ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Births
• Engagements
• Weddings
• Anniversaries
• Obituaries

Births

David Cole Babcock was born to parents Brendan and Sharon (Treybig) just before sunrise on March 6, 2006 (8 pounds, 21 inches). David adores his 2-years-older brother, Joe. The family attends the Minneapolis, Minnesota, congregation.

A prayer that David would "honor God and his parents" was given at the Blessing of Little Children, along with a request for "protection from physical and spiritual harm…peace, direction, purpose and prosperity."

His namesakes include Grandpa David Harold Treybig (Tampa, Florida), Uncle David Jared Treybig (Dallas, Texas) and Uncle Brian David Babcock (Minneapolis).

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Daniel and Rita Saldivar of San Antonio, Texas, would like to announce the birth of their beautiful baby girl Sophia Adelina Saldivar. Sophia was born Sept. 24, 2006. She entered this world at 4 pounds 10 ounces and was 18 inches long. Grandparents Dan and Mary Saldivar also attend the San Antonio congregation. Grandparents Jay and Rita Holmes are members of the Dallas congregation. She is welcomed and loved by many extended members of her family as well.

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Tim and Christine Hughes of the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, congregation (formerly from St. Petersburg, Florida), would like to proudly announce the birth of their fourth child, Amber Lynn Hughes. Amber joined the family on Sept. 28, 2006. She weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and was 20 inches long. Amber was welcomed home by Tiffany (12), Timmy (11) and Ashley (3).

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Tom and Tracy Bulharowski are pleased to announce the birth of their third child, Garrett Leland, on Oct. 12, 2006 (our Feast baby!). Garrett weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. He is the third grandchild for Clay and Stephana Thornton and the eighth grandchild for Jack and Bobbie Bulharowski.

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Sam and Shannon Sweat of Dallas, Texas, are thrilled to welcome another little girl, Sydni Erin. Sydni was born June 15, 2006, weighing 6 pounds 14 ounces. She is an absolute blessing and a joy and is thoroughly adored by her older sisters, Jordan and Jaime. So far, Sydni's passion in life is smiling—especially if she catches your eye first!

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Brian and Carole Hoselton are thrilled to announce the arrival of their firstborn son Max Matthew. He was born on Sept. 6, 2006, via emergency c-section due to his breech positioning. He weighed 7 pounds 8 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. Max is full of smiles and coos and is a joy to us all! The Hoseltons attend the Columbia, Missouri, congregation.

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Jonathan and Kamie Stoner of the Dayton, Ohio, congregation are happy to announce the birth of their son, Jonathan Jaden, who arrived Aug. 10, 2006. He weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. Loving grandparents Larry and Joyce Stoner of the Dayton congregation and Ken and Kathy Treybig of the East Texas congregation are enjoying their new grandson.

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Weddings

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Osborne of Brandon, Mississippi, are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter Rebekah Ann Osborne to Brian Andrew Wilhelm, son of Jackie Wilhelm and the late Andrew Wilhelm of Denver, Colorado.

The two were united in a beautiful outdoor ceremony on July 9, 2006, in Brandon as family and friends gathered to celebrate the union. The ceremony was performed by Andy Burnett, minister in Louisiana and Mississippi. Anne Lucas served as matron of honor, Jessica Kimmons as bridesmaid and Alex Lupkin served as flower girl.

Jeff Wilhelm (groom's brother) served as best man. Chris Wilhelm (groom's brother) and Sam Hines (groom's brother-in-law) served as groomsmen. Bride's brother James Osborne served as the usher. Brian is a lieutenant with the Grand Lake, Colorado, fire department and wore his Class A uniform in the ceremony. The newlyweds now reside in Grand Lake and attend the Denver congregation.

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Adrienne Wills (daughter of Brett and Barbara Wills) and Terrance Hayes (son of Hubert and Barbara Hayes) were united in marriage March 11, 2006. The wedding was performed in Seattle, Washington, by Perry Miller, elder in the Spokane, Washington, congregation.

Terrance and Adrienne currently reside in Spokane and are awaiting the arrival of their first child, due Feb. 19, 2007.

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Jedd and Codi Cole, along with new sister and brother, Dakota and Hunter La Ravia, are pleased to announce the marriage of their parents, Laura Leah (Diaz) Cole to Dave La Ravia, on Sept. 17, 2006.

The wedding took place in Tucson, Arizona, at the home of Ellis and Gwen La Ravia, Dave's parents. Codi and Dakota stood up with Laura, and Jedd and Hunter stood up with Dave, making it truly a joining of not only husband and wife, but the joyful blending of two families into one.

Dave and Laura live in Tucson and attend the Tucson congregation of UCG, along with their children.

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Anniversaries

The East Texas brethren hosted a beautiful and elegant reception in honor of Jack and Anne Elliott's 60th wedding anniversary after services on Nov. 11, 2006. Guests enjoyed cake and punch, along with a wide variety of finger foods. A video chronicle of the Elliotts' married life was shown and the couple was presented with a framed botanical created by members Ann Wilson and Charlene McCrady.

Both Jack and Anne were born in Palestine, Texas. They met when they were home from summer college classes and were married Sept. 21, 1946. They returned to college, where Jack received his engineering degree three months later and began work with Gulf Oil as a petroleum engineer.

In December of 1946, Anne's mother asked Jack to read Herbert Armstrong's booklet on the United States in prophecy, promising him that she'd never ask him to read another booklet if he would read just that one. Jack and Anne read the booklet together and they were "hooked." They were baptized in April of 1949, and in June, Mr. Armstrong asked Jack to come to work for the college in Pasadena as mathematics instructor. They jumped at the chance and began a new life in the work of God.

The Elliotts kept their first Feast of Tabernacles in 1949 at Belknap Springs, Oregon. About 60 people attended, including the 12 students from the college. Jack was the only Church member on the faculty then besides Mr. Armstrong.

All sermons and Bible studies were given by Mr. Armstrong himself, as there were yet no other ministers.

Shortly after they arrived in Pasadena in August 1949, Jack began working as head of the Buildings and Grounds Department, along with his teaching duties. He also served as the first dean of students for 17 years. He wrote the Student Handbook and started the Ambassador Clubs. Later, the Spokesman Clubs were an offshoot of these, so that men of the Church could also get the valuable training in speaking on their feet to prepare them for greater leadership roles in the Church.

Jack served as director of the physical plant for 25 years, until the campus master plan was completed with the building of the Ambassador Auditorium. Mr. Armstrong then made him director of the Auditorium where he served until he retired in 1977.

Jack received his master of engineering degree from USC in 1952, and his master of theology from Ambassador College in 1958. He was ordained an elder in 1987. Anne received her bachelor of theology degree from Ambassador College in 1967, after which she worked as an architecture and engineering librarian for several years.

Upon retirement from the college in 1977, the Elliotts moved to Longview and Jack went into residential construction for seven years. Anne already had a real estate license in California , so she obtained her Texas license and in 1980 she became a real estate broker and started her own business. She retired in 2003.

Jack and Anne are blessed with three sons and daughters-in-law: Stephen and Linda, Mark and Glenda, and John and Merrie. They have seven grandchildren: Michael, John, RaeAnn, Cindy, Michelle, Daniel and Michael; and also four great-grandchildren.

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Lynn and Vada Hammel celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their brethren at combined services of the Denver, Colorado Springs and Loveland, Colorado, congregations on Dec. 9, 2006. Their actual wedding date is Dec. 23. They were presented with gifts of a book on Colorado from 1870 to 2000, a memory plaque and a cake.

Lynn was in the U.S. Navy when he married Vada. They met and were married at Lovewell, Kansas.

Lynn started studying Radio Church of God literature in 1959 while stationed in Hawaii. The Hammels moved to Pasadena, California, in 1960 to attend God's Church and be near the headquarters. Lynn was baptized in 1960 and Vada in 1962.

In 1963 they moved to Denver, Colorado, Lynn's home state. He is a carpenter and worked for Adams County School District 12 for 22 years before retiring in 2003. Vada worked as a bookkeeper for McDonald's before retiring.

The Hammels have four children, eight grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Lynn's hobby is teaching a wide variety of dances to family, friends, brethren and at adult education classes. Vada's hobby is playing volleyball. She plays on a senior league in Denver and has played at three Senior Olympics, Huntsman Senior Games and U.S. Open volleyball tournaments.

Lynn and Vada attend the Denver United Church of God congregation where Lynn is a deacon and Vada is a deaconess. They enjoy all the many activities with the brethren and love to travel.

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Obituaries

Annie Kruisk, a longtime member of the Church of God, died Oct. 27, 2006. She was born Dec. 5, 1904, in Lithuania and came to Canada at about age 8, leaving behind an older baby brother who had died in the flu epidemic. Another brother, John, was born in Lithuania. The family moved to the United States in August 1913. She was married to Curtis Quackenbush in 1924 with whom she had five children, Lucille, Helen, Bill, Betty and Elaine.

In 1948 she married the love of her life, Alfred Kruisk, with whom she had a daughter Marjorie (Peggy). Annie and Alfred farmed near Rock Lake, North Dakota. Alfred died in the late 1960s. Annie moved to Fargo , North Dakota after retiring.

She is survived by all six children, having outlived her parents, two brothers, two husbands and three grandchildren. She leaves 38 grandchildren, 68 great-grandchildren and 31 great-great-grandchildren.

Annie's dedication to God's Church was legendary in the Fargo area. Even though in later years it was very hard for her to attend services because of her failing health and effects of old age, she came whenever she could and even when she was in pain from severe arthritis.

It was fun to see the little kids flock around her at services as she always had a treat for them. She was Grandma Annie to so many, and she just loved kids. She was a very kind, giving person who will be remembered by many. A number of her family members, friends and members from various Church of God groups attended her memorial service conducted by pastor Herb Teitgen on Nov. 2.

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Earl LeRoy Travis, longtime member, died Nov. 19, 2006, after a lengthy battle with colon cancer.

Earl was born in Shawnee, Kansas, on Sept. 21, 1931. Earl and his two brothers grew up during the Great Depression. He and his family experienced some very rough times. He remembered his father searching the entire house for pennies so that he could buy milk for his children.

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Earl met his future wife, Yvonne Schmidt, during their grade school years in Shawnee. Their friendship grew. A year and a half following graduation from high school, Earl and Yvonne were married on Feb. 16, 1951. Their first child was a daughter named Ada, followed by two sons, Carter and Matthew.

Earl was anxious to advance his career. In 1956 he moved his family from Missouri to Houston, Texas, and took a job at the Lyondell Petrochemical Plant as a boiler operator.

In the early 1960s, Earl and Yvonne began listening to the World Tomorrow radio broadcast. They began attending services in the spring of 1964 and were baptized in July of that year.

Over the years Earl worked for several organizations in supervisory positions related to the operation of boilers. He retired in 1996.

Earl was a servant in the Church from the very start: taking attendance, setting up and taking down chairs, etc. If it needed to be done, you could count on Earl to do it. He was ordained a deacon by Dave Myers in 1995 and started giving sermonettes in 1997, speaking in the Houston South and Victoria, Texas, congregations.

Earl enjoyed good health for most of his life. However, in 2001, he was diagnosed with colon cancer, which later moved into the lungs in the form of tumors. Despite being weakened by chemotherapy, he continued to speak in Houston and Victoria. He was determined to attend the Feast of Tabernacles in Kerrville this year, where he and his wife supervised the information table as they have done for many years.

Shortly after the Feast, Earl's health deteriorated dramatically. He was hospitalized Nov. 7 and died Nov. 19. Ken Giese, pastor of the Houston South congregation, officiated at his funeral service in Katy, Texas, on Nov. 24.

Earl Travis is survived by his wife of 55 years, Yvonne; children Ada, Carter and Matthew; brother Raymond; 12 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. He was a dedicated member of the Body of Christ, a faithful husband, a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather, a brother and a friend. He will be missed and his memory cherished by those whose lives he touched and enriched.

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Carole J. McGhee, age 62, died peacefully on Sunday, July 30, 2006. She spent her last four days in hospice after a 24-year battle with cancer. One of many friends reminisced about Carole by writing, "She was a trooper, grace under pressure and a solid friend."

Carole began attending the Charleston, West Virginia, congregation and became a Church of God member in 1968. She was a single parent raising a young son when she was diagnosed with cancer in 1982. Over the years the miracle of Carole's life was clear to not only family and friends but medical professionals as well. She lived to raise her son, be blessed with a wonderful daughter-in-law and two beautiful granddaughters.

She is also survived by her stepmother, Shirley Cohoon; sisters, Joan (Ed) Damerow, Shelia (Bob) Heine and Christina (Jerry) Batterson; brothers, Michael, John and Joseph Cohoon; and several nieces and nephews. She was both a sister and a true friend to all the family.

Carole was preceded in death by a father, Jack C. Cohoon; mother, Marilyn Cohoon Evans; stepfather, Willard Clarence Evans; and a brother, Jack C. Cohoon.

She will be greatly missed by her Louisville, Kentucky, church family who were blessed to have her fellowship on the Sabbath until the last two Sabbaths of her life. There is great peace and comfort in knowing she is at rest awaiting the resurrection.

The McGhee family (Steve, Tina, Sydney and Victoria) would like to thank everyone for their expressions of love and sympathy.

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Lucille A. Sharp of Kingsport, Tennessee, died Oct. 29, 2006, at the age of 73. Lucille had suffered with kidney problems for many years. She was a lifelong resident of Kingsport and was a retired employee of the Sullivan County school system. Lucille and her husband, Don, began attending church in 1975 and were baptized in June of 1977. They have been active members of the United Church of God in Kingsport since 1996.

She is survived by her husband, Don; son, Terry; one sister; two brothers; and several nieces and nephews. Lucille was very friendly and outgoing and will be missed greatly. She enjoyed growing flowers and sewing. Don and Lucille were married for over 49 years and would have celebrated their 50th anniversary next March.

The funeral service was conducted on Nov. 6 by David Dobson, pastor of the Kingsport congregation. The chapel was filled with family, friends and Church members.

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Mary Virginia (Emory) Ragland, 86, died peacefully at her home on Oct. 18, 2006. She was born July 2, 1920, in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, the daughter of the late Walter and Margaret Emory.

Preceding her in death were her parents; a brother, John Robert, who died serving his country in World War II; and a grandson, Joshua Ragland.

She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Alvin Ray Ragland; a daughter, Rosemary Rosenberg, and family of Houston, Texas; two sons, John of Cable, Ohio, and Tom of Crossville, Tennessee; as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Ragland was a longtime member of the Church of God with her husband and son John and his wife, Mary Ann. They have attended the Dayton, Ohio, congregation since 1965. They started keeping the Sabbath and tithing on their own in 1958. Their first visit was by Mr. Young in 1965, and they were baptized in October of 1965.

Mrs. Ragland was an avid letter writer and kept in touch with many brethren throughout the United States. Many considered her a real "prayer warrior." Many friends can attest that her prayers were answered. When she was confronted with the fact that she had cancer, and that chemotherapy and radiation were the only ways she could be treated, she concluded that she and her husband had been blessed with a long and wonderful life together, and she chose to trust that God's will be done in her life and for all concerned.

She loved the people and served them. She enjoyed welcoming people as one of the church greeters. She was a beautiful person, wife, mother and friend. She had been through many hard times, but she never complained. She received phone calls, cards and letters from many who knew her. The love that everyone has expressed shows the great love that the people in God's Church have. Mr. Ragland is thankful for having so many loving and caring brothers and sisters in the Church. Many will miss Virginia Ragland.

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Vickie Lynn (Snowden) Crank died Sept. 30, 2006, at her home. Vickie was born March 6, 1953. She is survived by her husband of 35 years, Terry; two daughters, Jamie McNabb, 28, and Brittany, 10; two sisters, Valerie Wysong and Sue Dill; two brothers, Jay and Terry Snowden; and her mother, Charlene.

Vickie was baptized in 1975 and attended the Dayton, Ohio, congregation. She was a foster parent for 15 years and worked as an investigator for the Pebble County Juvenile Court until she contracted multiple sclerosis.

Vickie was a very caring person, wonderful wife and mother. God's way was a priority in her life as she was always considering other people's problems, helping them as she could. She looked forward to the time when God would heal her. In spite of her illness, she was determined to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. Many will remember her as a loving and caring person.

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Announcements: Members are welcome to submit announcements of the births, engagements, weddings, significant anniversaries (25, 40, 50, 60, etc.) and obituaries in their families. Please include a self-addressed envelope if you would like photos returned. Most items are 50 to 100 words and should not exceed 250 words. Please e-mail (preferred) or give them to your local pastor to forward to United News.