Kurt Jeri Story

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KKKuuurrrttt &&& JJJeeerrriii

F O R T Y Y E A R S O F

October 14, 1972 October 14, 2012


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FORTY YEARS OF KURT & JERI

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The Keller Family

The year was 1967.

It was October 28, 9:30 p.m. on

a Friday night, at the corner of

Brockway and Dupont inPalatine, Illinois. Kurt Keller

was driving his 62 Chevy home

from work at Jewel Foods and

saw Bill Cranes car stopped at

the top of the Big Hill. He

stopped to talk. Bill had a girl in

his car, but she wasnt sitting

next to him.Ah, another fish in

the sea.

Little did he know, this stop

would change his life forever.Kurt didnt even talk to her, just stared.I never was too

good a fisherman He went home and thought about

what a stoop he was for not talking to the girl butthat didnt stop him from dreaming about her that night.


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It happened the next time he was downtown. He wasdoing Shay Laps, a popular sport in town that involveddriving around the block, looking at your car in thestorefront windows, just a stylin and smiling.

Kurt talked to Jeri, trying to act cool. Eventually he gotup the courage to ask her if she would go out with himsometime. Smooth, Kurt, smooth. Finally, she said yes.

Kurt kept his eyes out for Jeri,hoping he would see her again.

Kurt went out of his way to run into Bill that next week.When he asked Bill about the girl in his car Friday night,Bill said it was his neighbor, Jeri Fritzsche. Shed had a

disagreement with her Dad and stormed out. When shesaw Bill, they went for a drive and bumped into along theway.


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Their first date was a trip to McDonalds.

The menu was 15-cent burgers, 19-centcheeseburgers, and 10-cent fries. Kurt had two

dollars. He told Jeri he wanted two burgers, fries,

and a shake, but the rest was for her.

I was always a little cheap.

They drove around, Jeri sitting tight up against

the passenger door, Kurt looking like the proudest

guy on the planet.

The next date, Kurt noticed Jeri moved off the doors

armrest, and actually sat a little a little closer to him.

Slow, slow. Watch your bobber. Fishermans talk.


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They did Shays Laps together, drive-in movies,

Jakes pizza, drag aces, the beach, miniature golf,

and bowling. They even went to Candle LightDinner Playhouse a few times and went to the

Grove for the nightly submarine races.

The next few months, theyhad the time of their lives.


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One day (that turned into a night), Kurt and Jeri alsowent on a boat ride with Bob Weseman. They put the

boat in at Algonquin and went for a two-hour cruise upthe river.

They were having a great time until the control cablefor steering the boat broke. By then it was dark andthey were far up the river. They were also up a creek,since they knew they were going to miss Jeris9:30 p.m. curfew!

All the way back, Kurt steered and Bobturned the motor. By the time they got to thecar, it was after 11 p.m. Jeri called her Maand explained what had happened. But JerisMa wasnt mad because they were with an

adult, Bob. Go figure


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Kurt didnt know Jeris real age.She told him she was 16, butshe was only 14. He was 17.


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It was during this time Kurts Ma pulled one of herclassic jokes on Jeri. They were at Kurts house,and his Ma was sorting wash on the kitchen tablewhile chatting with Kurt and Jeri.

Later, when Jeri walked into her house, her Manoticed a pair of Kurts underwear hanging out ofher coat pocket. Kurts Ma had put the underwear inthe pocket and not said anything, thinking it would

be a funny joke.

Funny, real funny.

Jeri had another wardrobeincident, but this time Kurts Mahad nothing to do with it. Jerireturned home from a date withKurt with her big bulky whitesweater on INSIDE OUT.

Again, her Ma noticed it. Jeritried to convince her she musthave left that way.

I dont think she believed it.

Kurts Ma was famousfor her jokes.


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They did Kurtsprom in 1968.


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They also took a train to Lake Geneva,Wisconsin, and went on a boat trip on the lake.

It was raining, and the dock was slippery.

Kurt said, Come on, run! Hurry up! and thenext thing he knew, Jeri had slipped on thedock, and was blaming Kurt for her ruinedwhite pants.

To this day, Jeri still says it was Kurts fault sheslipped.

I was only trying to keep us from getting wet in the

rain

When they returned to Lake Geneva several years later, Kurt wanted to get a tattoo. He didnt knowwhat to get, though. A snake? Maybe a dragon or a dagger?

The tattoo parlor, set above a seedy little bar, was really hot inside. Jeri didnt want to wait withKurt, so she left to look around town. When she returned, Kurts new tattoo was covered with apiece of paper towel folded up and Scotch-taped to his arm.

What did you get?! Jeri asked.

Kurt smiled. A picture of an apple pie with MOM under it.

Yeah, right.

On the drive home, Jeri asked again, and again, Kurt said the same thing. This time Jeris responsewas a little a little more vocal. She wasnt pleased.

Kurt had to keep the tattoo covered for several days. During this time the subject of his tattoo cameup several times. Jeri questioned Kurts masculinity, common sense, lineage, ability to make adecision, you name it.

The day finally came when Kurt could take off the paper towel, and Jeri was with him when it cameoff. There, in all its glory, was a rose with JERI written under it. She was happy.

And, yes its still there.


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His best friend, Jim Weseman, was home onleave from the Navy and told Kurt about a Navyreserve program. Jim went with Kurt to therecruiter at NAS Glenview. It sounded good toKurt, so he signed up, and left for boot campseven days later. He got drafted while in bootcampbut thats another story.

Kurt went to work at Western Electric, and Jerigot into Diversified Occupations at school. Shegot a job as a helper in a small picture frame

store in Palatine, having no idea this part-timejob would play a very important part of theirfuture.

Kurt was number 23 on theVietnam draft lottery list.


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After going out forfive years and beingengaged less than ayear, Kurt and Jerigot married onOctober 14, 1972.


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They were married in Jerischurch, Christ LutheranChurch. Kurts church wouldntallow the song The First TimeEver I Saw Your Face byRoberta Flack to be played inthe service. Jeris church did.

They had a friend perform inthe service both The FirstTime Ever I Saw Your Face

and The Wedding Song byPaul Stookey.


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Friends and relatives from all over the country attended the wedding. All the Weseman and Betkefamilies were there. They also had celebrities: Ray Rayner and Cooky the Clown of Bozos Circus fame.No, Chelveston the Duck didnt show. Check out the sideburns and how young everybody looks.


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Home Sweet Home

They moved up to a double wide in a nice park a yearor two later. Then they bought a house in Palatine.

They both had good paying jobs, so they did sometraveling. They saw Costa Rica, Hawaii, Washington,D.C., Key West, and Niagara Falls. Slowly I turn


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Work, work, work.Dream, dream, dream

For eleven years, the Kellers talked aboutsomeday having a business of their own. Theylooked at a resort in northern Wisconsin, withcabin rentals and boats, but it was tooexpensive.

The next idea was to take over a small Ma andPa tavern in Wisconsin for an owner who wasretiring. This one was definitely a moneymaker.But Kurt and Jeri found out about a rumoredhighway bypass, which put a crushing stop to

their dream of becoming tavern owners. (Therumored bypass did happen, and the area isnow a ghost town.)

A clear picture of their dream was emerging:to have their own business in Wisconsin.

Jeris boss at the frame shop got their wheelsturning: Jeri knew the frame business and hada great working relationship with the majorsuppliers in the framing industry. Go for it, hesaid. So they did.

They quit their jobs, sold their house inPalatine, and bought a house in Wausau,Wisconsin. They loaded one U-Haul and four

pick-up trucks with everything they owned andheaded north on Memorial Day, 1981.

What a weekend.

Kurt spent the next two months driving backand forth weekly to Palatine to finish a projecthe was working on. Jeri set up the household,and looked for a storefront to rent.


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One month after finding and renting a storefront,the Kellers opened Wausau Art & Framing.

It was a scary time. They didnt know anybodyin town, they were 300 miles from home, hadno income, and no business.

They bought their house on a land contractwith a very unforgiving payment schedule: onemissed payment meant forfeiture.

The first two yearswere tough.

Just the two of them kept the shop open sevendays a week, which meant 60-hour work weeks

for two years straight.

We were young, didnt even think about it notworking.

Things started picking up after a while. Theyhired their first part-time employee, whichenabled them to get away for a day or two at atime.


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At that time, Kurt and Jeri only had their company truck. Itwas nice, but lettered up for the shop not something toimpress old friends.

One of their customers owned the local Mercedes-Benzdealership and let the Kellers take a new Mercedes demo to

Palatine for the reunion.

What an entrance! The reunion was held at Palatine CountryClub. Kurt pulled the Mercedes up to the valet just as one ofthe big-shot quarterbacks was walking in. Kurt had never hungwith the sports guys cars and bikes didnt mix well withsports activities and when Kurt and Jeri got out of the fancycar, the look on the jocks face was priceless.

The next night, a lot of the people whod attended the reunion

went to the old pizza place, Jakes. Again, the Kellers pulledup in the impressive Mercedes. When they left, several people walked out with them to say goodbye.

Great, theyll see us in getting in the car!But somehow, Kurt set off the alarm. Headlights flashed. The car

horn bellowed. And they didnt know how to shut if off!

They searched for the manual for several minutes, and finally got the alarm off. They left with red faces.

I guess we got repaid for trying to be something we werent.

They went to Kurts 20thclass reunion.


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Happy Campers

Kurt and Jeri started camping at Maple ViewResort in Eagle River, Wisconsin. They campedwith a tent for a year or so, and then made the bigmove to a pop-up.

The pop-up was like a mansion. Sink, water, bed noheater or refrigerator, but still better than a tent. Theyused the pop-up for a long time, even late in the seasonwhen it was snowing.

One night while sitting at the campground bar, theKellers met a guy looking to make a move from atent to a pop-up. After a few gallons of Miller Lite,Kurt and Jeri made another rational decision. Theysold the pop-up to the guy and bought a 29-foot traveltrailer from the Osieckis, the campground owners.

They took up snowmobiling, and found themselvesentangled in more than one misadventure, includingThe St. Valentines Day Massacre Snowmobile Ridewhich turned out to be as treacherous as it sounded.


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The business flourished.The timing of their business venture was

great. Over time, the small storefront run byjust Kurt and Jeri grew to four storefrontsrun by a staff of nine full-time employees inaddition to the Kellers.

We were truly blessed over the years


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Then came that fatefulday in October 1989.

It was a Friday night, and twoemployees had called in sick (again),meaning Kurt and Jeri had to put in a12-hour day (again.) Kurt was furious.

Since they wouldnt be going homeuntil 9 p.m., Kurt left to make a bank

deposit and pick up some dinner.

He must have looked mad while makingthe deposit, because the bank managercame out of his office to ask Kurt whatwas wrong.

Maybe the steam coming out my ears gave itaway

Kurt didnt say anything about people

calling in sick, just said, You knowChuck, I think Im ready to get out ofthe framing business.

They exchanged some small talk, andKurt returned to work. A half hour laterthe banker called and said he wanted totalk to Kurt the next week.

When they met, the banker told Kurt hewas getting demoted after twenty-five

years with bank due to a buyout. Hewas also ready for a change and wasinterested in buying the Kellers frame

business.

It took four months, but they werefinally able to come up with anagreeable deal for all involved.


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For the second time inKurt and Jeris married life,they were unemployed. What would two rational

people do in this position?Buy two Harleys and ride.


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They rode to Sturgis, South Dakota andsurrounding states. One trip, just as they

made the last exit to Sturgis, Jeri hit aduck at 70 mph. The duck hit the crash

bar on her bike and disintegrated. Theypulled over, and Kurt asked if she wasalright. She said she was fine, but Kurtalmost started to laugh Jeris face and

jacket were covered in duck guts. Thatnight at the VFW bar, they told everyoneabout the duck. Everyone laughed andcalled her the Duck Lady. They stoppedat the same bar for the next three years,

and every time, they still called her DuckLady.

Once while riding through Glacier NationalPark, the temperature reached 107 degrees.It was so hot bikes were falling over,

because their the kick stands were sinkingin the blacktop. Kurt and Jeri rode by a biglawn that was being watered with asprinkler system, so they pulled over to cool

off. We walked under that sprinkler and boy didit feel good!They stayed under the water for

a while having a grand old time, Kurt evenpretending to take a shower. Jeri started tolook concerned and said, Lets go. Now.Kurt realized they were being watched by acast of hundreds. People were sitting therehaving lunch, laughing at the Kurt and Jeri.It turned out the Kellers were frolicking onthe front lawn of a fancy country club.

And ride they did.They toured 13 states and

part of Canada over30,000 miles in 18 months.


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They made several trips to Thunder Bay,

Ontario, and got to see moose and bearscrossing the road. One trip, Kurt wantedto take a different route up, which meantthey had to pass the normal highwaynorth, go 75 miles further, then hit thenew scenic road. It was a two-lane

blacktop that kept getting narrower. Nocars, no people, no houses. Nothing,nothing but nothing, for miles and miles.They were 200 miles into Canadaswilderness and forest when the road

turned to two-lane gravel. According toKurts map, that was not supposed tohappen. Thunder Bay was still a longway off. They finally made it, after 125miles of gravel road. Jeri was notimpressed with Kurts choice of roads.They took the highway back.

On the Road


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They also rode to Kansas City. When they left,the temperature was 48 degrees and overcast,

but it soon turned into drizzle, then chilly rain.Theyd planned to make it to Des Moines,Iowa, but the cold rain was too much. After just

250 miles they stopped at a motel. There we are,soaking wet, standing in puddles of water wed made,

asking for a room. When the clerk requested

some information, Jeri was so cold she couldhardly talk. When she tried to sign the roomticket, her hands wouldnt work. After theywere in their room about twenty minutes thephone rang. It was the front desk, checking tomake sure the Kellers were okay.


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One trip Jeri couldnt go, so whenever hestopped for a beverage, Kurt saved a seat forher. She didnt think it was funny.


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They got their kickson Route 66.

It was the first day of May and

Wisconsin was still covered in snowwhen Kurt and Jeri packed their pop-up and headed for the road trip of alifetime: Route 66. Ever since highschool, Kurt had been fascinated byThe Mother Road. Hed read many

books on its history and studied thepoints of interest along the road.

They drove from Chicago to Needles, California.

They saw many sights along the way: The CadillacRanch, Painted Desert, Petrified Forest.


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They also got to stop at Joe and Aggies Cafe. Kurthad read a lot about this place before leaving,including their famous for their homemade tamales.

The waitress spilled an ice tea on Kurt.

Jeri was not easily impressed. TheGrand Canyon? A big hole in theground. The Hoover Dam?Whats so great?

Soon they were standing on a corner inWinslow, Arizona, just like the Eagles song.

They even got to see the girl in the flatbed Ford.


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In Arizona, they saw donkeys in Oatman

and aliens in Roswell.

Had to get my boarding pass stamped...


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They took their bikes overto Albert Lee, Minnesotafor a Spam Festival atHormel Foods. Spameverything! Tacos, pizza, icecream, burgers, all made ofSpam.

They also stayed in Sedona afew nights. Of all thats there-- the cactus, red rockformations, flowers and

beautiful scenery -- the onething Kurt distinctlyremembered was the cost ofcut-up chicken at the

grocery store.

In Las Vegas, they saw thelights of The Strip and 427Cobras at Carroll Shelbys

famous auto shop.

Eight bucks for a cut-up chicken -- and that was twenty years ago! Was always a little cheap

In Canon City, Colorado, Kurt and Jeri got a bad scare. They stopped for the day and set up theirtrailer. Soon the wind started to pick up; dust and tumble weeds swirled all around. Kurt went tothe office and asked if there were any storms coming. The guy said, Nah, dont worry, its alwayswindy here! When Kurt went back to reassure Jeri, the whole trailer was rocking. The wind grewstronger and stronger until it blew the trailers canvas sides in on them, ripping from their tracks.Kurt and the dog Harry were outside trying to fix the canvas when a sudden gust sent a massivetree crashing down next to them. The tree was so huge two people could not put their arms aroundit. They decided to stay in a cabin that night.


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Their old friends from Palatine, Jim and Rhonda Weseman, had called to say there were ina camper headed from Florida to northern Michigan to visit Rhondas brother Bob. Theydlooked up the Kellers on the computer and wanted to stop by since Wausau was on theirway. Theyd even found the Kellers house, but Kurt and Jeri missed them since they wereat Spam Fest. When Kurt got the message, he called their cell phone and arranged for Jimand Rhonda to stop in Wausau on their trip back down south.

They hadnt seen each other in fifteen or twenty years. When Jim got out of the camper, thefirst thing Kurt said was, You look just like your Dad!

Jeri even let Jim take her bike out for a ride. Nobody ever rode her bike, not even Kurt!

They had a great visit the pasttwenty years just disappeared.

When they got home to Wausau, they had a phone messagethat would mark the start of another life-changing adventure.


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They started planning their next trip in their brand-new shinyred Beetle. What a road trip that was... The St. Louis Arch,

Mickey Gilley in Branson, Missouri, South Beach in Miami,and Hogs Breath in Key West.

Didnt get to see Jimmy Buffett, though.

They also stopped in Jacksonville, Florida to see Jim and Rhonda. They got to I-295 and BlandingBlvd. in Orange Park and couldnt believe how much traffic there was. Back up north, the countythey lived in had more cows than people. They didnt have a rush hour, more like rush minute.

The four of them talked and talked again. Bob Weseman joined them for dinner at the famousWhiteys Fish Camp before they headed out again. Kurt and Jeri had to be in Memphis the nextnight to see B.B. King at his bar on Beale Street. They made it, he didnt.

No Jimmy Buffet, no B.B. King


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On their next trip north, Jim and Rhondastopped by Wausau again. They parked theircamper in Kurt and Jeris driveway and spentseveral days visiting. Kurt even got a new VRod from the Harley dealer to use for a fewdays. Kurt rode the V Rod, and Jim tookKurts bike. They went up to Park Falls to awell-known cement State Park and stopped

in a little tiny town for a brat cookout.

North and South

On the Kellers next trip south, Kurt traileredhis bike down. They stayed with Jim andRhonda in their house for two or three weeks.


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For Jim and Rhondas next trip north,they parked their camper in the drivewayagain, but this time Kurt got a new Road

King loaner for a few days. He and Jimwent for a big circle ride through NicoletForest. It was so cold, Kurt actually gotJim to stop at an Indian Casino to warmup.

They visited Kurts Ma, who was livingabout 100 miles away at that point. Thatnight, they went to a church picnic.

Church picnics in Wisconsinwere a little different from theones down south.

The picnic was held under a large tent, with aPolka band playing at one end, a country-rock

band at the other end, and a beer garden in themiddle. They had brats, beer, and even a CakeWalk, where Jim and Rhonda won a cake!

When Jim and Rhonda left for her brother Bobs house in Michigan, Kurt and Jeri followed them toTomahawk, Wisconsin, and they all camped together for a few days. They saw eagles flying and hadlots of rain. The Kellers also taught the Wesemans a Wisconsin traditionfolding up a dollar bill,putting a thumb tack through it, then slinging it up to try to stick in the ceiling of a bar.


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The next trip Kurt and Jeri took to Florida turned out to be their most memorable in years.Theyd trailered the bike to Jim and Rhondas, and ridden it down from Jacksonville to KeyWest. On the ride back up, they got hammered by freezing cold rain. They rode straightthrough, from Key West to Jacksonville almost 600 miles in 48-degree rain. Theylooked like frozen drowned rats when they got to Jim and Rhondas.

The fire in the wood burner sure felt good.

This time when returningnorth, the Kellers left thetrailer and bike down in

Florida. They werecoming back.


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Kurt and Jeri wanted to come back toFlorida, but they were worried theydpushed Jim and Rhondas hospitalityto the brink. Staying in their houseweeks at a time seemed like too muchof an imposition.

The solution was to set up a smalltravel trailer in Jim and Rhondas backyard, so the Kellers had a place to staywhile they were visiting. Rhondafound a trailer for sale in Kilowatt, butit didnt turn out to be so small itwas a 32 fifth wheel.

But it worked. They set it up theWesemans back yard, and the Kellershad a home away from home.


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Over the years, Kurtand Jeri got to knowthe whole Weseman

family and becomepart of their crazy clan.

Kurt helped Jim on aircraft inspections. He rode toDaytona with James, a young Garrett bungeed onto the back of his bike. They met Lisa, the airlinestewardess, and Kurt sang Ive Got You, Babe atkaraoke night at the local Mexican restaurant.They met Lori, and later, her husband Rob, whothey scared with stories of meeting space aliens in

Roswell. Kurt got to know Dan when he rode withhim to Palatka to get a part for his airplane from aJohn Deer dealer.

Kurt also helped out Bob and Jims mother, Mrs.Weseman, with things around the house, likefixing the roof. While sanding and varnishing Mrs.Wesemans front door, he learned her favoriteNASCAR driver was Jeff Gordon. Kurt didnt likehim, but never let on. They even got her a little car#24 filled with M&Ms.


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They sold their house in Wisconsin, and bought thehouse next door to Jim and Rhonda. It had beenMrs. Wesemans home, the same one Kurt hadhelped take care of over the past few years.

Kurt and Jeri decided tomake Florida home.


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Contentment.


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Or as Paul Harvey says,You know the rest of the story.


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Tabatha

Henry

Cholak


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Harry

Bubba

Over the years,Kurt and Jeri sharedtheir lives with theirbeloved pets.


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Congratulations on forty years of marriage!

The adventurecontinues


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Kurt Jeri Story

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