Alumniweds Stories

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Joanna Carson Benne '59 + Robert Benne '59

Anniversary Date: August 29, 1959

Love Story: We met at Midland College as freshmen in 1955 because both of us wanted to go to our closest Lutheran college. In our sophomore year, my roommate told me that I should date that Joanna Carson because she is cute and she likes you. So I did and we went together to a fraternity/sorority ball in the fall of 1956 and that was it. In those days courtship was clearly delineated so we "went steady" in our sophomore year, were "pinned" in our junior year, engaged in our senior year, and married the...Read more

Sherolyn House Bishop '69 + Vaughn Bishop '69

Anniversary Date: January 4, 1969

Love Story: I had attended Midland from Sept. 1962 through May of 1964. I then put in a couple of years in the Navy and returned to Midland in January of 1967 and met Sherry House in the fall of 1967. Our first date was Homecoming that fall. We continued to date and we became engaged in North Platte, NE on July 25, 1968, Sherry’s birthday. We were married January 4, 1969 in North Platte during our semester break and during one of the snowiest winters ever. We didn’t think many of our attendants and...Read more

Marci Bauman-Bork '79 + Larry Bork '78

Anniversary Date: July 3, 1982

Love Story: Marci and I met during her first week on campus in 1975. We started dating in October of that same year. We have been together, with the exception of one week (where I lost my mind) during the spring semester of 1976, for more than 41 years.Read more

Mary Spath Crabtree '67 + Richard Crabtree '67

Anniversary Date: January 20, 1967

Love Story: Mary and I met at Midland in January, 1964, when she enrolled second semester. I actually saw her for the first time in the Commons one evening and asked her out the following day. We have been together ever since. She came to the United States from Argentina where her parents were Lutheran missionaries for some 25 years. The following year, her parents moved to the Nebraska. Her father, Rev. Lavon Spath, taught one year at Midland before moving to New Jersey and working for the Lutheran...Read more

Kara Danforth Kopke '08 + John Danforth '08

Anniversary: April 18, 2009

Love Story: We met on Kara's first day at Midland. We started dating about 3 weeks later and have been together ever since. We married at Sinai Lutheran Church. It has been over 11 years since we first met and started dating and we are happier than ever. We now have a darling family....Read more

Carmen Ohm Dau ’66 + Dennis Dau ‘66

Anniversary Date: September 4, 1965

Love Story: My high school sweetheart and I have known each other since the age of 3 when we attended Sunday School together even though Denny didn't live in Elkhorn, my home town. He attended a country school near Bennington and by 3rd grade he and his family had moved to Elkhorn, about three blocks from my home. Our school was much smaller then, and we were in the same grades with the same teachers all through high school and graduation. Already at a very young age, he caught my eye, and we dated...Read more

Desireé Davis Dawson ’14 + Kyle Dawson ‘15

Anniversary Date: June 6, 2015

Love Story: A mutual friend and teammate of Desireé introduced Desireé and Kyle. Kyle quickly asked Desireé on a date soon after meeting and the two began dating a couple weeks after their first date. After about a year of dating, Kyle proposed to Desireé; she said YES! The two planned their wedding for the summer after Kyle graduated. Desireé and Kyle will be celebrating their second wedding anniversary this coming June.Read more

Sara Paseka Ellis '09 + Brock Ellis '10

Anniversary Date: August 14, 2010

Love Story: We met in 2006 during the theater production of "Mother Courage and Her Children." She had the uncanny ability to burp on command which I found delightfully attractive. Our first un-official date happened during a C.A.B Free Movie Night where we went to see Borat. (I swear, we're much classier people that our origin story leads you to believe we are.) We dated for two years and enjoyed lots of late night library studying, theater rehearsals, and ping-pong games before Brock decided to pop the...Read more

Gertrude Bickel Fegley '43 + Warren Fegley '43

Anniversary Date: April 28, 1943
In loving memory of Warren Fegley (1922-2015)

Love Story: I had planned to attend St. Olaf College to study music with the great director F. Melius Christiansen. However, farm work delayed my family's trip to Minnesota to visit and complete all the needed entrance paperwork. Openings for the freshman class at St. Olaf quickly filled, so I decided to attend Midland for one year and then transfer to St. Olaf. Warren had decided to attend Wayne State College since his parents had attended there....Read more

Molly Koneck Gegzna '14 + Mason Gegzna '14

Anniversary Date: September 13, 2014

Love Story: Mason and I were actually high school sweethearts. We started our journey at the end of our freshman year of high school on May 18, 2007. After high school we stayed together, but attended different colleges; he went to Midland for football and I went to Northwestern College for volleyball. After visiting Mason often and making lots of friends at Midland, I transferred there my sophomore year. The rest of our college days were spent together and with our friends. We got engaged the summer...Read more

Jennifer Rosales Gegzna '15 + Jared Gegzna '15

Anniversary Date: October 15, 2016

Love Story: Jennifer and Jared met at Midland University at their New Student Registration Day as incoming freshman. They began dating during Warrior Welcome Days and were together all throughout their time at Midland. Jennifer was very involved at Midland including being a member of the Dance Team, Phi Beta Lambda business organization, President of the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, Historian of Cardinal Key National Honor Society, 2014 Homecoming Queen, and being a Resident Advisor....Read more

Regan Jones Gordon ’16 + A.J. Gordon ‘13

Anniversary Date: August 13, 2016

Love Story: We met at Midland when I was a freshman on the soccer team and A.J. was a senior and a student assistant for the men's basketball team at Midland. We met each other through other friends and both having a love for sports. We hung out and got to know each other during our time in college together. After A.J. graduated, we still kept in touch quite often, but we did not start becoming anything more than friends until I was a junior. We knew after a couple months of dating...Read more

Mary Sharp Hamblen '74 + David Hamblen '72

Anniversary Date: May 26, 1979

Love Story: David and I met November 1971. As I was going to my Psychology 101 class in Swanson Hall, David approached me and asked whether I would be interested in having a cup of coffee. So that was the beginning of our romantic relationship. David graduated from Midland with BA in History in May 1972. He returned to his hometown Boston, MA; and I finished my education at Midland in German and Secondary Education. I taught school for a total of four years at Mullen and Scotia Public Schools in Nebraska. We...Read more

Jenna Turcotte Harrington '12 + Pat Harrington '12

Anniversary Date: June 25, 2016

Love Story: Pat and I met in 2010 when I transferred to Midland from Dana. It wasn't until he graduated that we started dating. He came back to town for homecoming in 2011, we saw each other and the rest is history! We were engaged in March 2015 and married June 2016....Read more

Caroline Max Hug '67 + Butch Hug '70

Anniversary Date: July 8, 1967

Love Story: Butch and I started dating my junior year at Midland while I was a student worker in the Athletic Department and where Butch spent the majority of his time working for Max Kitzelman. We were married July 8, 1967, and will be celebrating our 50th anniversary this summer. Butch received his draft notice 3 days before our wedding so spent a year in Vietnam before he graduated. We have many fond memories of Midland--really enjoyed our time there!Read more

Barbara Rankin Johnson '67 + Mic Johnson '67

Anniversary: June 3, 1967

Love Story: Barbara was crowned homecoming queen in 1966. She and Mic Johnson graduated May 28, 1967 and married on June 3, 1967. They are looking forward to their 50th anniversary!...Read more

Diana Wacker Klein ’05 + Austin Klein ‘06

Anniversary Date: June 10, 2006

Love Story: Austin and I had known each other before either of us attended Midland. One of the girls from his high school had moved to my hometown her junior year and was in my class. Of course we wanted to meet all of her friends and Austin was one of them. During my freshman year I remember him coming to visit on a basketball recruit today and thinking that would be cool if he ended up coming to Midland.

With him playing basketball and myself playing volleyball we spent most of our time in the gym...Read more

Robin Crow Leaders '06 + Eddie Leaders '06

Anniversary Date: June 5, 2010

Love Story: We started out having several mutual friends throughout our freshman year. During our sophomore year we were Organic Chem lab partners. We were both biology majors, so we had a lot of classes together and became good friends. Our junior year I finally broke up with my boyfriend. Eddie saw an opportunity to ask me out one night at F and O's. We went on a few dates, but I eventually broke up with him because I had just got out of a long term relationship. After...Read more

Joy Mez Ludvigsen + Jon Ludvigsen

Anniversary Date: November 25, 1995

Love Story: I was a non-traditional student attending Midland after serving four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, and through some friends in the same boat we were, we met at John C. Fremont Days. However, I was dating someone else and she was to be introduced to someone else. Long story short, our situations didn't work out and we met later that fall. As I was driving through the Midland parking lot one day, I saw her at her car and I stopped to chat. The rest is history....Read more

Julie Bailey Lukasiewicz '96 + Chris Lukasiewicz '97

Anniversary Date: December 28, 2002

Love Story: Chris and I met in the summer of 2001. Blind date. We found out on this first date that we attended Midland around the same time. We reminisced about some of our classes and instructors, having fond memories. One class, however, stuck out in our memories - "Sex, Marriage and the Family." Chris remembers a very outspoken brunette sharing strong opinions. I remember sharing a lot during class discussions. I talk a lot. Chris said he was amused by this woman, secretly cheering when others with...Read more

Megan Rezac Meyer '07 + Daniel Meyer '06

Anniversary Date: July 26, 2008

Love Story: Megan and Daniel met in the fall of 2005 at MLC in the class "Art and Music Methods." This was the last class for Daniel to achieve his endorsement for Art Education and was one of the last method classes Megan had to complete for her Early Childhood Education endorsement. After they were paired together on the opening class to sing the class a song "Galaxy Rap", Megan and Daniel soon developed an intense rivalry to better each others projects each class and be the first one to leave class....Read more

Marsha Anderson Myers '70 + Rick Myers '68

Anniversary Date: February 9, 1974

Love Story: On a beautiful day in September 1966, freshman Marsha Anderson took off her tennis shoes and socks, and entered the fountain then contained in the relatively new Science Complex. She was grabbing coins from the wishing well, to stuff into the coin operated laundry at Beegle Hall. When Rick appeared and noticed a beanie wearing frosh in the fountain, he knew something was amiss, so he inquired "what are you doing in the fountain?" Quick thinking frosh Anderson replied "Oh, I'm trying to get...Read more

Kathy Anderson Overfield '74 + Gary Overfield '74

Anniversary Date: November 29, 1974

Love Story: Our first date was on a Friday the 13th in November of our freshman year. Kathy invited me to an inter-sorority dance in the dining hall. We had a good time, so it's hard to explain why it took me almost two years before I asked her for a second date. It just did. Our second date was also a Friday the 13th, when I asked Kathy to be my Homecoming date. I knew from that time on that I could see myself marrying her and growing old together. Our only class together was Interterm '74, when we...Read more

Shelly Havelka Peterson '79 + Jeff Peterson '77

Anniversary Date: May 27, 1978

Love Story: My best friend and Kappa Phi brother John Prauner (yes, that John Prauner) introduced us in the fall of Shelly's freshman year. It took me awhile to get the courage to ask her out. We dated until spring and then I gave her my fraternity pin. Several months later, we got engaged and married in May of '78 after Shelly's junior year. She finished school and student taught her senior year while we lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment in southeast Fremont. Shelly taught school for two years and then...Read more

Lona Heikes Pinkall '90 + Eric Pinkall '90

Anniversary Date: August 24, 1991

Love Story: We met during our sophomore year at Midland, when we shared some classes and books. Our first date was attending the Homecoming Dance together in October 1988 and the rest is history. We married one year after graduation at Salem Lutheran Church in Dakota City, NE. We lived in Omaha until 1999, when we moved to Eric's hometown of Gretna. Eric is a Physical Therapist and Lona is a science teacher. We have 3 children and the oldest (Lance) is currently a junior at Midland. That makes him the...Read more

Becky Hansen Poppe '84 + Dave Poppe '84

Anniversary Date: November 10, 1984

Love Story: Is there any better place to meet someone than Calculus class as freshmen? We joke that if Becky and her friend wouldn't have needed a study group, Dave wouldn't have got as good of grades. After a couple years of just being friends, sorority and fraternity functions gave us opportunity to date. Got engaged our senior year in March and married that November. We both graduated with degrees in Math/Computer Science and still call Fremont home. We have two children. Our son is married with one...Read more

Becky Brecka Romshek ’00 + Jason Romshek ‘01

Anniversary Date: June 17, 2000

Love Story: Becky and Jason were high school and college sweethearts.Read more

In loving memory of Colleen (Bonderson) Russell '59 and Rev. John Russell '59

Anniversary Date: June 3, 1959

Love Story: Rev. John Russell and Colleen (Bonderson) Russell met September 1959 during the first week of their senior year at Midland. Love blossomed immediately and within six weeks of dating they were already talking about a wedding. They pledged their life and love to each other in marriage on June 3, 1959, at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Emerson, Nebraska, just a week following their 1959 Midland graduation. Inseparable through life, after 56+ years of marriage they died within five days of each in...Read more

Stacey Richard Sanders '09 + Mike Sanders '09

Anniversary Date: July 28, 2012

Love Story: Mike and I met in the fall of our sophomore year at Midland. We were in microbiology class together and sat next to each other in lab (Thanks Dr. Johnson). We didn't start dating until December of that year. We had many mutual friends that were also dating so we all spent countless evenings together, mostly at the basketball house and Pi Epsilon functions! After graduation, Mike moved to Lincoln for dental school and I moved to Omaha to start my career as a nurse. We married in July of 2012. We...Read more

Morgan Beighley Savio '15 + Dominic Savio '13

Anniversary Date: April 29, 2017

Love Story: Dominic and Morgan met each other Dominic's senior year at Midland University in 2013 through a mutual friend's get-together, later finding out that they had a class together with each other. They spent a lot of time together with their friends and each other just getting to know each other while together at college. After Dominic graduated, they officially started dating.

A lot of time was spent together over the next few years while Morgan was finishing her degrees and Dominic was...Read more

Katie McKenna Schreck '12 + Nick Schreck '11

Anniversary Date: June 8, 2013

Love Story: We met during Warrior Welcome Days and then starting dating in February 2009. Both of us lived in Beegle and then we saw our relationship grow through the years. In 2012, I (Nick) proposed in Lund and our wedding had a distinct Midland feel with Courtney Wilder as our Officiant and many faculty/staff/alum in attendance.

Today, we live just blocks from campus in the home of a past Midland instructor and we regularly attend Midland arts and athletic events....Read more

Sandra Schafer Simmons '67 + Gordon Simmons '67

Anniversary Date: January 21, 1967

Love Story: We started dating when we were sophomores at Omaha Central High School, so we were already steadies when we came to Midland. We went through "pinning" and "engagement" ceremonies at Phi Omega and Kappa Phi and we were married at our semester break of our senior year. Our last semester we rented a basement apartment in a home not far from campus....Read more

Mary Ann Skoog + Don Skoog '53

In loving memory of Mary Ann Skoog (1929-2010)

Love Story: Mary Ann enrolled at Midland in fall 1952, and Don in 1949. She and Don started to date several weeks later. In December, Mary Ann was named queen of one of the fraternity dances. A picture of this event is shown in the college annual. Don graduated from Midland in 1953 and from the University of Nebraska Medical School in 1958. Mary Ann was a medical technologist and Don, a pathologist. They had three children and lived in Omaha. Mary Ann died in 2010 as a result of an automobile accident....Read more

Nikki Gargano Snow '02 and Mark Snow '96

Anniversary Date: October 14, 2006

Love Story: We "met" when Nikki was a freshman in 1998. Mark had already graduated but was a trainer and Nikki played basketball. We didn't actually know each other though since Nikki didn't spend much time in the training room that year. We didn't officially meet until years later, 2004 at a MLC homecoming. A mutual friend introduced us and we starting talking and hung out together that afternoon but then went our separate ways. A month later we ran into each other again, this time exchanging phone...Read more

Kat Ohm Sodawasser ’15 + Andrew Sodawasser ‘14

August 1, 2015

Love Story: Andrew and Kat met at Midland through the Arts department. The odd thing is that neither of them originally intended on going there, as Andrew transferred in from Montana State University and Kat transferred from The Young Americans performing arts school. They both chose Midland because they both have some of the same passions. While at Midland, both participated in multiple aspects of the Arts (Choir, Band, Clef Dwellers, Jazz Band, Musical Theatre, etc.) It was there that they developed a strong...Read more

Jessie Smith Stouffer '10 + Adam Stouffer '08

Anniversary: June 18, 2011

Love Story: He played baseball, I played softball and we both were taking a criminal justice class together. He was a senior and I was a sophomore and our teacher divided us into two sides of the room and I picked his side. We got to talking more in class and our assignment was to debrief court cases (which I had never done) so I asked him for help and the rest is history! We started hanging out more and more and now we are married with two beautiful daughters!...Read more

Sheryl Crater Swan '83 + Jamie Swan '83

Anniversary Date: May 14, 1983

Love Story: I was a transfer from California Lutheran University to Midland start of school year 1979. The very first day of moving into the dorms I was being helped by this tall blond guy who asked me out later that month. From there we dated, got engaged and married the weekend of graduation in May 1983. We also went through pinning and engagement with our Phi Omega and Kappa Phi friends. ...Read more

Kim Rebbe Taylor '94 and Eric Taylor '92

Anniversary Date: April 27, 1996

Love Story: Eric and Kim became friends during Kim’s first year at Midland. They had known each other through working at the Fremont Tribune, but did not become friends until they had a journalism class together. After being friends for a few years, they began dating and have been together ever since. They will be celebrating their 21st anniversary in April. They have two sons, and their oldest son will be attending Midland in the fall!...Read more

Mindy Liesemeyer Tuma '09 + Jordan Tuma '09

Anniversary Date: June 8, 2013

Love Story: We met each other through our best friends in college who also ended up tying the knot (Mike Sanders and Stacey Sanders (Richard). My wife and Stacey were in the Pi Ep sorority together and Mike and I played basketball together. We both graduated in 2009 from Midland University (Midland Lutheran College at that time) and got married on June 8, 2013. We most recently had our first child, Ava Sue Tuma, this past August....Read more

Kylie Brandt Von Seggern '06 + Paul Von Seggern '04

Anniversary Date: June 5, 2010

Love Story: We begin this romantic love story in art class at Midland Lutheran College. I was very attentive in class and noticed a pretty blonde eye gazing me from accross the dim lit room. It wasn't uncommon that I was receiving this attention from Midland College women but she had a spark to her style that couldn't go unnoticed. While I was on the track team at Midland I would strut by the wellness room at Hopkins Arena and determine how fast her pace on the treadmill was. I figured this alluring woman had...Read more

Jessica Flowers Watchorn ’13 + Andrew Watchorn ‘14

Anniversary Date: November 5, 2016

Love Story: We met in fall of 2010 through mutual friends. After three years of being friends, we began dating in May of 2013. Andrew proposed in December of 2015 and we tied the knot on November 5, 2016. We now live in Seward, NE. Jessica works as a Child and Family Services Specialist for DHHS and Andrew is in his second year as an Electrician Apprentice.Read more

Samantha Pavel Wellman '13 + Michael Wellman '14

Anniversary Date: October 3, 2015

Love Story: We met through mutual friends in January 2011, having multiple movie nights in men's hall, and officially started dating in March 2011. Sam graduated in May 2013 and moved out to Scottsbluff to work as a nurse. We dated long distance till Michael graduated in May 2014 and joined Sam in Scottsbluff that September. Michael proposed In December, we moved to Gibbon in July and got married October 1, 2015. We currently are still in Gibbon - Sam working labor/delivery at Kearney Regional and...Read more

Kim Christensen Wilson '96 + Larry Wilson '95

Anniversary Date: July 29, 1995

Love Story: Kim and Larry met at Midland in 1994 and married at Sinai Lutheran Church in 1995.Read more

Arlene Johnson Wold '56 + Joe Wold '55

Anniversary Date: December 27, 1956

Love Story: We both graduated from high school in 1951. Joe in Albuquerque, NM and Arlene in Creighton, NE. That was the year the University of Nebraska offered full two year renewable scholarships to top students chosen by teachers in every high school in Nebraska. Arlene was top on the Creighton faculty list. In March of 1951 the phone rang at the Johnson farm. The English teacher was frantic. "Arlene where are you? Today is the scholarship test. The people from the University are here." Arlene...Read more

Darienne Holley Wood ’15 + Dustin Wood ‘16

Anniversary Date: June 13, 2015

Love Story: We met at ARTS Retreat Dustin's first week at Midland. We were in choir, band, and theater together so we were around Eva other a lot. We started hanging out with the same group of friends and we quickly became best friends. We started dating in December 2012, got engaged in May 2014, and married in June 2015. If it wasn't for the ARTS at Midland, we never would have found each other.Read more

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Amy (Gall) Wattier '94, Norfolk Catholic Principal, Pursues Academic, Spiritual Excellence

When you first walk into Amy Wattier’s office, there are two things you might notice.

First, the Christian music softly playing from a stereo perched on a bookcase. And second, a desk full...

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Alumniweds Stories

Alumniweds Stories

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