The Aster Senior Center Downtown Mesa (247 N MacDonald) is pleased to announce they are resuming ballroom dances to live music on their beautiful newly renovated ballroom floor (finished during the pandemic, but never danced on!) beginning on September 27^th 2022 from 1-3pm.

Their initial schedule is shown below.

If they get a good response, they will return to a weekly dance on Tuesday afternoons

Cost of $8 includes refreshments and a raffle ticket for a free dance.

Please pass the word and I hope to see you there.

DATE??? DAY????? BAND?? LOCATION??????? TIME (pm)

SEP???????????????????? 2022?????????????????

27???????? Tue?????? Juan Miguel Zarate????? Aster Senior Center Downtown?????????? 1-3

OCT??????????????????? 2022?????????????????

18???????? Tue?????? Easy Sounds???? Aster Senior Center Downtown?????????? 1-3

25???????? Tue?????? Juan Miguel Zarate **Halloween??????? Aster Senior Center Downtown?????????? 1-3

NOV?????????????????? 2022?????????????????

1??????????? Tue?????? Easy Sounds???? Aster Senior Center Downtown?????????? 1-3

15???????? Tue?????? Easy Sounds???? Aster Senior Center Downtown?????????? 1-3

29???????? Tue?????? Easy Sounds???? Aster Senior Center Downtown?????????? 1-3

DEC??????????????????? 2022?????????????????

13???????? Tue?????? Easy Sounds???? Aster Senior Center Downtown?????????? 1-3

20???????? Tue?????? Easy Sounds???? Aster Senior Center Downtown?????????? 1-3

?

Sent from for Windows

?

I was notified that we lost another dancer on Jun 19, 2022. Her obituary is attached as well as a picture of her with her husband Frank at a recent Moonlight Serenade dance. For many years they were active there, at Merrymakers and the Tuesday afternoon dances at the Mesa Senior Center (often with dinner afterwards) as well as other East Valley dance venues.

?

Her smiling face will be missed.

?

There will be no Celebration of Life.

?

Condolences can be sent to Frank Praus

Sunland Village

453 S Parkcrest Village #448

Mesa, Az 85206

?

Sent from for Windows

.

?

?

?

We lost another wonderful dancer on April 24^th. Bernie’s favorite dance was the West Coast Swing. He is missed.

?

Here are a couple of pictures from his evenings at Merrymakers.

He was also a regular at other East Valley dances, including the Wednesday afternoon dances at Red Mountain.

?

His daughter, Skye Winters wants people to know he had a good life with so many dance friends.

Skye Winter

2629 N Saratoga St

Tempe, AZ 85281

Skye Winter <skye_winter@...>

?

She has been invited to come to dance at Red Mountain Senior Center on Wednesday, June 15th from 1 to 2 pm.?

?

From:?Evelyn Stanford <evelynhstanford@...>
Sent:?Monday, May 16, 2022 2:32 PM

?

?

I just learned that Anthony “Tony” Colombo passed away on February 16. 2022 at the age of 93 (born Oct 22, 1928). He played the baritone saxophone with many of the valley bands, including Myron Sommerfeld, Wally's Sunland Band (on Wednesdays at Red Mountain), and the Leisure World Big Band, where he was still at their normal band practice/dance 2 weeks before his death. He will be missed by many of us.

?

Sent from for Windows

?

Yesterday, February 24^th, just 3 days shy of his 97^th birthday, we lost Jim Flaugher, who was an active Merrymaker for over 20 years and a former board member for over 10 years. He had hosted a free Merrymakers dance to celebrate his 90^th birthday. He was a purple heart recipient, always a member of our Veteran’s Day honor guard, an ardent supporter of the USO and one of the main reasons Merrymakers still supports the USO with our 50/50 draw. Our condolences go out to his family. He is missed.

?

Sent from for Windows

?

Under the new Hillcrest Dance?club, ANYONE can become a member, no restrictions on where you reside. They are requesting that anyone who wishes to become a member fill out their own form.? That means if a couple joins, they are requesting two forms.? Of course one of you can fill out both forms, but please have only one name per form. And please print clearly - It makes their filing and recording a lot easier. ?

?

Our dancer friend Betty Page has her 94^th birthday on Thursday November 4? If anyone wants to call her to wish her a happy birthday - 480 947 7041 or send her a card - 7416 E Windsor Ave Scottsdale, AZ 85257

?

?

?

Long time Merrymaker Jack Holtine passed on October 2, 2021, at 0500 AM....In Hana, Hawaii, where he moved in 2020.

?

?

?

Lost another dancer on July 25 who had moved from AZ to FL

Think she had infrequently come to Merrymakers, but was a round dancer when she lived in AZ.

?

Sent from for Windows

?

We lost another dancer.

Condolences can be sent to Darlene Felker 4566 E Dragoon Ave Mesa, AZ 85206

?

?

?

John Katausky and his wife Susan attended a number of MM and non-MM dances over the last 6 years or so, however, none last year, of course. Susan passed away May 1.

John is looking to connect with a Pete and Trish, a couple that they sat by at many dances. I don’t know who they are, so if anyone does, if they would contact me, I’ll pass it on to John.

Our condolences go out to John and his family. The address for John for condolences is?321 E Campbell Rd Chandler AZ 85225

Attached are two pictures. The one with Susan by herself was the last photo taken of her. It was taken by a friend while they were dining outside at the DC Steakhouse on April 18, 2021. Also, below is the short obituary John penned for her for the funeral.

Susan Kay Katausky

Susan Katausky, 69, passed away at Saint Joseph’s Hospital on May 1, 2021. She was born on May 24, 1951 in Monroe, Wisconsin to August and Trudi Burgi. Susan had one older sister, Sandy.

Susan graduated with a BS degree in nursing in 1974 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and worked on the medical floor and the maternity ward at the Monroe Hospital. She then moved back to Madison and worked for the Red Cross Blood Services. In 1979 Susan moved to Phoenix, Arizona because she had a medical condition called Raynauds and it was best for her to avoid cold environments. In Phoenix she worked for 6 years in hemodialysis at Saint Joseph’s Hospital and then she worked for a private obstetrician-gynecologist until she retired from nursing in 1992. She then volunteered for numerous organizations such as the Crisis Pregnancy Center, the Desert Botanical Garden, and Therapy Dogs.

Susan’s father passed away in 1995 and after that she devoted much time and energy to helping her mother. In 2005 when her mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness Susan steadfastly supported her until she passed away in 2009. She had a heart of gold and a determined dedication to her mother.

Susan met her husband John in 1983 and they were married at the Grace Community Church in Tempe on May 12, 1984. She was the perfect mate and no man could have asked for anything more. Susan loved to dance, loved to garden, loved to travel, loved animals, loved art, loved live theater, loved music, loved to bake cookies, loved “I Love Lucy”, loved her husband, her relatives, her friends, her sister, her nieces, Debi and Lauri and their families, but above all, she loved the Lord. She was always quiet, proper, never judgmental, and impeccably attired.

On July 9, 2015 Susan suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that left her with the conditions aphasia and apraxia, which meant she had difficulty speaking. Sometimes frustrated, but never complaining she would just say “If this is the way God wants me to be, then I’ll just do my best, I’m trying!” Because of her condition it was difficult for her to read, but she listened to the Bible, audio books, and watched video Bible teachings almost every day. The book she was listening to before she passed away was a biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Susan had an infectious smile and lit up every room she walked into. It’s difficult to find a picture of her where she is not smiling. Her spiritual gift was the ability to bring joy into the lives of those she encountered and she did that every day. This world has lost an angel, but heaven has gained one. She will most certainly dwell in the house of the Lord forever, but she may be doing some remodeling right now.

?