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MY LIFE STORY
A BUSY RETIREMENT
(2013 - 2014)
Our first great-grandson, Jackson Davis Holmberg is born -
Early in January, the building lot in Pravada which is
immediately east of our house and had been purchased by the
country singer John Fogarty, was
being prepared for construction of Fogarty’s Scottsdale
home. Two gigantic
Saguaros, each of which were at least 250 years old, stood some
25 feet tall and had five or more robust limbs, were bulldozed
down to make room for the house.
Normally, all Saguaros within a building envelope are
relocated to a location outside the building envelope.
However, these Saguaros were so old and large that it was
not feasible to relocate them.
Hence they went to a land fill.
We watched the
disappointing process from our dining room.
A Gigantic
Saguaro Demolished For Fogarty’s House
On January 16th, Bev and Allan helped us
celebrate Francine’s 70th birthday.
Jim, Allan, Francine and Beverly
On February 9th Kyle
and Veronica’a son, Jackson Davis Holmberg was born in Austin,
TX, which also happened to be Adam Holub’s 21st
birthday. Kyle, Kim and Dave were in Austin, with Veronica
providing whatever help to her in an exceptionally long delivery
- some 30 hours in
labor. Eventually,
our first great grandchild was born.
Jackson was a healthy, 6 pounds 9 ounces boy.
Even though Kyle and Veronica were not yet married, Kyle,
Kim and Dave all joined in to insure that both Veronica and
Jackson received the needed care and nurturing. (Vernoica and
Kyle were married two years later.)
Adam, who was working in
Louisville, planned to drive to Boston to celebrate his 21st
birthday with his Boston
friends. He arranged
to be off work for a long weekend.
However, a major snow storm blanketed the northeast
portion of the US curtailing travel and cancelling flights.
Despite having a railroad
passenger ticket to Boston, because of the storm he only got him
as far as Buffalo, NY. He
tried the bus lines from there to Boston.
No dice! He was
unable to get to Boston.
Eventually, he gave up on getting to Boston and accepted
Brett’s invitation to celebrate his 21st birthday
with Brett in Pittsburgh.
David and Kyle, Anxiously Awaiting Jackson’s Birth
Proud Father and Son
Proud Grandmother, Kim and Grandson
One Full Texas Boot
Another ISU Acacia reunion -
On March 11th, Francine and I attended an Iowa State
University Acacia Fraternity Alumni meeting of several of us,
mainly Arizona
residents at Bert and Jan Fellow’s home in
Mesa, AZ. Ten
of we brothers and spouses were able to attend.
The attendees are pictured below.
Front row, L to R: Bert Fellows, Dale Weber, Wally Kolbe & Bruce
Campbell
Back Row, L to R: Dick Cone, Larry McComber, Larry Wogahn,
Neil Woodley,
We continued this annual gathering every year until the pandemic
caused us to halt it in 2020.
Brothers from as far away as Singapore, Florida, Oregon,
Ohio, Wisconsin, Texas, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas,
Colorado and California attended over the years normally with
his spouse/significant other.
We gathered at brother’s Arizona home until the group
became too large when we switched to a country club or similar
venue.
That evening Francine and I attended a concert by Andre’ Rieu
and his orchestra and singers.
He is my favorite orchestra leader and entertainer.
His music is basically classical but with a modern twist.
His singers are delightful and entertaining.
I will go to see him and his ensemble
whenever I can.
On March 16th, Francine
and I hosted a dinner party of some of her fellow Mayo
development committee friends as well as other Mayo employees,
including the President of Mayo Arizona, Wyatt Decker and his
wife. We hired chefs and
servers from The Estancia Club to prepare the meal and serve the
guests. A week later
Francine’s grandson, Benjamin visited us for several days.
We went to a spring training baseball game at Salt River
Fields at Talking Stick.
Later in March, Francine and I travelled to Austin, TX to meet
Jackson Davis Holmberg, our first great grandchild.
Kyle, Jackson and Veronica
Proud Great Grandparents with Jackson
Three Generations
Proud Great Grandad
Each spring the Climbing Tangerine vines on our back patio are
full of blossoms. A
wonderfully quiet place to sit and contemplate the wonders of
the world.
Francine on our back patio
A Small Giant Argentina Cactus In Full Bloom; The Blossoms Are
Only Open 24 Hours
The Landscaping Between Our Driveway And Our Casita
Kyle graduates from college –
In early
May most all of our immediate family and Dave’s father gathered
at Kim’s in San Antonio to celebrate Kyle’s graduation from St.
Edward’s University.
Kim and Dave, hosted a wonderful graduation party for Kyle.
The wonderful family friends, the Wannacotts drove over
from Houston to surprise many of us. It was another wonderful
gathering of our family and we toasted Kyle for
his success.
Proud Graduate With His Proud Parents And Brother
Dave, Kim, Francine, Jim, Brian, Kyle, Paul (David’s Father),
Brett & Kevin
Kyle aspired to attend medical school however his undergraduate
grades were not quite good enough for him to be accepted.
Consequently, he enrolled in a Medical Specialist
Graduate Program which would lead to a Masters in Science.
He concurrently worked for an orthopedic surgeon.
The combination of his superior grades in the Master’s
Program and his work for the orthopedic surgeon in addition to
his interview earned him a place in the class of 2019, at The
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) a private
medical school in Erie, PA.
The beginning of several trips -
In late May, Francine’s small band of four close friends who
were all members of the Mayo Clinic Development Committee
gathered at Laure Perez’s (one of the foursome) New Mexico ranch
for a long weekend of learning a bit about the life of a
rancher. The ranch
which is in the eastern central part of New Mexico,
was part of the ranch her grandfather built over his
lifetime. The event
was to have been branding time for the spring new born calves.
However, calving season was late this year and it was not
yet time to brand so we toured the ranch and enjoyed the very
rural New Mexico country.
It was a great time for we three and one-half couples
(Laure was widowed).
Even though I grew up on a farm and had a basic understanding of
ranching, it was a very interesting learning experience for me.
With the modest amount of rain that the eastern part of New
Mexico receives it was surprising that there was sufficient
grass and other vegetation for cattle to thrive.
Indeed, some summers are so dry that the ranchers are
forced to purchase hay for the cattle to grow into the feeder
cattle that the ranch markets.
Purchasing hay makes the entire venture unprofitable.
The visit included a tour to the nearby Old Fort Sumner
Museum which primarily contained the grave and various
memorabilia of and about the life of Billy The Kid a young
cowboy outlaw whose life and death are memorialized.
L to R: Terri and Matt Juechter, Francine, Jim, Laure & Paulette
& Joe Maslick in Laure’s Ranch House.
In early June, we travelled to The Twin Cities to attend the
retirement party of Francine and my good friend, David Mona.
He was one of the principal owners of the public
relations firm that Francine worked with.
David and Linda Mona were two of Francine’s very best
friends and played a key role in helping her through her grief
when she lost her husband in 1998.
It was a wonderful recognition for David and all of his
accomplishments.
We also visited with Francine’s daughter, Heather and family
while in the Twin Cities and attended a Minnesota Twins baseball
game with her son Benjamin and his father, Duane. We travelled
to NYC to visit Lindsey.
We dined at the usual restaurants and saw two plays.
Fran very much wanted to visit the outdoor broadcasting
of the NBC Today show.
We were there standing in a small crowd observing the
live broadcast of show.
Fran was pleased to get her picture taken with Savannah
Guthrie, one of the show’s anchors.
The View of New York City Looking East Over Columbus Circle And
Along East 59th Street
Mid-August Francine and I left on a driving trip to Banff, Lake
Louise and Jasper, Alberta, Canda.
We stopped overnight and spent a day in Salt Lake City,
UT. We spent much of
that day visiting the Mormon Tabernacle and the surrounding
facilities which are the center of the Church of Latter Day
Saints activities.
The Tabernacle is spectacular. The hosts/guides are most
pleasant and informative.
We visited the huge Tabernacle performing area at the
time the choir was rehearsing for its next performance.
Listening to the choir in person was particularly moving.
We visited the extensive offices of the famous Mormon
ancestry operations.
We did a couple of modest searches which provided no surprises.
We walked the hallowed grounds which are meticulously
maintained. It
was a day well spent.
We drove through magnificent scenic country to Missoula, MT the
next day. We stayed overnight in Missoula.
We reached the US-Canadian border mid-day on our third
day and crossed without difficulty.
We drove through the city of Calgary, where I had
previously been but
hadn’t spent any time.
It is a clean, fairly large city in the middle of the
Canadian plains. We
headed west from Calgary and soon were in the foothills of the
Canadian Rockies. We
reached Banff late that afternoon.
We had made reservations at a hotel which on-line looked
perfect. Instead, it
was a hotel designed primarily for campers or hikers of local
areas, which was particularly rustic and not what we had
expected. We checked
out the next day after locating much better accommodations
closer to Lake Louise and transitioned to the hotel more to our
liking.
The Banff and Lake Louise Resort Hotels were both fully-booked
however we were able to eat several meals and take advantage of
the other resort amenities as outsiders.
We hiked the western one-half of Lake Louise.
It was a wonderful and spectacularly beautiful hike as
the lake is at the base of some impressive snow-capped
mountains.
We spent a week hiking, driving to various vistas, watching
black, brown and grizzly bears ravenously feeding to prepare for
the upcoming winter hibernation and golfing one day at the Banff
golf course.
The golfing experience was one of the most unusual we have ever
had. The golf course
was very tightly placed between mountains and woods on one side
and a fairly large river on the other.
In addition, there was a less travelled road lengthwise
through the course as well as walking paths with a fair number
of walkers enjoying the fine weather.
It was a golfing challenge to avoid the vehicles and the
walkers. The course
itself was fairly “plain Jane” but the scenery was fantastic.
One day we drove The Icefields Parkway, a 150 mile stretch of
four lane highway along the Continental Divide between Lake
Louise and Jasper.
There are spectacular icefields to be viewed along the Parkway.
We rented a recorded tour guide which reported on the
icefields, the vistas, the habitation, the vegetation and the
history that one observes in the drive along the Parkway.
It timed the descriptions to be delivered at each
specific point in the drive.
I had driven this Parkway previously, however, this was
Francine’s first trip to Alberta, Canada and its scenic wonders.
She was quite impressed with Alberta, CA.
Mount Saint Piran, Lake Louise
Hiking Along Lake Louise
Banff
Golf Course Between Banff River and Spectacular Mountains
One Of Many Vistas From Lake Louise
Moraine
Lake, Near Lake Louise
The
Columbia Icefield, From The Icefields Parkway
We departed Lake Louise and drove south to visit Glacier
National Park the following day.
There were several forest fires in western Canada and
United States which sourced considerable smoke that drifted east
somewhat blanketing the area in southern Alberta through which
we drove. It was
mildly disconcerting to us as the highway we drove was through
some mountainous terrain.
However, we encountered no significant smoke and made
good time in our drive back to the United States.
We arrived at the eastern edge of the Glacier National
Park where we found a modest motel to overnight.
The next morning, we entered Glacier National Park using
the Going To The Sun Highway which traverses Glacier National
Park east to/from west.
This 50 mile long highway is essentially the only highway
in Glacier National Park and it is only open during the summer
months as the snowfall in the Park is too much to keep the
highway open.
Glacier National Park, West Entrance
Glacier National Park is a spectacular park, very rugged, very
limited vehicle access, very congested during the summer, very
isolated in the winter as it is adjacent to the United States-
Canada border.
Contiguous with the northern border of Glacier National Park and
in Canada is Waterton Lakes National Park.
The two Parks comprise the Waterton-Glacier International
Peace
One Of Many Glacier National Park Vistas
Waterton Lakes National Park.
The two Parks comprise the Waterton-Glacier International
Peace Park.
We spent the better part of one day driving through
Glacier National Park, including a stop at the only major
visitor center near the middle of the park.
Since we were near the end of the traditional summer the
traffic was not unbearable, however it was heavy with numerous
turnout parking areas near hiking trails.
It was another day well spent and we checked off another
home country attraction to which we had visited for the first
time.
We exited Glacier National Park and found a motel near Flathead
Lake. The Lake is
the largest freshwater lake in the western United States.
We stayed in Kalispell a delightful town ten miles north
of the Lake. The
drive south the next morning was along the full length of the
western edge of this beautiful lake.
The rest of the drive to Park City, UT was more of our
wonderful western United States spectacular countryside.
We stayed several days at the Montage Resort in Park City
where we spent the days hiking and golfing.
One day was spent at the National Dog Sheep Herding
Competition. Then on
to Scottsdale
in one long last day but worth it to be back home.
Remembering Cindie -
In September we placed this boulder with Cindie’s name along the
side of Dynamite Road where Cindie was struck by the Waste
Management Trash Truck.
It is at near the street sign mentioning Cindie Davis
Holub.
The Boulder With Cindie’s Name At The Site Of The Accident Which
Killed Her
The Workmen Placing The Boulder Along The Side Of Dynamite Road
The William Penn University Ware Auditorium -
On weekend of October 5 and 6, 2013 William Penn University (WPU)
held its Homecoming Celebration which included an annual dinner
on Saturday evening in
which the university recognizes various alumni.
We had chosen the Friday before that weekend to dedicate
The Ware Auditorium.
It is in a new Classroom and Activities Center which the
university had completed a couple of years previously.
Francine and I traveled to brother Bob’s home.
He drove the three of us to Oskaloosa.
Kim and Brian flew in that morning and met us in
Oskaloosa.
The floor on which The Ware Auditorium was located was finished
two years after the completion of the first portion of the
building. I
donated $150,000 to name a room
in the building in honor
of the Ware Family members who have such prominent roles in
WPU’s
history. (Please see
The Ware Family and William Penn University article in
the appendix for more information on these roles.)
Jim Addressing The Audience At The Ware Auditorium Dedication
My brother Bob, Dick and Judy, Kim, Brian, Francine and I
attended the dedication of the auditorium, where I made a few
comments about the Ware family’s role
in WPU.
We
attended the alumni dinner celebration that evening which
honored Howard and Emma Ware with the WPU Torch Award.
The award was in honor of our grandparents for the roles
they played in WPU’s history. I was able to catch up briefly with Bill and Joyce
Wagoner. Bill was a
third cousin of mine on mom’s side of the family who was a
neighbor of ours when we lived on the farm.
Joyce was a high school friend of ours.
I had not seen nor talked to either of them for over 60
years. I was also
able to reconnect with a number of WPU faculty and board
members. It was a
wonderful weekend.
Brian, Kim, Dick, Judy And Bob At The WPU Alumni Banquet
Francine, Jim, Kim And Brian At The Dedication
Brother Bob’s tragic fall -
We returned to Bob’s home Sunday morning.
After returning to Bob’s place, Francine and I drove to
Minneapolis to spend a few days with Heather and family.
We had dinner with our good friend, Walt Mauer and his
lady friend that evening.
I had several voice-mails from my nephew, Keith, Bob’s
younger son who said Bob had fallen earlier that evening which
resulted in him hitting his head on a concrete floor.
Bob was in a Des Moines hospital with bleeding in his
head which was deemed not repairable.
He was unconscious and in fatal condition.
The next morning Francine flew back to Phoenix, I picked Myrna
up from her home in Minneapolis and we drove to Ames
where Bob was being transferred to a hospice facility.
Bob’s immediate family gathered at the hospice facility
to keep a vigil and wait.
Bob passed peacefully on Wednesday.
Most of our family,
including Beverly, Allan, Nancy, Neal, Judy, Dick, Janie and
many of the next generation, including Kim, Dave and Brian had
gathered to say goodbye to Bob. His funeral was Saturday and he
was buried near his late wife Janice Heiberger, in the Rose Hill
Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Dick arranged for a local VFW team to do a final gun
salute at the grave site ceremony.
After Bob’s internment,
the entire family visited the Maid-Rite shop for a
Maid-Rite Lunch.
(For more about Bob, please see his chapter in the appendix to
this auto-biography.)
Bob was first of the six of we Davis children to depart this
life, although we had said goodbye to Janie’s husband, Jerry
Aiken, almost five years earlier.
Bob and Kyla (Kyla’s Favorite Picture Of Her And Her Dad)
Lindsey joined us in Scottsdale for Thanksgiving.
Then our immediate family gathered at Kim’s house in San
Antonio for Christmas.
Kim continued the family tradition of everyone wearing
identical pajamas for gift giving and for pictures of our
wonderful Christmases.
Davis Family Christmas, At Kim’s 2013
L to R: Brad, Adam, Kelly, Brett, Ellan, Kyle, Jackson,
Veronica, Brian, Jim, David,
Francine, Kim, Kevin, Mandy, Janice (Veronica’s mother),
Courtney And Andrew.
The year 2013 came to a close, with another family loss with the
death of Bob. He is
remembered in this auto-biography, particularly by his four
children and their children as a gentle, involved and loving
parent and grandfather.
His chapter in the appendix of this auto-biography does
only modest reporting on his life.
Francine and I had travelled extensively, particularly in
our magnificent west and to attend family events in 2013.
We looked forward to a rewarding 2014.
We surprised Francine with a birthday party to observe her 71st
birthday at our Estancia Club attended by many of her local
friends and a few who travelled a bit to attend.
She was pleased to be remembered and toasted by so many
of her friends – but hates
surprise parties when she is the one that is surprised.
Francine Observes And Her Friends Celebrate Her Birthday
Since Francine and I had joined The Estancia Golf Club in 2007,
I had played an average of about twice a week and had taken a
few lessons to correct at least a few of my bad habits.
The Estancia Golf Club has been nationally ranked in the
top 100 best private golf courses and either 1st or 2nd
best in Arizona. As
such the members and staff receive may requests from
unassociated golfers who want to play it.
Many members host their friends and family, sometimes
several times a year.
However, many requests are never honored.
All of my family who golf have played the course at least
once. One of our
Estancia neighbors who has played golf his entire life had last
I knew at least 19 holes-in-one.
One Saturday when he and his wife were playing with
Francine and me, he had hole-in-one number 18 for him on our par
3 number 7 hole. The
following Monday while was playing with several friends, I used
a seven iron to hit a good drive which bounced twice in front of
the pin and then rolled into the hole, for my first hole-in-one.
Jim Retrieving His Ball From The Cup After Hitting His
Hole-In-One
Jackson turned one-year old on February 9.
He celebrated his birthday with a night out on the town
with Veronica and Kyle.
Jackson was growing fast, maturing as expected and
continuing to be the center of their and their parents universe.
Veronica, Jackson And Kyle Celebrating Jackson’s First Birthday
In late March, we held our Arizona ISU Acacia gathering hosted
by Bruce and Sonnie Campbell in Sun City,
Arizona.
L to R: Jim Davis, Dick Taylor, Dennis McComber, Dick Cone,
More summer travels -
In April, Francine and I caught up with Kim, Dave, Veronica,
Kyle and Jackson who travelled to
California to visit Brett and to introduce Jackson to
Disneyland. In May
we travelled to Westford to participate in the annual Westford
Run which again remembered Cindie for her earlier dedication and
support of this charity event.
Again, Waste Management supported this event in honor of
Cindie.
Francine And Jim, May 2014
On August 6, Bev, Allan and Francine helped me celebrate my 79th
birthday with a wonderful dinner at our favorite local steak
house. Two days
later our family traveled to Lima, Peru and our eventual
destination of Machu Picchu.
Brian and
Dave planned our trip with A & K.
Our nine hour flight to Lima was uneventful and we
arrived mid-morning Lima time.
We checked into the hotel which was overlooking the
Pacific Ocean. Some
of us walked to a nearby shopping mall to check out the bargains
for purchase. The following day we had a guided tour of several
nearby sites in and around Lima.
The next morning, we boarded a regional Peruvian airliner
for a one hour flight to Cusco, the nearest airport to Machu
Picchu. Cusco is at
11,000 feet elevation.
We were advised to be prepared for altitude sickness.
The rooms in our hotel had additional oxygen injected
into the rooms. We
toured the area the next day and explored Cusco on foot.
L to R: Jim,
Beverly, Allan and Francine Celebrating Jim’s 79th
Birthday
Back Row, L to R: Kyle, Francine, Jim, Kevin, Mandy, Courtney,
Andrew, Ellen and Brett
Front Row, L to R: Wylie (Kyle’s Friend), Adam, Kim, Brian, Brad
and David
Our Machu Picchu Family Party
The entire group with the exception of Kim, Francine and I were
hiking to Machu Picchu from a departure point not far from
Cusco. The
twelve hikers had some 20 porters carrying the hiker’s extra
clothes, the food and wine, the eating utensils, the tents,
sleeping bags, the equipment that they might need – even camping
chairs - and any other needs that the hikers might have for the
five day hike. The
porters hiked the trails that our party hiked, but did not stop
as frequently. They
reached the next camp site ahead of our hiking party, set up
camp, began preparing the evening meal and welcomed the hikers
into the camp. Two
of the porters provided massages for
sore muscles.
The next morning the porters prepared breakfast and snacks for
the hikers to carry, broke down the camp and prepared to move it
to the next camp site.
The porters, many of them
less than 4 feet tall were amazing.
The Hikers Ready To Begin Their Five Day Hike
The Porters Welcoming The Hikers Into Camp After The First Day
Of Hiking
While the hikers
were
doing their thing, Kim, Francine and I had a guided tour
primarily of the Sacred Valley which is a fertile valley along
the Urubamba River.
The entire valley was developed by the Incas who pioneered
advanced agriculture with terraced hillsides, experimental crops
and varying farming practices.
In addition, there were the usual ancient ruins, the
scenic vistas and the usual various visitor attractions. We
stayed in very nice accommodations and gradually transitioned
toward Machu Picchu.
The last portion of the journey was a one hour train ride to the
small town of Machu Picchu Pueblo which is at the base of the
mountain on which Machu Picchu is located.
One Of Many Ancient Agricultural Properties Where Terraced
Farming Was Practiced
We arrived in Machu Picchu Pueblo and purchased tickets for
transportation to Machu Picchu which was an old school bus
repurposed to transport visitors up the side of a mountain by
way of a dirt road to the Machu
Picchu entrance.
We arrived about four hours prior to the expected arrival
of our hikers.
Kim, Francine and I took advantage of this time to do a
leisurely tour of the Inca ruins named Machu Picchu.
The ruins are fairly extensive but walking the ruins was
not particularly difficult as there was not much elevation
change on the site itself.
The elevation of Machu Picchu is 8000 feet.
Some of the ruins were in the process of being restored
to the original construction.
Francine, Jim And Kim In Machu Picchu
Our Hikers Ready To Descend Into Machu Picchu*
In September Francine and I travelled to the Oregon coast
immediately west of Portland to join my
brothers and sisters and spouses for a long weekend of
reconnecting. We had
decided when we gathered for Bob’s funeral that we needed to
have a “1st Generation Reunion”.
This was it.
We rented a house near the beach where we all stayed.
We walked the beach, played cards, ate too much and
generally “hung out”.
Justin and Jamie who lived not far away came and spent
time with us and were our official photographers.
L to R: Nancy,
Janie, Dick, Beverly And Jim
L to R: Francine,
Janie, Beverly, Dick, Judy, Jim, Neal, Nancy and Allan
In October we visited Lindsey in NYC.
Francine and I spent several hours in the 9/11 Memorial &
Museum which had opened a few months earlier.
It is a popular attraction for NYC visitors and is
difficult to acquire tickets on short notice.
The Museum was especially well done.
It had many articles from the destroyed Twin Towers.
The tour was particularly moving and
should be visited by every resident of the U.S.
Lindsey again visited us in Scottsdale to celebrate
Thanksgiving.
Francine and I hosted my family for Christmas.
We celebrated with an outing including the Princess
Fairmount Hotel magnificent Christmas display and Christmas
dinner at The Estancia Club and memorialized it with the
following picture.
L to R: David,
Brett, Ellen, Kim, Courtney, Andy, Mandy, Kevin, Jackson, Kyle,
Veronica,
Janice(Veronica’s mother), Francine, Jim, Tabatha (Adam’s
friend), Adam, Brad and Brian
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