Friday, April 6, 2012

Tribute to Joann

Joann Mary Gariety Shipley, 67, a Fairfax County public school educator who retired in 2001 as the librarian of Franconia Elementary School in Alexandria died April 5, 2012 at her residence in Haymarket, Virginia. She had acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Joann Gariety Shipley was born June 5, 1944, and raised on a farm near Russia, Ohio. She was a 1962 graduate of Russia Public School and a 1966 graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a degree in elementary education. She did graduate studies in library science at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. After graduation in 1966, she began her teaching career at Huffman Elementary School in Dayton, Ohio. From 1968 until 1974 she taught for the Department of Defense Overseas School System spending two years teaching first grade on Okinawa at Sukiran Elementary and four years in Germany at Frankfurt Elementary No. 1. While teaching in Frankfurt, she met and married her husband, Jack Shipley, in April 1974.

After returning to the States in 1974, she resided in Sierra Vista, Arizona, where she was the school librarian at Carmichael Elementary. In 1979 she moved to Virginia and was a housewife and mother to her two daughters until she accepted a position in 1984 at George Mason University’s Fenwick library. She became the school librarian at Franconia Elementary in 1987. After retiring in 2001 she moved to the Piedmont community in Haymarket, VA, where she pursued her three passions—traveling, gardening and reading.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Leo A. and Theresa (Dapore) Gariety, and two brothers, Paul and Harold Gariety.

She is survived by her husband of the home; her daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Terry Karras of Haymarket; and her daughter Jeanine and son-in-law Dave Smith of Woodbridge; her grandson, Jack Karras of Haymarket; a brother, Carl Gariety and his wife Esther Gariety of Russia, Ohio; a sister, Mary Ellen Thobe and her husband Jerry Thobe of Tipp City, Ohio; a sister-in-law, Iona Gariety of Versailles, Ohio; and many nephews and nieces and a host of loving friends.

Visitation will be at the Baker-Post Funeral Home, 10001 Nokesville Road, Manassas, VA, on April 9 from 6-8 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 8213 Linton Hall Road, Gainesville, VA, on Tuesday, April 10 at 10:30 am. Joann’s ashes will be placed in the columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. Joann requested that donations be made to the Holy Trinity Catholic Church building fund in lieu of flowers.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday

Mardi Gras = Fat Tuesday Before Lent

Jeanine's Birthday - March 4'th

Jeanine's Birthday - March 4

Jeanine's Engagement Ring

Jeanine's Engagement Ring
So Pretty!

Italian Cruise Ships

Italian Cruise Ships

In January of 2009 Jack and I sailed on an Italian cruise ship to the western carribean to visit the following places: Key West, Cozumel, Jamaica, The Bahamas and Grand Bahamas. Since it was winter the majority of passengers of this ship were Europeans escaping the cold temps in Europe for a week. The name of our ship was The Costa Fortuna which was the sister ship to The Costa Concordia that was shipwrecked of the coast of Italy. We enjoyed our cruise but now I don 't think we would take another Costa Cruise. Especially since the recent news that The Costa Allegra ran a ground off the coast of east Africa where there are pirates attacking ships from the coast of Somalia.

What I remember and like so well about this cruise was that a Catholic priest was assigned to the ship and every morning there was the announcement that the priest would be saying mass in the very small but very pretty Catholic chapel aboard the ship.

To learn more about our cruise and the Catholic chapel go to the right and click on the topic 2009
Carribean Cruise. You will see photos of the ship and the chapel.

Monday, March 5, 2012

The February Book Club Meeting

The February Book Club Meeting

Go to my other blog to learn more about this strange horror story that reads like a Stephen King horror book.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Our Scottish Heather Is Blooming Now

Our Scottish Heather Is Blooming Now

First Week of Lent and Gilligans Island TV Show

First Week of Lent and Gilligans Island TV Show

Remember this old TV show. The main characters represent the seven deadly sins.
The Captain was wrath (anger)

Thurston Howell, the millionaire,. was greed.

Ginger was lust.

Mary Ann who envied Ginger was envy.

Gilligan was sloth (laziness).

The professor was Pride.

And supposedly Gilligans Island was hell where they landed after they got shipwrecked.

Mrs. Howell the millionaire's wife was gluttony.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

News Flash: Former Franconia Students

News Flash: Former Franconia Students
I learn from Diana Mistretta, a sixth grade teacher when I was there about some former Franconia students. Charles Watson who was in Diana's class is now a NBA ref and Kathy Whigham is a pediatrician at the Dewitt Army Hospital in Fort Belvoir. Wow. Time goes by quickly when you learn your former students are professional workers.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Kara Lawson

Kara Lawson
Jack and I watched Kara Lawson play many basketball games for West Springfield High here in northern Virginia. We noticed this week that she is now a half time announcer for ESPN sports network. Way to go Kara Lawson!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Ash Wednesday is Here

Ash Wednesday is Here
Get Your Ashes

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday
Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, arrived with lots if cold and rain in Northern Virginia. Here's a pic of Jack standing beside our new 2011 Buick La Crosse. He and I enjoy the heated seats and he loves his heated steering wheel on these cold days.

Water Bugs and Dragonflies

Water Bugs and Dragonflies
I want to thank my niece Deb Wirrig for sending me this children's book explaining death to little folks. My home nurse liked it so much she wants to get a copy for her home care work.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Letter to Washington Post

Letter to Washington Post
I agree with the writer who worries that the Susan G. Komen campaign for breast cancer awareness has turned all cancers to pink. That is not true. I have leukemia which is a lymphoma.
The color for leukemia is lime green and the month designated for leukemia is September.