ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Births
• Engagements
• Weddings
• Obituaries

Births

Nick and Amanda Bratnick of the Charlotte, North Carolina, congregation are happy to announce the birth of their son, Carter Nicholas Bratnick. Carter was born May 12, 2008. He weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 inches long. The proud grandparents are Nick and Sylvia Bratnick and Ralph and Susan Johnston. God has blessed our family with a very healthy and happy little boy.

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Marty and Nicole (Peter) Henderson of the Redlands, California, congregation are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Megan Marie Henderson. Megan was born on Sept. 5, 2007. She weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce and measured 19½ inches long. She is Marty and Nicole's first child. Megan is also the first grandchild for doting grandparents Manfred and Rosmarie Peter, who attend the Redlands congregation, and Hal and Linda Henderson, who attend the Cleveland, Ohio, congregation. Andrew, Alex, Amanda and Sarah Henderson adore Megan and are excited to be uncles and aunts.

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Scott and Beverly (Floyd) Smith of the Orlando, Florida, congregation are proud to announce their second daughter, Sidney Nicole Smith. Sidney was born on June 10, 2008, and she weighed 8 pounds 8 ounces. Sidney's older sister, Brooke Elizabeth Smith, who will be 3 on Dec. 28, is very excited to have a new sister.

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Rachael Gunderson, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, would like to announce the birth of her son, Harley Andrew Gunderson, born on April 20, 2008. Harley weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and measured 21½ inches. He is growing strong.

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Austin and Sonja Wildt of the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, congregation are happy to announce the birth of their first child, Kellen Boone Wildt. Kellen was born July 24, 2007. Kellen weighed 9 pounds 1 ounce and was 21.5 inches long. This is the first grandchild of Robin and Nancy Kireilis (Lubbock, Texas, congregation) and Kenneth and Sherrie Wildt (Cincinnati, Ohio, congregation).

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Shannon "Scott" and Heidi (Topash) Greer of the Fort Myers, Florida, congregation are thrilled to announce the birth of their second child, Connor Scott. Connor was born May 16, 2008. He weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and was 20½ inches long. Welcoming Connor is big sister Quinn; great-grandmothers Erma Keith of Spokane, Washington, and Fannie Mae Hochstetler of Schoolcraft, Michigan; and grandparents Dean and Carole Greer of Spokane and Paul and Dorothy Topash of Wesley Chapel, Florida.

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Malcolm and Cassidi Murray joyfully announce the birth of their sixth child, Gabrielle Elizabeth Murray. She was born on the 4th of July, weighing in at 8 pounds 6 ounces. She joins her siblings Michael (9), Samantha (7), Wyatt (6), Malcolm (4) and Griffin (2). Samantha is especially pleased to have a sister, having only brothers until now! Grandparents are Malcolm and Francie Murray and Chris and Andi Chapman. All attend the Flint, Michigan, congregation.

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Engagement

Wendy Jacobs, daughter of Bill and Elaine Jacobs of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Cody Sikes, son of Connie and Sherri Sikes of Purcell, Oklahoma, are thrilled to announce their engagement. A September 2008 wedding is planned in Seattle.

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Weddings

Larry and Bonnie Greider of the Los Angeles, California, congregation are thrilled to announce the marriage of their daughter, Karie, to Dan Wohlgemuth, son of Craig and Gloria Wohlgemuth of the Portland, Oregon, congregation. The wedding took place near sunset on the western coast of beautiful Costa Rica on May 24, 2008. Larry Greider, father of the bride, performed the ceremony. The happy couple currently resides in Vancouver, Washington.

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Obituaries

Steven Jay Bergstrom, 57, of the Chicago, Illinois, congregation, died July 5, 2008, at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Illinois. Steve was born on April 14, 1951, in Moline, Illinois, to Donald Paul and Margaret Shirley Bergstrom. He married Patricia Eagleson on Jan. 16, 1983, in Moline. Steve graduated from USC with a bachelor's of science in physician's assistant medicine. He was employed for the last four years as a physician's assistant with Mercy Health Systems.

Steve had many interests including music, tinkering with electronics and cars, studying his Bible and target practicing. His love for life left him with no limit to his interests. Steve was a member of AAPA, CAPA and NRA and enjoyed spending time with his family.

Steve is survived by his wife; two daughters, Rebecca and Tammy; mother, Shirley Bergstrom; siblings, Thomas Bergstrom (wife, Lynn), James Bergstrom (wife, Arlene) and Susan Warner; and several nieces and nephews. Steve was preceded in death by his father.

Steve was baptized in 1974 and worked for 12 years for the Television Department of the Worldwide Church of God in Pasadena, California. Steve always said this was the best job he ever had.

Memorial services were held on July 12, 2008, in Moline, Illinois. Brian Shaw, an elder in Chicago, conducted the funeral. An obituary can still be seen at esterdahlmortuary.com.

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Stanley Norton, longtime member and deacon in the Garden Grove, California, congregation, died July 15, 2008, just two months shy of his 90th birthday.

He was born Sept. 26, 1918, in Kansas, from a farming family, and as an adult he farmed and worked in various construction jobs. He met and married his beloved wife Verna in 1940. They soon had four children, three boys and a girl, and enjoyed working as a family unit on the farm in Kansas.

In 1952 he and his wife came in contact with the Church, and were baptized in 1954. In 1960 the family moved to Huntington Beach in Southern California, and Stanley began work for the city of Huntington Beach until 1985 when he retired. He operated various types of equipment and supervised street maintenance crews, greatly enjoying working with the men and with the public.

In 1972 Stanley was ordained a deacon in the Santa Ana congregation (now Garden Grove) of the Worldwide Church of God and faithfully served the brethren in this responsibility for decades.

Stanley is survived by his wife Verna, three children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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Beverly Savoy died at her residence in Metairie, Louisiana, on July 21, 2008, at the age of 73. Beverly is survived by her husband (Earl), two children (Sterling and Sheila), one grandchild and four great-grandchildren.

She retired after working 23 years in the food service department at St. Martin's Episcopal School, where she was greatly loved by kids and fellow workers alike. She attended the New Orleans, Louisiana, UCG congregation along with her daughter Sheila.

She was known for being a kind, gentle and stable influence in others' lives. Beverly loved talking about God and His plan for mankind.

She had been diagnosed with cancer only recently, had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous cyst in her abdomen and was preparing to receive chemotherapy at the end of July. Sheila stated that Beverly felt and prayed that God would heal her so she wouldn't have to go through the chemo treatments. Sheila reflected on how God did answer Beverly 's prayer.

The funeral was conducted by Andy Burnett, pastor of New Orleans and Laurel, Mississippi, congregations.

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Huddelia (Fritzie) Stutzman, 98, of Dilworth, Minnesota, died May 30, 2008, at the Golden Living Center Nursing Home. She was born Oct. 2, 1909, between Kulm and Gackle, North Dakota. She had a sister Albie and a brother, Oscar. Her sister Anna died at age 4.

She lived her early years on a farm and later lived in Kulm and Jamestown, North Dakota. She was voted the most popular girl in Kulm in her younger years. She worked as a nanny when she was 10. She also worked at a creamery, a retail store, a post office, an ice cream parlor and a drug store in her early days. She attended Dakota Business College in the 1950s and worked for American State Bank in the bookkeeping department for several years.

She married Paul Stutzman on May 9, 1938. They lived in Jamestown and Dilworth. They built two houses, one of which she lived in up to the time of her death. She worked in helping to construct the house and even troweled the basement concrete floor. She was an enthusiastic and avid gardener and raised wonderful vegetables and flowers. She and Paul had a cottage at one time, and they did a lot of fishing and hunting together. She and Paul always cut up their deer themselves each year after hunting.

Fritzie was an accomplished dressmaker and sewed for herself and made very beautiful jackets for Paul. She also knitted scarves and mittens and other things. She was a very happy person and had a beautiful smile and loved to talk and visit. She liked to read and was knowledgeable about many things. She had an extensive library. She liked music and liked to sing.

She became a member of the Church of God in the 1960s. She attended several Church of God organizations and attended the UCG Fargo, North Dakota, congregation the past several years. She loved to read the Scriptures and put her trust in God's promises. She will be missed by all of us. She had no children and has no surviving family members.

Funeral services were held in Moorhead, Minnesota, on June 4 with pastor Herb Teitgen officiating.

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James (Jim) Rickard, 66, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, died on March 22, 2008. He had been a longtime Church member and had listened to Mr. Armstrong on the radio for many years prior to being baptized in 1970. He joined with UCG in 1996. He had been an accountant with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee and an amateur ham radio operator for well over 40 years.

He is survived by his wife, Jean, of 45 years; a daughter, Sherry, of Chattanooga; son and daughter-in-law, Tim and Michelle, of Fort Worth, Texas; son Mark of Athens, Tennessee; two grandsons, Reno and Shane Haney, of Chattanooga; a granddaughter and grandson, Alexia and Timothy Rickard, of Fort Worth; and his mother, Ethel Rickard, of Madisonville, Kentucky. He is very much loved and missed by his family and friends.

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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.