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Sad news from Grass Lake, Michigan. Barbara Seabury, wife of classmate Brett Seabury, died of cancer on July 8 at home on their Golden Fleece Farm. They had been married 59 years. Two of their three children graduated from Wesleyan—Elizabeth ’95 and Carolyn ’98.

Paul Eschholz emailed: “Five years ago, after living in a golfing community for 17 years in Naples, Florida, my wife, Betsy (we first met in sixth grade and this summer celebrated our 30th anniversary), and I decided it was time to consider “What’s next?” We chose Siena Lakes—a brand-new senior living community locatednorth of the Old Naples downtown—and moved in on November 8, 2021. I’ve found a wonderful group of men to play golf with, and Betsy has rediscovered her talents on stage. Recently, she brought down the house in her role as Dolly in our local production of Hello Dolly. 

“Betsy and I bought our first condo in Naples in 2004, while visiting Betsy’s sister and her husband. That condo was on Naples Bay, and initially we intended to spend six months there and six in Vermont. That plan lasted one year—we quickly learned that we didn’t want to maintain two houses. So, in August 2005, we sold our Vermont home and moved to Naples full time. Little did I know when we bought our condo that Bill Mears and Dave Harris ’68 would be neighbors.

“Bill and his wife, Jackie, recently left Naples for Colorado, but we continue to socialize with Dave and his wife, Marty, and look forward to reconnecting with John Fenstermaker and his wife, Cecile, who recently joined us at Siena Lakes.

“After the January 2025 death of my writing partner of 56 years, Al Rosa, I ‘retired’ from writing college textbooks. We have three textbooks for writing and linguistics students still in print 50 years after their original publication. A colleague of ours wrote an article for the University of Vermont Magazine about the friendship and professional career that Al and I shared.” Find the article here.

Christopher Chase sent news: “I haven’t written in a while, partly because Karen and I have few exciting comings and goings to report. Since 2018, we’ve lived in a retirement community, Kendal at Hanover (New Hampshire). Not that there aren’t fascinating people here and interesting things to do (chorale singing, lectures, and continuing education courses, many offered by Dartmouth faculty), but we are somewhat mobility compromised and hence seldom visit with distant family. I see my autistic son, 53 and institutionalized in Massachusetts, several times a year. And we are looking forward to Karen’s daughter moving back to Massachusetts with her 14-year-old son after 20 years in Colorado.

“I regret not being able to attend our class reunions and admit to feeling melancholy that increasing numbers of classmates are no more. There are several Wesfolk here, some former students, some faculty, but our institutional ethos does not permit disclosure of names. However, since he has passed on, I feel free to report that Mark Barlow, dean in our days, resided here before we arrived. When his widow, Jane (now also deceased), inquired in the dinner line who I was, I responded that we had once breathed the same air in Middletown.”

Thanks to Matthys (Thys) Van Cort for this: “About a year and a half ago, my wife, Beth Prentice, and I moved into a Quaker continuing care retirement community in Ithaca, New York. Even though it’s close to our old neighborhood, it’s been a tough move, especially for me. Since 1982, we had lived in a beautiful, 1908 Craftsman-style house, with a huge living room, a fireplace, and big Prairie-style windows facing south, west, and north. It was a 10-minute walk from Cornell and downtown and a great neighborhood with wonderful neighbors. We raised our blended family in the house. All of them hated to see us sell it. We still own a house on Cayuga Lake, with an enormous deck where Beth and I got married.

“The move was all about guaranteed health care for life. It’s a go-go, go-slow, no-go facility. They’ve got us covered no matter what. It’s too bad you have to move to get it. Beth and I are in very good health: good genes(?), no smoking for 45 years, limited alcohol, reasonable weight, and exercise. But who knows how long we can keep chugging along.

“Our blended family has four kids and eight grandkids. Beth brought two sons from her prior marriage and I one daughter. In 1992, we took in our ‘snephew’ (get it?), to whom I am ‘duncle,’ or ‘funcle’ if you prefer. Recently, we legally adopted him, which has made us all very happy. Our daughter raised her three kids here and still owns her house three blocks from our old house.”