Featured in the Vahsholtz Cousins Newsletter
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We were headquartered at the Radisson Hotel in Brookfield, on the outskirts of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 12th through July 15th . The weather was hot and humid… very hot and humid. Thursday late afternoon and evening were spent settling in, meeting and greeting people. During the Business Meeting, there was a lot to discuss regarding where the 2020 Reunion will be held. Janet and Jenny volunteered to be hosts in Kansas. Discussion was held about the newsletter, future reunions and use of various media sources for communication. We discussed what the Committee had planned for events and traveling to events. It was a lively discussion of business, and fun, too. I thought the Reunion was a lot of fun and look forward to more regional reunions. Jenny and Janet were so warm and easy to get to know, so I know they’ll make us all feel welcome in 2020. (read more about the 2018 reunion in the Newsletter.) ■ Les Vahsholtz created the Vahsholtz website, still active today under the guidance of his son, Tim Vahsholtz. Les also championed the use of Facebook, email, texting and many other newer means of communication, not to mention the traditional telephone and snail mail. Over the years, this newsletter has become a compromise; mostly an electronic production—in newsletter format—a direct descendant of traditional hard copy publications. It was decided in Wisconsin that newer methods of keeping in touch must—and should—replace this newsletter. Jenny Werner, Les’ daughter, will maintain and expand the 250‐family Vahsholtz contact list, working with Tim and Les’ niece, Geri Tate’s daughter, Janet Powell. Geri Tate, Les’ sister and Carole Vahsholtz, Les’ wife, will also be deeply involved. A team effort built on Les’ legacy. Send Family news such as regional reunions to Jenny for media posting. jrreynolds04@gmail.com The list of family members will grow via Facebook and similar media contacts. Send news such as births, deaths and new‐found relatives to Marge Vahsholtz mvahsholtz@gmail.com About 50 of us are still anchored to old media—snail mail, Sunday dinner and telephone. Let’s work together to keep those important folks in touch with our changing world. Funds are available for mailing invitations, etc. ■2018 Vahsholtz Reunion Review
(Edited. Please see the newsletter for the complete story!)
Newsletters Will Continue
Athe Wisconsin Reunion, your Newsletter editors, Bob & Marge, announced their retirement from editing. “We’re simply getting too old and too tired to continue,” the couple announced. Replacements for the tasks of gathering stories, writing, editing, printing, distributing and keeping track were sought. Also on the wish list; a Reunion Coordinator, along with other tasks required to keep the family news and national reunions going. With attendance dropping, costs rising and hosts hard to find, it was decided to revert to the time-honored plan of local and regional reunions. So it was agreed we will start with three regional reunions; Central focused on Kansas and led by Jenny Werner, Northwest, focused on Idaho and led by Greg Vahsholtz, and Northeast, focused on Wisconsin and led by Barbara Patterson. Jenny Werner will handle the address files. Marge will continue as Family Genealogist. Tony Vahsholtz will stay on as treasurer. As noted above, Janet and I have agreed to host the 2020 reunion in Kansas, and boy, do we have some great ideas and exciting plans! (We’ll bring you more about this in the months to come.) We have also officially volunteered to be the center hub for the family going forward, taking on as much as Bob & Marge would like to pass on, including a digital newsletter and the family information database. We’ll also be the central navigators of the family for news and notices of regional reunions—the keepers (and passers-on) of news-worthy events and stories as provided to us to post, publish and share with the family at large. During this transitional time, please be patient with us. While we do not have the luxury of being retired and available to devote lots of our time and attention to this effort, we do believe we can help continue the great tradition of family community and connection through the newsletters of olde, while working towards the digital age which we all now find ourselves a part of. The ultimate goal? Helping usher in the younger generations through maximization of our connections and activity on social media, and most specifically, Facebook. We’re excited about this new chapter for the Vahsholtz cousins and are look-ing forward to what lies ahead in the months and years to come!Newsletter Editors Pass The Torch
Hello from Jenny and Janet
Extra Special Thanks to Bob and Marge Vahsholtz, Ruth Richter and all those who lovingly put this newsletter together twice each year. These cousins have kept the family newsletters going and the rest of us are indebted to their service.
More newsletter stories found in the pdf version, or in this section.
Vahsholtz Cousins is published twice yearly, spring and fall. Copies go out to some 260 Vahsholtz families. It is supported entirely by donations. Those who supply email addresses get full-color copies attached to an email as a PDF file, which they can read on-screen or print as they wish. Those having no email address get a black and white edition mailed to their last known address. “Snail mail” is the biggest cost item of the whole Vahsholtz publication enterprise, due to costs of printing and stamps.
Your donations are appreciated, as are any additions or corrections you can make to our email list. Each mailing we send out, we get half-dozen email bounces or returned mail from those who have moved, passed on, or changed their address. Please let Marge know! mvahsholtz@gmail.com
And if you want to make a donation, contact Treasurer, Tony Vahsholtz avahsholtz@gmail.com or at his home address: 12419 S. Downing Way, Nampa, Idaho 83686. ■