Ann’s Community. Jane is survived by her husband of 73 years, Davis E. Parker, three children, eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter, as well as three exchange students, from Tokyo, Helsinki and Turkey. 

Janice (Kuenzli) Storck ’49 on December 10, 2022. Jan obtained her bachelor’s in chemistry at K. She worked for the former Hanhart, Kyler, Miller and Renner for more than 30 years as a secretary to the attorneys and an abstractor. On October 29, 1950, Jan married her late husband, Robert J. Storck. Together they enjoyed a wonderful life filled with much love and family. Jan often blessed her family with her delicious baked goods and prepared wonderful meals for them. Socially, she was a member of the Junior Clionian Club. In addition to her husband, Jan was preceded in passing by her infant son and two grandsons. She is survived by three children, three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

Marion Poller Meyer ’49 on February 5, 2023. The first in her family to attend college, Marion majored in biology and chemistry at K and completed her M.S. in zoology at the University of Wisconsin. In Madison, she met Robert Meyer, and they married in 1951. They had three children while she completed her Ph.D. in comparative physiology on mammal hibernation and Bob became a professor of geophysics. After her doctorate, Marion and Bob welcomed two more children. Hired as a lecturer in the UW Zoology Department in 1967, she taught comparative physiology and developed curriculum. She chaired organismal biology from 1970 to 1994. In 1983, Marion was promoted to associate professor and became the first tenured female faculty member of the Department of Zoology, gaining full professorship in 1991. In her last three years at the UW, she served as a director for, and taught in, the College of Letters and Science Honors Program. She retired in 1996 and continued to teach until 2000. Marion was an excellent teacher and a tireless advocate for experiential education. She traveled to every continent except Antarctica. In summer, she assisted Bob with geophysics field research in Kenya, Siberia and the Peruvian desert, and traversed the Alaska-Canadian Highway in a Geophysics Department truck with all five children as the crew. Their joint sabbaticals took place in Naples, Italy, where she examined octopus intelligence. In her 70s and 80s, she helped a friend in Papua, New Guinea, with his bird research, took an eight-day raft trip through the Grand Canyon, and sailed for a week on a small catamaran in the Galapagos with family and friends. With her new partner, Ray Brown, she observed polar bear behavior at Hudson Bay, spent three weeks in Spain, and marveled at tropical plants growing in geothermally heated greenhouses on a tour of Iceland. Marion welcomed students, friends and visiting scientists to share their historic home in University Heights. She also took in half a dozen formal and informal foster children. She served as director of Religious Education at the First Unitarian Society and taught Sunday school. Later, she developed curriculum and trained tour guides for the landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Unitarian Meeting House. After a stroke in 2011, Marion moved to Portland, Oregon, to be near her daughters. In 2013, she was honored with the Emeriti Club Citation of Merit Award for involvement with and affection for Kalamazoo College. She was diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2014. She will be remembered for her infectious enthusiasm for learning, for inspiring so many to the wonders and workings of the natural world, and for her loving spirit, open heart, and ability to deeply connect with others. Marion was preceded in death by her son, Hans, in 1989; husband, Robert, in 1997; and partner, Ray, in 2010. Marion is survived by her four children as well as Ray’s three children. 

Mary Joan (Ward) Calhoon ’50 on April 28, 2023. Mary Joan attended Kalamazoo College with a major in music and a minor in art. She taught music and art at Burr Oak Schools until she was married, and occasionally substitute taught. Mary Joan married George M. Calhoon on October 10, 1954, in Bronson, Michigan. Mary Joan dedicated over 50 years to 4-H, serving as a leader and teaching cooking and sewing. She served as past president of the Bronson Women’s League and taught private music lessons. Mary Joan enjoyed crocheting, adult coloring books and cooking, and was known by many for her apple pies. As a dedicated wife, mother and homemaker, she greatly adored her family, especially her grandchildren. Mary Joan was preceded in death by her husband, George, and two grandchildren. She is survived by her three children, 14 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. 

Sarah Traverse Turner ’53 on September 21, 2022. Sarah attended Kalamazoo College, then transferred to the University of Michigan. Sarah pursued a music career in New York City and earned a master’s degree in music from Columbia University, which led to a career as a professor of voice, starting at the University of Florida, where she met the love of her life, Charles. After giving birth to her only child, George, Sarah and Charles were hired at Southern Illinois University. Sarah worked at SIU-Edwardsville for about 35 years. In addition to her career, Sarah was active and engaged as a mother and as a member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. Charles died in 2002 and in 2016, Sarah moved to California, where she was a beloved member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tustin, sang in the choir, taught ESL and citizenship classes, and participated in other groups and activities. Sarah was a devoted and loving wife, mother, grandmother, teacher and friend. 

Eugene E. Cortright ’54 on April 30, 2023. Gene served in the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division during World War II. Gene met the love of his life, Joan, following his military service in Japan. They married on July 3, 1949. Thanks to the GI bill, he received a B.A. from Kalamazoo College and a master’s degree from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1955. Gene began his professional career as a foreign affairs analyst for the federal government and leveraged these skills and experiences successfully in the oil and gas industry. His career path moved the family to Virginia, Washington state, New York, Paris and Oklahoma before retiring to his beloved Pagosa Springs, Colorado, in 1984. He quickly became involved in his new community by serving in a variety of organizations, including Rotary, the Archuleta County GOP and the local road committee. Gene’s love of the outdoors prompted frequent hikes in the national forest, great appreciation for wildlife and a passion for landscaping. His daughter Cynthia preceded him in death. Gene is survived by his loving wife, Joan, his daughter Lisa, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.  

Peter B. Lenox ’54 on January 27, 2023. At Kalamazoo College, Pete was treasurer of his senior class and participated in several campus organizations. As quarterback of the football team, his natural ability combined with leadership skills and strategic thinking had the team playing hard for him throughout that season, a most difficult task since they did not win a game. Pete continued to seminary at Colgate University. However, with a daughter on the way, he took a friend’s suggestion and applied to a mainstay in the Rochester area—Kodak. He scored so high on the aptitude test, the company hired him as a systems analyst for these new things called computers. He worked at Kodak for 35 years. In retirement, he worked briefly as a mailman and as a computer assistant at a middle school until he decided to spend his time at home where he could “work” as a grandpa. He was a linear thinker who loved strategy, bridge and board games, and a natural athlete who enjoyed playing golf. He enjoyed traveling. Most of all, he was at his happiest anytime he could throw in a fishing line. Pete always put others before himself. His smile and spirit will live on through the many people he touched. He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Shirley, their four children, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

Rev. Richard Bowser ’56 on April 26, 2023. Dick was enthusiastic about campus life at Kalamazoo College and was popular on campus, serving a year as student body president. As a college student, he volunteered at a boys’ home, driving the youngsters to ball games and other fun events, and served as pastor to the tiny Baptist church in Alamo, Michigan. After college, Richard attended Colgate Rochester Divinity School, where he met fellow student Helen Louise Sheppard. They were married for almost 60 years, until HL died in 2019. In his career, Richard served as assistant pastor and pastor in churches in New York, New Hampshire, Ohio and Rhode Island. He also was briefly a campus minister at the University of Buffalo. Dick earned his Doctor of Ministry at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Boston in 1986. He and HL raised three daughters, and he supported HL through debilitating cancer treatments in the early 1970s and her ordination to the ministry in 1975. He was active in the American Baptist Convention, was a founding member of a union for clergy workers, protested against the Vietnam War, and came to be committed to church congregations welcoming and affirming LGBTQ people. After retiring from full-time work in 1994, he and HL moved to North Carolina, where they were involved in the ministry of the Watts Street Baptist Church. During retirement, they undertook interim ministries in Chicago and Seattle. Richard and HL moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 2016. They became active in the First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor and enjoyed the friendship of many church members as well as neighbors. Richard is survived by his three daughters, including Louise (Bowser) Schmaltz ’83, five grandchildren, extended family and dear friends. 

Martha Brooke Braden ’58 on December 28, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia. A former student at K, Martha earned her B.A. in music at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. Martha had the great privilege to perform at the Symphonic Choir under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. Martha and her former husband, Sanford Jones, started a family and a Montessori school in Annandale, Virginia, then moved to Bergamo, Italy, followed by Washington, D.C. The family then moved to New York City, where Martha continued to share her love of music with students of all ages for six decades, including teaching private students at independent schools in the city’s Upper West Side and at music conservatories in China in the early 1980s. Martha performed several times at K over the years, including an October 1965 concert with Sanford, a November 1980 concert in gratitude for a music scholarship she received at K, and a pair of concerts in November 1992. She rehearsed daily on her Steinway, loved her jam sessions with her grandchildren and nurtured their love of music. Martha is survived by five children, 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. 

Carolyn Joyce (Mayne) McGuire ’58 on February 11, 2023. She attended Kalamazoo College and later transferred to Michigan State University to finish her undergraduate degree. She received her Master of Library Science from Western Michigan University and worked as a librarian at the State of Michigan Library, Battle Creek Central High School and the South Bend (Indiana) Public Library. She was a 50-year resident of the South Bend, Indiana, area. She was very active in civic life and her local Jewish community. Carolyn was preceded in death by her daughter. She is survived by her son. 

Janet (McKnight) Burton ’59 on April 15, 2023. Jan earned her B.A. in psychology at K, followed by an M.S.W. at the University of Michigan. In Ann Arbor, she met John Burton Jr., who was in law school at the time. They were married on June 18, 1960, and in the ensuing years lived in Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Olympia Fields, Illinois; Ithaca, New York; and Watchung and South Brunswick, New Jersey before moving to Stonebridge Senior Living Community in Skillman, New Jersey, in 2021. Jan worked for nonprofit agencies for 30 years, focusing on adoptions. In 1991, while living in New Jersey, she and a colleague opened a private practice offering therapy to families. In 2007, the two coauthored a parenting book, Beyond Time Out: From Chaos to Calm. Jan was a gracious host who loved throwing parties, both large and small, featuring her flair for food, wine and music. She also loved to travel, counting Scotland, Provence, Thailand, Singapore, Antarctica and especially Alaska among her favorite adventures. She is survived by her husband, John, three children and one grandson. 

Yvonne (Richardson) Kerek ’59 on January 22, 2023. Yvonne was an educator, first teaching at Davison High School in Michigan, after graduating from K. After her marriage to Andrew Kerek in August 1963, the couple moved to Oxford, Ohio, where Andy started at Miami University and Yvonne began a teaching position at Lakota High School. For years to come, and at different venues, she taught at several grade levels, including classes for learning-disabled children. Each semester, she also enrolled in an evening class at Miami’s Education School, and in due course earned a master’s degree in educational psychology, followed by a Ph.D. in educational leadership in 1991. The following year, she taught education-related courses full time at Defiance College. After moving to Egypt with Andy in 1992, she taught part time in the psychology department at the American University in Cairo, where Andy was provost. Memories of the seven years Yvonne and Andy spent in Cairo (the first year with the kids as a “Fulbright family” in 1979-80) held a special place in Yvonne’s heart. Yvonne was a loving and caring mother to their two children. An avid reader, researcher, writer and traveler, she filled at least a dozen well-worn notebooks with spontaneous comments and acute observations while visiting some 50 countries on five continents over almost 60 years of marriage to Andy. Yvonne’s artistic talents were wide-ranging and included painting and drawing, black-and-white photography, pottery and dabbling in silversmithing. 

Rev. Gertrude Wilhemina De Hoog Brown ’60 on February 5, 2022. After graduating from K, Trudy taught English and Spanish, and she was fluent in several languages. Later, she completed her calling in ministry at Union Theological Seminary and was ordained a minister in the United Church of Christ, where she was much beloved and respected. She enjoyed watching comedians George Carlin, Robin Williams and Steve Martin. Trudy’s favorite things were her sons, her grandchildren and her cats.  

Richard John Monrad ’64 on February 25, 2023. Dick attended Kalamazoo College for two years, then graduated from Western Michigan University in 1966, where he was a founding member of Beta Sigma Psi. He worked at Ford Motor Co. as an engineer for 39 years until he retired in 2007, and he was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. He was an active member of St. Paul Lutheran Church for 45 years, and a trustee for many years. Dick loved sailing, joining West Shore Sail Club; sports cars, joining Porsche Club of America; and powerboating. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Connie, and two children. 

James E. “Pete” Peters ’66 on April 18, 2023. During his collegiate years playing basketball at K, Pete became the second-leading scorer in school history and still remains among the school’s all-time leading scorers. He continued to play competitive basketball into his 30s. His other loves were tennis and fanatical fishing with his family and friends in the waters of Canada. Once competitive athletics were in the rearview mirror, Pete became an avid runner, clocking six miles a day in the hilly terrain of West Dundee, Illinois, where he and his wife, Trish, raised their son, T.J. Time plus wear and tear eventually turned him into an avid walker, where he truly hit his stride. Whether it was in Illinois or at his home in Palm Desert, California, Pete used walking not only for exercise, but for meeting new people and making new friends. Pete had an impressive professional career selling training materials to major corporations across the country. He provided well for his family and was a savvy investor, with a keen and altruistic interest in medical research and advancement. It is both cruel and ironic that he was taken by a sudden, aggressive cancer. Pete was whip-smart, a devious fibber and a trickster. He relished one-on-one conversations and a good Manhattan. He was a loving and adoring husband and father who was loved and adored back. Pete is survived by his wife of 40 years, Patricia, his son and many other loving family members. 

Victor Van Ravenswaay ’66 on January 15, 2020. Victor enjoyed telling people that his parents had five children, then the triplets (“of which I am one”), and then five more children; he was in the center of the triplets and the center of the family. He knew early in life that he wanted to be a missionary to Alaska. He and his wife served with Arctic Missions, which later became InterAct Ministries, for 30 years, 24 of which were in Alaska. He is remembered for his passion for the Alaskan native people, his hospitality, his enjoyment of singing and gardening, his work ethic and the instilling of that into his children, his adventurous spirit, and his purpose to do God’s will. Surviving are his spouse, Georgann, five children and 11 grandchildren.  

Raymond Adams Jr. ’67 on November 3, 2022. After graduating from K, Ray was hired by H. Lewis Batts Jr. ’43 and Jean Batts ’43, who founded the Kalamazoo Nature Center. Ray spent his life in a career that he loved and was honored with the Raymond J. Adams Jr. Avian Research Endowment Fund. Ray married Patricia Lee Minckler Adams ’67 at the nature center in 1970. Their two children were taught to count hatchlings in bird boxes and learned the joys of holding, healing, being pooped on, taloned, pecked and bitten by our fellow species in the natural world! Later in life, Ray would turn his high-powered scope to dragonflies, damselflies and moths, and would stay up all night having a wonderful time luring in and counting unsuspecting moths with lights and stinky moth! He co-authored two books, a coffee table book illustrated by wildlife artists called The Birds of Michigan, and The Breeding Bird Atlas of Michigan with fellow avian lover Richard Brewer. Ray had a gift for making people feel at ease, and he loved to make people laugh! He had a firm belief in being positive and understanding without judgment and helping others. Ray had a love of collecting. He spent many happy hours at antique shows. Ray was preceded in death by his beloved son. Ray is survived by his former wife, Patricia, daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter. 

John Alan Kriekard ’68 on February 20, 2023. He was a husband, father, grandfather and brother who was trusted, calm and steady, with an indelible twinkle in his eye. He truly loved his family and friends, was an avid golfer and reader, spent special time in Munds Park, Arizona, with the best of friends, was a lover of sports, and absolutely loved traveling all over the world with his wife, Janey. What really made this man so special was his leadership in education in Arizona. John began his career in 1979, serving as assistant principal, then principal and assistant superintendent. He left Scottsdale Unified School District and was the superintendent of Paradise Valley Unified School District before retiring. John was the recipient of many leadership awards and was asked to come of out retirement many times, which he did. Most notably, he returned to Scottsdale Unified School District as superintendent 2018-2020. John always put students first when making decisions, and he deeply cared about the students, the staff and community. He remained committed to the community, supporting the Coronado Foundation for the Future alongside other community leaders who believe all kids should have the same opportunities, regardless of the advantages with which they were born. John is survived by his wife, Janey, children, grandchildren, and his brothers, including Dan Kriekard ’71. 

Alan Gilbert Israel ’70 on August 29, 2021. Alan received his B.A. in biology from Kalamazoo College, studying abroad in Münster, Germany, and an M.D. from Wayne State University. He lived in Lake Forest, California. 

Richard Lee Westrate ’71 on May 18, 2022. Richard received his B.A. in economics and business. He is survived by his loving family. 

Thomas Charles Wonderleigh ’71 on May 5, 2023. Tom earned a bachelor’s degree in history from K. During his time at Kalamazoo, he met Janet Joers ’73, a longtime friend who became a close companion later in his life. Throughout his life, he had many careers, including as a probation officer, an employee at the Mead Corp., and an educator in various schools—a job he felt was his true calling in life. Tom never knew a stranger, and he always tried to connect with people. He loved sports and was an avid bowler and passionate baseball player for many years. He also coached and volunteered for many years for the FOP Pony League team. Tom loved music and played many instruments. He loved animals, especially the “underdogs” that needed extra love. Tom loved cheering on his grandkids and great-grandkids with their activities and spending time with his family. Surviving are his college sweetheart, Jan, his three children, including Kyla Shope ’99, 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren as well as former wife and mother of his children, Marie Wonderleigh, and many family members and friends. 

Mark Jay Evans ’74 on April 24, 2023. A romantic heart and a brilliant mind for science and history, Mark Evans was the whole package. Mark went to K to pursue his passion for science and research. He later earned a Master of Science in microbiology and immunology from Wake Forest University and went on to manage several radiation oncology research labs over a 30-year career, including East Carolina University School of Medicine for over 20 years. He built an encore career as co-owner of Duality Consulting, serving nonprofit organizations throughout Michigan. Mark met his true love and soulmate, Pamela Ann, on the Pierport Beach, and they were married in 2007. They danced, hiked, built a loving home and explored the country together. Mark was a human Wikipedia of knowledge about history, science, music and pop culture. He loved to fix and build things and took delight in astronomy, rock collecting, bird watching and morel hunting. Mark was blessed with a loving family and squad of friends. Uncle Mark was beloved by dozens of nieces and nephews and remembered for building rockets, bonfires, fireworks displays and delicious cocktails at family gatherings. 

Cindy Steele ’77 on January 27, 2023, from cancer. Cindy earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science. Her first job after college was with the re-election committee of Illinois Sen. Charles Percy in Chicago. In 1978, she relocated to Seattle to take a position with R.D. Percy & Company, a firm then being launched by the senator’s son. In subsequent years, she enjoyed lengthy job tenures with the Seattle Trade Center, the Pacific Northwest Apparel Association and the Northwest Association of Independent Schools, for which she served as registrar. Cindy was passionate about travel. One of her first travel experiences involved living and studying in Germany in her junior year of college. Later, she journeyed through the Pacific Northwest on camping and hiking trips, visited state and national parks, sojourned in Hawaii, savored cruise vacations to destinations from Alaska to Mexico and relished drives between Seattle and her parents’ Chicago-area home. For several years, she rented a vacation home on the Olympic Peninsula to revel in nature. A professional hockey fan, Cindy was an early and fervent Seattle Kraken fanatic. She was an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction and a skilled calligrapher, writer and creator of hand-crafted cards and stationery. Her greatest talent may have been her remarkable ability to make friends wherever she went. People who met her often became fiercely loyal friends, and a great many of them traveled from near and far to spend time at her bedside in her final days. 

David Turner ’78 on March 15, 2023.  

Gary Stock ’78 on April 3, 2023. Gary graduated with a B.A. in music with a minor in math. He led the tenor section of the Kalamazoo Choir, directed music for plays and church groups, performed gigs at local bars, and taught music lessons and tuned pianos for the Kalamazoo College Music Department, Bach Festival Society, and other ensembles. He enjoyed his time as an exchange student in Madrid, Spain. In graduate school at Indiana University, he excelled in jazz composition and musical performance. Gary studied German, Latin and Spanish and could read French and Italian. After moving to Lawton, Michigan, Gary attended every local township meeting. He served on the Antwerp Township Board of Trustees, Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. In his lifetime, he was special projects cryptanalyst for the National Security Agency and worked in systems and technology at The Upjohn Company, Ingenius Technologies (where he was co-founder), Aeneid, Nexcerpt, Newmind Group Inc., and First National Bank of Michigan. Gary was a gifted speaker and was asked to speak at conferences both in the U.S. and the Netherlands. From 1988-1990, he was the host of Environmental Update, an award-winning regional cable TV program. Gary was the innovator of a global, viral sensation titled “Googlewhack.” The goal was to search for two words, which, when placed into a Google search, would create a single, solitary result. He and his then-wife, Julie, created a group of ‘start-up’ internet companies, co-wrote and published an environmental awareness magazine, were generous philanthropists for organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the Kalamazoo Community Foundation, and were among the original founders of the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy. Gary is survived by his best friend and partner, Pamela Martilla Parise. 

PeterJohn Roukema ’79 on February 11, 2023. Born in New Zealand and raised in the Netherlands, PeterJohn was an international student at K and a standout soccer player and leader, both on and off the field. Between soccer and his architectural studies, PJR had fun perfecting his frisbee golf skills. Through the years, he was quick to challenge others to his favorite at-home par 3, from the deck to the mailbox—usually barefoot—and then on to ice cream and a dip in the bay. He enjoyed sharing stories about his family history and adventures he experienced and could light up a room with joy, creative energy and enthusiasm. “Be Oranje” was often his greeting or goodbye, and on that special occasion of the World Cup, he would turn the living room into a shrine for his beloved Dutch National soccer team. Most of all, PeterJohn loved his family. He loved hosting, entertaining, cooking for others and grilling in his flip-flops all year round. He believed presentation and design matter, and he had a fine eye and a love and appreciation for the art in everything. He loved to draw, and the drawings and designs he created were magic. He was a kind soul and a true gentleman who taught us much and loved us more. PeterJohn is survived by Christine Rau ’81, five daughters, including Mia Roukema ’22 and Eva MacDonald ’11, son-in-law Scott MacDonald ’08, and three grandchildren. 

Elizabeth J. (Sperry) Shehigian ’84 on February 9, 2023, due to complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. After K, Betsy earned her M.A. at American University in Washington, D.C. She married James “Jim” Shehigian on September 22, 1990, in South Haven. Together they enjoyed 32 years of marriage. Betsy had a lovely soprano voice and sang in multiple choirs in Michigan. She was also a talented actress, performing in productions in high school, at Interlochen and in Kalamazoo. Her career was in performing arts management. She was employed by Court Theater at the University of Chicago and Wolftrap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Virginia. Later, her career shifted to education, and she was an adviser to the talented and gifted program in the Boulder Valley School District. She was also an active supporter of Boulder Country 4-H and the Boulder County Fair 4-H livestock programs. Betsy grew up hiking, fishing, camping and enjoying the outdoors, especially on Lake Michigan. She was a gourmet chef, much to the delight of her family and friends. Betsy was recognized as an active and valued volunteer in the communities in which she lived. She is survived by her husband, Jim, and their two children.  

Kristen (Micunek) Doherty ’86 on April 22, 2023. Kristen was a scholar, lifelong learner and talented artist. She earned her bachelor’s in economics at K, where she received the Eugene P. Stermer Award in Business Administration for excellence in academic work. Kristen also earned a graduate degree in early childhood (Montessori) education. While at K, Kristen studied abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France, planting a seed in her that sprouted into wanderlust. Kristen traveled both domestically and internationally, with her farthest destination being India. Closer to home, her favorite trips were to Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Florida Keys. Kristen enjoyed snorkeling, boating, beachcombing, plunging into waterfalls, kayaking, hiking, campfires and sunsets. She was passionate about gardening and surrounded her home with beautiful plants, including her favorite, Clematis Jackmanii. Kristen had a successful career in IT training and project management. She was respected and lauded by her colleagues for her work ethic, intellect, dedication and creative approach to every project. Kristen was fun, spontaneous, adventurous and game for just about anything. She was incredibly generous and cheerfully gave of her time. For the past 25 years, Kristen dedicated her life to house rabbit rescue, logging over 400 rabbit adoptions to loving families. Kristen is survived by her siblings, including brother Robert Micunek ’82 and sister-in-law Lisa Micunek ’82, and many cherished friends and family members. 

David Adam Siegel ’06 on January 31, 2023. David was blessed with many wonderful friends from Glenbrook North High School and Kalamazoo College. David bravely fought the challenges of cancer for 16 months. He embraced his life as a journey, traveling internationally as an artist, writer, teacher, coach, volleyball player and a co-leader of international study abroad programs for college students.  

Anhtu Vu ’17 on April 17, 2023. Anhtu was a passionate proponent of the fine arts and was involved in both theatre and comedy during his school years. Not only involved with the arts, Anhtu was a fierce academic who was in the middle of his family medicine residency in Hoboken, New Jersey. Anhtu spent his free time playing tennis, traveling and enjoying life. He leaves behind his loving parents, relatives, half-sisters, girlfriend, co-residents and friends. 

Johanna L. Barclay on January 29, 2023, in Largo, Florida, from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Jolo and her husband of 48 years, David E. Barclay, met in Berlin and later married there while he was a graduate student and she was working at the Free University of Berlin. She was a resident of Kalamazoo for 42 years while David taught in the history department at Kalamazoo College. She was born in Cape Town, South Africa, studied at the University of Stellenbosch, and was a librarian specializing in music librarianship with work experience in South Africa, Germany and the U.S. Blessed with a wry and understated sense of humor, she had an inexhaustible love of travel, music and literature, especially in her native Afrikaans. A celebration of life took place in Largo on March 18, 2023. Kalamazoo College Emeritus Professor of Music Barry Ross performed violin compositions by J.S. Bach and Ralph Vaughan Williams during the service, which was livestreamed to friends in Germany and Switzerland and to Jolo’s relatives in South Africa. She is survived by her husband, David. 

John LeRoy Eaton on March 4, 2023. John received B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in entomology at the University of Illinois in 1960, and his first position was as assistant professor of biology at Kalamazoo College in 1966. In 1969, he accepted the position of assistant professor of entomology at Virginia Tech, where he conducted research on the anatomy and physiology of Lepidoptera and rose to the rank of professor. In 1988, he accepted the position of associate dean of the Virginia Tech Graduate School. John retired in 2002, as professor of entomology and graduate dean emeritus. John was preceded in death by a son, T. Scott Eaton. He is survived by his loving wife of almost 62 years, Margaret “Peggy” Eaton, three children, and two grandchildren. 

Terri Lynne (Schwarz) Moses on February 27, 2023, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Terri worked as a programmer/analyst at Kalamazoo College from 2011–13 and was instrumental in building the current alumni directory. Her colleagues in Information Services describe Terri as soft-spoken, talented, creative, fun, hard-working, humble and a joy to work with, as well as a wealth of quiet knowledge, wisdom and good cheer. Before coming to K, Terri received a B.S. in mathematics with a minor in chemistry from Western Michigan University. A trailblazer for women, she began a career at The Upjohn Company in 1978, as the only female computer programmer in drug metabolism and research. In retirement, Terri opened a long arm quilting business, Terri’s Quiltin’. She was a board member of the Log Cabin Quilters Guild and the Great Lakes Modern Quilt Guild. Terri enjoyed gardening, quilting and traveling around the country with her husband, daughters and dogs. She also spent time traveling to visit family, sewing at quilt retreats, attending the kids’ sporting events, and serving those she loved, whether by lending a judgment-free ear or delivering a quilt made with meticulous care. She is survived by her husband of 44 years as well as their daughters and grandchildren. 

Joseph G. Reish on March 5, 2023. Joe loved music and theater and performed with the Kalamazoo Civic Players, Kalamazoo Valley Community College Players, Kalamazoo College Theatre and the Comstock Players. He also served as president of the University Theatre Guild and on the executive board of the Crescendo Academy of Music. During 45 years employed at Western Michigan University, Joe served as a professor of French, dean of the Lee Honors College, and dean of University Libraries prior to his retirement in 2016. He was active in community organizations, including United Way, Boy Scout Troop 205, the Alliance Francaise de Kalamazoo and as a volunteer for St. Catherine of Siena Church. He is survived by his wife, Helene, along with their two children.  

Janet Scarrow on March 5, 2023. Janet moved to Kalamazoo in 1961, when her husband, David, took a job teaching philosophy at Kalamazoo College, a job he held until his retirement in 1993. In 2017, Janet and David were honored with the establishment of the Janet and David S. Scarrow Endowment for Philosophy, designed by an alumnus in recognition of how the Scarrows served as role models for his academic career. In addition to her involvement at K, Janet raised two children, taught Bible classes at First Baptist Church, campaigned for local Democrats, ran for county clerk, served two terms as president of the Kalamazoo League of Women Voters and worked 14 years as assistant to the dean of continuing education at Western Michigan University. After retirement, Janet continued to be active in Kalamazoo organizations, advocating for environmental protection and fair access to housing, and in the Chautauqua community of Bay View, Michigan, where she and David spent many wonderful summers. Janet is survived by her husband, David, two children, and one grandchild. 

June (Annen) Shockley on May 16, 2023. June worked as the associate director of the Kalamazoo College Fund 2001-2008. She met her husband, Rick, while visiting family at Long Lake in Vicksburg when she was 15. It was love at first sight; they were married a few years later, and this year celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary. They spent the early years of their marriage in Germany while Rick was in the Army and in Trenton, Michigan, while Rick attended dental school and June taught science, before settling in Portage. In her younger years, June enjoyed slow bike rides on camping trips with Rick and competing in racquetball leagues before turning to volunteering at the food pantry, PEO., book club, gardening and spending time with numerous friends. Most recently, she and Rick enjoyed trips to their camper at Sunny Brook in South Haven. Often described as the Michael Jordan of motherhood, for her greatness and dedication to her craft more so than her dunking ability, June was the best mom and did everything for her family. June is survived by her loving husband, their three sons, including Ryan Shockley ’00, three daughters-in-law, including Paige Shockley ’01, and four grandchildren. 

Kathleen W. Smith on March 18, 2023. Kathy taught romance languages and literature at Kalamazoo College from 1972 to 2018, serving as chair of the Division of Foreign Languages and Literature from 1982 to 1985 and 1988 to 1991. A devoted teacher, adviser, administrator, scholar and colleague, she received the Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Outstanding Classroom Teaching in 1992–93. A full obituary will appear in a future issue of LuxEsto. 

Wayne Mitchell Wright on March 4, 2023, in Marana, Arizona. Wayne was valedictorian of Sanford High School’s class of 1952. He completed his undergraduate work at Bowdoin College in Maine in 1956 and his doctorate in applied physics at Harvard University in 1961. In 1962, Wayne began his career as an educator at Kalamazoo College. He taught physics for 37 years and served as the physics department chair for 24 years before his retirement in 1999. He received the Florence J. Lucasse Fellowship for Excellence in Outstanding Achievement in Creative Work, Research or Publication in 1982-83.  

“Wayne truly had the interests of the College at heart,” says Jan Tobochnik, physics department chair and Dow Distinguished Professor in the Natural Sciences. “He helped supervise the construction of almost every building that was constructed or remodeled on campus. Because of his supervision, many costly mistakes were avoided.” 

 Wayne’s area of expertise was nonlinear acoustics, physical acoustics, sound propagation in the air and opto-acoustics. He was an active fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, serving as secretary from 1977 to 1986. Wayne was always eager to learn and took advantage of every opportunity to broaden his knowledge. He conducted many sabbatical research projects in prestigious research labs and consulted for the Applied Research Labs (ARL) at the University of Texas at Austin for nearly 40 years. 

 After retiring from Kalamazoo College, Wayne and his wife, Mary, moved to Georgetown, Texas, where he continued to consult part time at ARL. In addition, they spent summers in Ogunquit, Maine, and enjoyed traveling domestically and abroad. Wayne was a devoted husband to Mary until her passing in 2014. Wayne was passionate about raising his four children and will be remembered for spending time with them canoeing, gardening, camping and on road trips. During his retirement, he kept active by playing tennis, square dancing and spending time with his grandchildren.  

Wayne is survived by his four children, including Catherine Wright ’83, and his four grandchildren. He will be remembered for his passion for learning, his dedication to his family, and his contributions to the fields of physics and education. 

Waldemar (Wally) Schmeichel, emeritus professor of religion, on December 16, 2022. A Kalamazoo College professor for 35 years, from 1974 to 2009, he won K’s top teaching award, the Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship, during the 1987-88 school year. 

Born in Poland on April 18, 1938, to a German farming family, Wally and his family fled to Germany under the Potsdam Agreement immediately after World War II, later emigrating to the United States and settling in Chicago in 1955. After high school at night, he enrolled in Judson College and drove a taxi in the evenings, studying between fares. Over the next decade, he earned his Master of Divinity and Ph.D. in religion from the University of Chicago, was ordained as a minister in the American Baptist Church, and served as pastor of the Community Church of Monroe Center, Illinois. In 1974, he took a position in the religion department at Kalamazoo College and settled his young family in Kalamazoo. 

As his children grew more independent, he took the pastorship of the Cooper Community Church outside Kalamazoo. In 1996, his wife, Jean, accepted a job as assistant superintendent of instruction for the South Lyon School District, and the empty nesters moved eastward to South Lyon, Michigan. Wally, ever enjoying the freedom of the open road, continued teaching at K and driving two hours each way until his 2009 retirement at age 71. 

Over the decades of teaching at K, Wally inspired and influenced thousands of students. When the alumni office put out a call to former students to share their stories and how he impacted their lives, touching, amusing and poignant responses poured in. Students loved him and the buzz around campus was that his classes were challenging but worth it. He fostered a critical-thinking environment and challenged his students to re-examine long-held beliefs. He was more than a professor to his students, offering a listening ear for personal struggles, officiating weddings and providing moral support. In a newspaper article written the year of his retirement, he said, “I enjoy the contagion that happens to them when they see my own enthusiasm.” 

Retirement years brought Wally continued joy in reading and writing. He wrote an unpublished memoir of his early life in Poland and Germany called Waiting for the War to Begin and End, an early and abbreviated version of which was recorded and transcribed at K in 2009. It is available at the College’s online archives. He also wrote many mystery novels, which he kept only for himself. Wally and his wife, Jean, moved to Madison, Wisconsin, in 2016 to be closer to their son, Reginald Schmeichel ’92. Wally is survived by his wife, Jean, children, Reg and Andrea, and son-in-law, Martin.