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| As a way to get to know each other a little better, we would like to try to get members to send the Web Master Ernie a brief autobiography (or not so brief) which we can transfer to our web site. What you include would be up to you but some suggested topics might include:
Give it a try and lets see what happens. |
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Dave Reinertsen
| Profile: Jim Obrock Home is Cleveland, Ohio area in the suburb of Fairview Park, Ohio. Retired from AT & T in 1991 where I was Accounts Manager for several large companies(Eaton Corp, Ford, GM and TRW) nationally. I operated a softball complex where we had 5 diamonds, bar and concessions. We trained our own umpires and scorers. Conducted national softball tournaments (ASA & USSSA) in the Columbus and Cleveland Ohio area for 31 years. |  |
| After retirement from AT & T became recreation director for the city of Fairview Park (population 24,000) running both adult and youth programs. Married Nancy in 1957, we have two sons in the Cleveland area, Gene and Dean and two Granddaughters Erika 21, a junior at the University of Delaware and Jess 19, a freshman at Rowan University in New Jersey. My lawn bowling highlight was winning the club championship in the SINGLES competition in 1998 at the Ahwatukee, Arizona LBC. All 64 members participated, so the winner each year was the true champion of the club. It was my second year playing bowls. | |
| In 2005 I won our Johnson LBC Singles contest but only 24 players competed. Most of our club members did not participate, so while it was fun to win among those who competed, it didn't carry the same honor as winning in 1998 in Ahwatukee. I was president of USLBA in 2002 and 2006. I was also Johnson LBC president in 2004 and 2005. | This photograph taken 1978. What were this handsome couple reviewing eh? |
| Won lower flights but they are meaningless, example if you win a third flight you finished 16th . Might get you money but no satisfaction. It's been fun to belong to Johnson LBC and participating in our many events. Though the membership dropped from 289 in 2005 to 151 at the start of 2009, I believe our active members are the same amount as in the past. President Jimmy Green (2006), Kathy Alton (2007) and Wanda Penrod (2008-9) have continued to keep the club moving forward and have done a good job running the club. | |
 | Profile: Nancy Obrock Home is Fairview Park, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Worked for Ohio Bell Telephone until Jim & I had our first child. We were fortunate that I was then able to be a stay at home Mom for our two sons Gene & Dean. Jim & I married in 1957 and our two sons live in the Cleveland area. We have two Granddaughters Erika 21, a junior at the University of Delaware and Jess 19, a freshman at Rowan University in New Jersey. |
| Both ladies have maintained a grade point average of 4.0+ in High School and continued that performance in college. thanks Nancy & Jim. Congratulations on a fine family, a full life and both your Lawn Bowling achievements. Ernie | |
| Profile: Ron & Kaye Thorkelson We began our lives together began June 29, 1969. Kaye was teaching school in Granite Falls first grade and kindergarten which lasted 35 years. I worked at Victor Fluid Power for 35 years first in the shop in the assemble department, and later to the office as inside sales for Victor Fluid Power. We manufactured high pressure hydraulic equipment 10,000 PSI, which consisted of presses for removing wheels from railroad cars to locomotive wheels. We also made track presses for pushing pins out of |  |
| tracks, that drive caterpillars, and tanks that were use by the military. We also specialized in large bore stainless steel cylinders for the shipping industries, these cylinders were used a lot on the great lakes on ships that are used to haul grain, iron ore, coal, and other products that were transported by ship. Other uses for our cylinders were dump skulls used to clean and dredge canals and channels so ship could use these passages. We manufactured cylinders for companies like John Deere, Case, International Harvester, Caterpillar, and Marathon Letourneau. We also raised registered Arabian horses on our farm which was four miles east of Granite Falls. We had a 40 acre farm on which we raised hay, and six acres of crop land. We lambed out between 40 to 60 ewes every year (they were great weed eaters good to keep the pastures clean) in January and February and always feed out the lambs. We also raised calves that we purchased from a neighbor that milked shorthorn cows, and we got all the calves when they were a couple days old. When the calves were 4 to 5 hundred pounds he bought all the heifer calves back and we would feed out all the steers or sell them as feeders. We were very fortunate that we had two daughters that were good to help with the feeding, cleaning, and all the chores. Both of the girls liked the horses and did show them when they were in school, however sports, boys, cars, and friends left the horses in second spot. After the first year of collage our youngest daughter Becky came home and said she wanted to show horses again. Needless to say did real well, showing one of our mares to top ten in western pleasure at the nationals in Albuquerque, Nm. We had always eight to ten horses, and raised four to five foals every year. As I said before we have two daughters, one in Minnesota, and one in Arizona. So we spend six months with each one. Our youngest in Minnesota works as an optometric assent for three Doctors in Lakeville, Mn. The other daughter is in Phoenix and does MRI’s for an independent clinic there. We both enjoy lawn bowling very much, and enjoy all the activates of the club. I received the silver medal this year in the Senior Olympics, as well as winning the cross bowling tournament with Lina Sams the week of 4/17/09. I’ve been asked many times why we hadn’t taken up golf, well the week ends there was barns to clean, hay to be put up, lawns to mow, garden that needed weeding, fence to fix, foals that needed to be halter broke, horses that needed to be ridden, along with church and school activities. That probably why we didn’t take up golf. I told people we normally didn’t do anything from midnight to four in the morning. We love it here in Sun City West, the people all the friends we’ve made here, and the clubs we belong to and especially the lawn bowls club. | |