Steve visited Ohio 16-23 JULY 2003 and was able to see Ken Sheley (and his wife, Kathie), a high school friend he had not seen for 40 years. Ken and Kathie (on the right) live in Florida, but, were in Springfield visiting their long time friends, Bob and Carolyn Smith (who are also friends of Steve).
Steve had booked his July flight to Ohio to visit his mother (Lena was going to stay in San Diego and take care of the pets). After Steve learned that his mother’s side (the KIRKPATRICK family) was having a family reunion, it was unfortunately too late to...
...make alternative arrangements and have Lena accompany him on the trip. Steve had not attended one of these reunions (being held at two of his first cousins’ farm near Rockford, Ohio) since 1989, so he was a complete stranger to many of the 40-50 people in attendance at the 2003 reunion.
Mike Kirkpatrick (who is loading up his plate in this photo) brought five BEEF TONGUES for Steve to haul back to San Diego in his suitcases. (Steve & Lena, as well as her daughter, Anya and her new husband, Don) all LOVE beef tongue...which is very expensive in California!
While the Rockford area had received 17 inches of rain during the week before the reunion, the day for the reunion was perfect. Of the original 12 Kirkpatrick children, only Steve’s mom, Agnes White (who is 89 and in the wheelchair) and Mary Bowers (who is 95 and sitting next to Agnes)...
...are still alive. While Steve does not have any estimate of the total number of Kirkpatrick descendants....
...this group shot includes most of the 20-plus adult Kirkpatrick descendants who were able to attend the 2003 reunion.