Spotlight On...

Here you can learn more about local residents and get to know your neighbors. If you'd like to be interviewed for a newsletter and online article, please contact Carolyn Bree at 673-5347!

	Paulette & Lee Howell have lived in the sub since 1975. They moved here when their 2 sons were 3 & 7. Their son, Jim, lives in N. Carolina and Joe lives with them. You will often see Lee walking and Joe riding his bike when weather is good. If you are outside, say “Hello” as they like to meet new people. Lee & Paulette met in Saginaw in1966 and were married in 1968. Paulette was from Bay City and Lee was from Owasso. Lee, as well as Jim, are graduates of Ferris. Lee worked as an Insurance Claims Supervisor & as a Private Detective. He fully retired in 2010. Paulette has an Associates Degree in Mental Health, which has served her well in her varied roles. She is Chairperson of the Appeals Committee for Oakland County. She’s a Community Health Advocate for people with disabilities. Paulette also trains people to monitor group homes. Both Lee and Paulette have been active in LOHA, serving on the Board of Directors. Paulette was Secretary, Legal Director and the 2nd woman President. Lee served as Vice-president in the 70’s and again this year. He also served as Expeditor. With the help of other residents he has improved the beach, which included the steps and handrail to the lake. Paulette was involved in Keep America Beautiful in 1976, the year of the Bicentennial. She helped the teens paint the fire hydrants red, white and blue. The July 4th activities that year lasted many days. Residents watched parachutists landing on the lake and the Ski Club performing by the beach. Lee has been an enthusiastic table tennis player and ranked in the top 40 of the state’s table tennis players. He’d like to see a table tennis exhibition down at the beach. He’s played against the 5X National US Champion. With his son Jim, he also won a doubles tournament. Anyone having such a table and willing to lend it out could contact him (673-8989). Lee, Paulette and Joe like to be out on their boat in good weather. The Howells believe that they should give back to the community.
	Char Valente, on the left, lives with her husband, Joe and children Eric & Alaina on Aquarina. They’ve been there for 20 years. Char has taken care of the flowerbed on Walton/Aquarina for 12 years and the one on Walton/Embarcadero for 8 yrs until K. Koenigbauer took over that one. She saw flowers at the beginning of other subs and decided to create a more attractive entrance. Char said that she likes the beach association and the friendliness of the people involved. Alaina said that she liked the beach and looks forward to Family Fun Day, especially the greased watermelon contest. Char works part time at University Dental. Before she returned to work she spent many hours with the children at the beach. Joe is an independent contractor. He donated the display board for the Weenie Shack and those used to announce activities. Karen Koenigbauer, on the right, lives with her husband, Tom, and daughter Emily (19) and son Scott (14). They’ve lived on Levee for 22 years. After 10 years of schooling Karen finished her Social Work Degree from Wayne State U in 2009. She recently started working full time for the Macomb Oakland Regional Center. Prior she worked part time there and part time at the Independence Township Senior Center. Karen has cared for one of the entrance’s flowerbeds for 4 years. She also established a sensory garden in Clintonwood Park for the senior center. There are 5 raised beds, one for visual (colorful flowers), auditory (wind chimes), touch (textured leaves), smell (roses & lavender) & taste (edible plants). Tom was LOHA treasurer for many years. Emily will be attending Saginaw Valley University in the fall. Scott can often is seen on his skateboard or out on the pontoon boat. THANKS CHARLENE AND KAREN FOR YOUR TIME AND CARE YOU PUT INTO THE FLOWERBEDS.
	Tim and Terissa Daly have lived on Embarcardo for 25 years. They bought the home from Terissa’s parents, who lived there for 5 years. Both Tim & Terissa are graduates of Waterford Schools. Tim graduated from Waterford Twp. HS (where Kroger now exists on M59 & Crescent Lake Rd.) in ‘72. Terissa graduated from Kettering in ’73. Terissa also went to to Grayson Elementary, as did their children and now their grandchildren. Their daughter Nichole and her husband recently purchased a home in the subdivision. Tim is a communication field technician. Terissa is a vocational counselor with Michigan Vocational Rehab. Tim and Terissa met at a wedding in ’73 and were married in ’74. They reared two children, Nichole and TJ, here. Nichole and TJ each have two children. The youngest for each is one year old and are only two weeks apart. Tim and Terissa enjoy taking them and their siblings down to the lake. You can see the whole family parading down to the beach. The Daly’s house is full of toys for the two toddlers as well as the two older grandchildren. Living by the lake and having beach and boat access has been a plus for this family. Tim and Terissa also enjoy golfing, boating and the beach activities. Tim is vice-president of the Association. He has held this position before, as well as those of president and expeditor. Terissa has contributed as secretary and treasurer. They stated that the good neighbors that they have are also valued.
	Jim & Paige Williams live on Embarcadero. They were married in 2006. Jim has lived in the sub for 7-8 years. He is a software engineer. Jim and Paige injoy water-skiing, swimming, cross-country skiing and roller blading. You will probably see Jim swimming the beginning of May. Paige didn't join Jim in the Polar Bear Water Skiing Event on December 5th. Jim said it was colder than he expected, but more fun than he expected. His friend, Terry Nardone, who lives on Lake Oakland, joined him. Both are members of the Ski Demons, a water ski club that Rich Kniffel started. Jim said there were 90 skiers at the event in 2009, whereas there were only 17 skiers in 2008. This is a benefit for the American Diabetes Association. Skiers Pier sponsors the event. They provided the boats, drivers, dry suits, food and warm water for freezing hands. Jim has invited me to join him next year. He said that the water temperature was 41 degrees. Maybe some other water skiers who live in the sub will participate in 2010.
	Nicole McClelland lives with her family on Levee. She is 11 years old and attends Mason Middle School. She is featured in this newsletter because she was a volunteer at the Desert Angels Packing Party in early December at the Sportsmen's Club. Besides donating some of her favorite Beanie Babies for the Military to hand out to children in war torn countries, she helped package cookies and opened boxes of snacks to be divided among the boxes being sent. Her Mom was instrumental in getting around 200 Beanie Babies donated along with boxes of food. Nicole likes playing on the computer, swimming, camping, fishing and archery. She is pretty good with her bow. Nicole is looking forward to summer when she can be outside more. She is grateful for the steps and railing going into the water at the beach. She would like to have a slide in the water, but understands the problems.
	Larry Gwin was 3 when he moved from Oklahoma to Michigan. He went back every summer until he was 16, where he worked on his Uncle’s farm. They raised 30,000 chickens every 8 weeks, which they sold. He also helped with the cattle, pigs and horses. Larry used to go into town and watch the old-timers whittle in front of the general store. When he was 16, he moved into LOHA. He water-skied behind classic speedboats. He was in the LOHA teen club. The club helped lay the concrete in front of the weenie shack. The date is on the concrete. He moved out of LOHA for several years, but moved back in 1976 with his wife, Sharon. They reared 2 daughters here, Stephanie and Rebecca. The girls enjoyed living in the sub and particularly using the beach. Larry was an avid snowmobiler and loved snowmobiling in the Upper Peninsula. Once he fell through the ice in Lake Oakland with Rebecca, age 11, on the back of the snowmobile. The ice kept breaking and after numerous attempts, Larry finally got her out by throwing her out onto thicker ice. The fascination with Oklahoma’s woodcarvers led Larry to start woodcarving 17 years ago, even before he retired from GM’s welding lab in 2001. He now spends his time enjoying his passion, woodcarving, in the garage all year long. He also helps deliver the LOHA Newsletters and flyers. He enjoys spending time with his grandsons, Jordan (15) and Austin (3). Larry’s woodcarvings are one-of-a-kind, beautiful and unique. The majority of his carvings are Christmas figures. He has sold his pieces in a variety of places including Canterbury Village. If you are interested in seeing some of his work, he will be at St. Joseph’s Craft Show in the school gym on Saturday, November 21st from 10:00am - 4:00pm and on Sunday, November 22nd from 10:00am – 3:00pm. St. Joseph’s is located at 703 N. Lapeer Rd., 7 miles from the Palace.
	Jerry and Gail Chamberlain have lived on Levee since 1986. Gail lived on Mariner from ‘57 to ’69. Her Dad, Cliff Woods now 84 & living in NM, helped build homes on Aquarina and Shoals & later poured the basements on other streets. Cliff also helped build the boat dock in ‘57. Tree trunks from the lot were used for the vertical supports. He reported that there was a hill, which was leveled to make the beach area. In ’69 Gail moved to Colorado and then Germany. For 2 years before buying the Baker home on Levee, Gail bugged the Bakers, whom she knew were due to retire. It paid off. Gail & Jerry wanted to rear their daughter in a neighborhood with sidewalks, neighbors out walking and of course the amenities of a lake. At one time LOHA held beauty pageants for the young girls who modeled in their bathing suits. Gail remembers walking daily to Federal Dept. store and Kresge’s, that were located where Dunham’s and the Dollar Store are now. She also talked about running down to the beach and hiding in the cement cylinders when she was upset as a child. Today you will find the Chamberlains at the beach with their 5-year old granddaughter Camden, who loves the water. Their 7- month old grandson loves the baby swing. Recently Gail wrote a letter for all LOHA residents to read. “Dear LOHA Residents, we would like to give a big THANK YOU to Pam Pope, Sharon Gwin, Lynn Woolslayer, Carolyn Bree and everyone who put in time on the Family Fun Day Activities, the weekend of Aug. 8 & 9. There was torrential rain and extreme heat, but all of the participants had a great time. Having been involved in planning and executing these types of events through church, work and school, we appreciate the amount of work and time it takes to make these festivities successful. It is really a shame that more people don’t come down and take advantage of this privilege. There is very little these days that you can do with your family for free. You pay a yearly fee for the beach dues, but in the big picture, it isn’t much for a year of fun. The children especially had a great time and won lots of prizes, besides keeping cool by jumping in the lake between games. We also had fun meeting new people. Thanks again to all. Jerry, Gail and Camden.”
	I am your LOHA Secretary, Carolyn Bree. Since I just returned from a 21-day trip to San Francisco, Australia and New Zealand I though that I’d do a little travelogue. Did you know that there is a Redwood Forest near San Francisco, a 100-year old National Monument, called Muir Woods? The trees there are 100’s of years old and huge. Alcatraz is an island off the coast of San Francisco. Queensland, Australia is home to the Daintree National Rainforest. Only ¼ of this rainforest remains. It was added to the World’s Heritage List in 1988. Off the coast of Queensland is one of the 7 wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef. It is composed of over 3000 individual reef systems and stretches over 1800 miles along the coast. The Aboriginal people are indigenous to Australia. The wind instrument they play is called the didgeridoo. To play it one must blow like a baby “making rasberries.” New Zealand is home to mountains and hills throughout its two long islands. The North Island is home to the Bay of Islands, the Kauri Forest, geothermal areas with geysers and sulfur mud pools, undersea volcanic activity, glowworm caves, cattle, sheep and wonderful people. The Maori people are indigenous to NZ. In Australia I swam the Great Barrier Reef and saw beautiful coral and fish. I was startled when a stingray swam right under me. I went on a night walk of the Daintree Rainforest and a boat ride on a river to see the crocodiles. I walked on a beach with coconut trees. I took a train to Kuranda and a skyrail back. In New Zealand I took a tour to the northernmost part called Cape Reinga. There I visited the Kauri Forest, rode on a bus that sped along the beach beside the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea & went through a creek bed. I saw where WWII American soldiers were trained for beach invasions. I slid down sand dunes and tubed through the glowworm caves in water that was 46 degrees. I walked the rim of Mt. Tarawera, a volcano & ate kangaroo, crocodile, fish & lamb.
	Pam Pope is LOHA’s Social Director. She’s held that role since ’96 with only a two-year sabbatical. She’s been a member of the Ladies Auxiliary since ’93 and the President for 12 years. She moved to LOHA with her family from East Pointe in ’92. Her husband Rick is a Respiratory Therapist at Huron Valley Sinai. Their son Bryan is a student at OCC and their other son, Joe, is in the 8th grade at OLL. Pam has worked at Grayson in the cafeteria for the last 6 years and works part-time at Guest House. Pam likes developing community by bringing friends and neighbors together to have fun at reasonable prices. She is encouraging residents to join LOHA and to volunteer as a way to have lots of fun. See this year’s schedule. She is trying to plan activities for all age groups and interests.
	Darryl Moore has lived on Breaker for 15 years. He is the man you see down at the beach with a camera, photographing the people and activities. He has a background in photography, art and music. He was a part of a band called Joust. He worked with senior citizens for 18 years in an adult care setting. Now he is a senior citizen. He says that the people in the subdivision are warm and friendly. There’s a nice mixture of ages here. He sees fewer kids outside, unless they are down at the beach, than when he was a kid. He acknowledged that there are many engineers, self-employed people, business people, crafts persons and hard working people living in this subdivision. The focal point of the area is the lake. He says that it sure has some real medicinal value in providing a soothing feeling. People at the boat docks are friendly and helpful. He’s glad that he hasn’t had to ask any of them to tow his boat from the lake.
	Tim and Terissa Daly have lived on Embarcadero since 1984. Tim and Terissa grew up in Waterford. Tim attended Della Lutes, Pierce and the old Waterford Township High School. Terissa attended Waterford’s Grayson, Pierce and Kettering. Tim is the present LOHA vice-president. Both have served on the LOHA Board in every capacity except Legal Director. They reared two children, a boy and a girl. They have one grandson (age 5) and one step granddaughter (age 9). They have two more grandsons on the way, one by each of their children. Their grandson enjoys going down to the beach with grandma and grandpa. Tim has been a telecommunication technician for 17 years. Terissa is a vocational counselor. They both enjoy living in this neighborhood.
	The Neldrett family has lived at the corner of Aquarina and Walton for the last 30 years. Tim’s mother Sue (who passed away in 1995) was part of the Ladies Auxiliary. Tim spent his childhood here, attending Waterford schools for grades K-12. Tim and Bethany moved into the home in 2005 after the passing of his father, Joe. They now share it with four cats and are slowly renovating the home and rehabbing the yard. Tim is an Instructor at the American Red Cross National Testing Lab in Detroit. Bethany works from home as a freelance web designer (www.bydesignwebservices.com) and helps to design and maintain the LOHA website. Tim and Bethany share a passion for hockey. Both are roller hockey goaltenders, which is how they met. They’ve been married since 2004 and still make quite a goaltending duo. Bethany also loves coaching youth teams, reading by the lake and walking in the subdivision.
	THANKS to all the LOHA Board Members and Others who worked to create community. Gordon Woolslayer, President, supported all the Board Members, worked to get a hot water heater installed in the Weenie Shack, played music at the Family Fun Day and Luau & successfully ran all meetings. Tim Daly, Vice-president, organized the beach opening & closing schedules, took video pictures at the beach opening, did odd jobs like cleaning the beach, cooking pancakes and selling 50/50 tickets. Carolyn Bree, Secretary, recorded meeting minutes and kept the community informed of events and news through the Newsletter. Lynn Woolslayer, Treasurer, purchased a new refrigerator for the Weenie Shack and paid the Association’s bills. As Beach Attendent she made sure that things went smoothly at the beach, cleaned up the goose poop and tiled the Weenie Shack floor. Lou Tiernan, Boating Director, made sure that keys were made for the boat dock and ramp, fixed the boat dock lock and made sure that boat slips were filled Lee Howell, Expeditor, fixed and installed the LOHA sign, organized the beach clean up, got more sand for the beach and with 3 other men shoveled it onto the beach, had steps and a railing to the water installed. Don Osborne, Legal Director, filled the vacant position. He cooked pancakes at 2 breakfasts, helped at the July 4th events and the Family Fun Day & Luau. He is pursuing winter boat storage in the beach parking lot. Sharon Gwin, Promotional Director, organized the beach opening, advertised the garage sale, sent out 12 Welcome Packets, worked at all the summer’s activities and proof read all the Newsletters. Dan King, Safety Director, purchased new floats for the swim area, installed and will take out the buoys, replaced broken boards on the merry-go-round and checked on the safety of the playground equipment. Pam Pope, Social Director, planned and executed 1 winter, 8 summer and 2 fall very time comsuming activities. These events included shopping, cooking and facilitating. Bethany Neldrett puts the Newsletters, Minutes of Board and Regular meetings and pictures of recent beach activities taken by Darryl Moore on the LOHA website.
	Lynn Woolslayer, left, is this year’s beach attendant (2008). She is also running the Weenie Shack. Lynn lived in the sub growing up. She and her husband, Gordon, have lived here since 1986. They have 6 children, ranging in age from 11-31. They also have 2 grandchildren. In addition to holding jobs at Grayson, Lynn is LOHA’s Treasurer. She collects the LOHA dues. Sharon Gwin, right, is the Promotional Director. She organized the Beach Opening, the Sub’s Garage Sale and helps the Social Director. Contact her for a Welcome Packet. She and her husband, Larry, have lived here 32 years. They have 2 daughters and 2 grandsons. Larry grew up in the sub. Sharon worked for 4 different school districts for a total of 24 yrs. She retired from the Brandon Schools. She now works part-time at St. Perpetua.
	SPECIAL NEIGHBORS - THANKS! Glen Irwin towed Kristan and Robert Door’s incapacitated boat on the lake. Ken Mattheis donated all the prizes for the Opening Day Fishing Contests. Karen Koenigbauer maintains the LOHA flowerbed on Walton at Embarcadero. Charlene Valente maintains the LOHA flowerbed on Walton at Aquarina. Ron Charbonneau helped Lee Howell fix and replace the LOHA sign on Walton. Jim Vickers, Ron Charbonneau and Lee Howell engineered and installed the stairway to the lake. Bob Majka, Jim Vickers and Larry Gwin helped Lee Howell put down new sand at the beach. Paulette Howell planted flowers at the beach. Melba Collins replanted them after finding them pulled out. Richard Dennison snow blew neighbors’ driveways this past winter. Paul Pointer delivers a neighbor’s newspaper to their door. Joe Valente donated the new display window to post events and photos. It hangs on the Weenie Shack. Darryl Moore has taken tons of pictures at recent beach activities. See some at the Weenie Shack and in the Photo Gallery.
	Paul and Edna Pointer celebrated 64 years of marriage on April 13th. They met while in a Pontiac middle school and were married when Paul was 17 and Edna was 16. Paul spent some time in the Navy. They had 4 boys and 2 girls and have numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As of April 5th they have a great-great granddaughter. Paul was a bartender, working at such places as Airway Lanes, Pine Knob and Orchard Lake Country Club (18 years). Edna worked for Mills Products for 14 years. Mills manufactured oven door windows. Paul owned his own bar in Alpena for 8 years. They moved to Breaker in ’96 because they liked the area and the house. Paul planted 2 grapevines a few years ago that yield a ton of grapes. Since canning grapes is work, they give them away.
	Amy Cooperrider is the 11-year-old daughter of Toni Tiernan. She lives on Embarcadero. Amy is in the 5th grade at Grayson Elementary and will attend Mason Middle School in the fall. She likes Math best and Social Studies least. Not only does she play the clarinet in the school band; she also plays short stop and catcher on the softball team. Outside of school she plays basketball for the AAU, Waterford Wave. She enjoys water skiing and tubing. At this point in her life she thinks she might be a chef or a kindergarten teacher. Amy is the youngest of 3 girls and because she is the youngest, she thinks that her mother spoils her. She likes living in the area because of the lake in the neighborhood and her friends at school. In the summer she spends 2 weeks in Wisconsin with her Dad and some of his family. She also gets to go camping with her Mom and second Dad. She has two dogs, Buddy and Jessie (in the picture) with whom she likes to play.
	Kimberly Woolslayer has lived on Aquarina all her life. She was born in ’93 and is a 9th grader at Mott High School. She also attended Grayson and Mason. She plays in the Mott Marching Band and is in the Brass Choir. Her favorite subjects are math and band. Kimberly also likes to read and write stories. She likes living close to the lake and the quiet of the neighborhood. Kim thinks that more teens would use the beach if the Weenie Shack opened in the evening. She said that a teen club would be nice.
	Brian Campbell has also lived on Aquarina all his life. He was born in ’92 and is in the 9th grade at Mott HS. Brian is on Mott’s JV Bowling Team. He recently bowled a 200 game. His favorite subjects are social studies and gym. He has been in the Scouts since 1st grade and is working towards Eagle Scout. He likes the neighborhood early in the morning (5:30-7:00am), when it’s really quiet. Brian would like to see a water slide back in the lake. He is also interested in a function for teens down at the beach.
	Randy travels the subdivision daily - come cold, heat, rain or snow. He is the smiling regular mail carrier for the subdivision. He says he’s been delivering the mail here for close to 10 years and has gotten to know many of the residents. He has worked for the United States Postal Service for 27 years. He loves to play golf in the summer and go snowmobiling in the winter. Yes, he loves the snow, but not in front of the mailboxes.
	Featured in this edition of the LOHA Newsletter are two of 2007’s Officers. Kevin Hawkins together with his wife, Mary, moved into the subdivision in April 2005 from Florida. They will be married 10 years in September. They have 4 adult children, one of whom is getting married in August. Kevin is a Senior Technology Consultant with Flagstar Bank. When the 2005 Vice-president resigned he offered to take on the role. He stayed in that role through 2006 and was elected President for 2007. He helped the Association develop a web-site, deliver the Newsletter via e-mail and bring the Newsletter into a more modern format. He and Mary believe good friends and good neighbors are important and are striving to grow that spirit here.
	Cliff Miller held the office of Vice-president for 2 years prior to becoming President for 2 years. Under his leadership with the help of volunteers, the pavilion got a new roof, the cage was reconstructed and the boat docks were repaired. He married Sue Walton in 2001 just before he retired from General Motors with 40 years of service as a senior automotive designer. In 2007 he took on the role of Vice-president once more. He enjoys wood-working in the garage during the summer and building museum quality model aircraft in the winter. He also collects die cast model cars, mostly from the muscle car era. Cliff did many of the design drawings for these while working for Pontiac Motor Division. Since becoming a LOHA resident, Cliff has been dedicated to the welfare of the LOHA Beach Association.
	Barb Matousak has lived on Aquarina since 1971. She moved from Detroit. She was the woman who planted and took care of the flower gardens down at the beach. Each morning she would go down and water the flowers by bringing buckets of water up from the lake. Between hauling water she swam in the lake, unless the swans were in the swimming area. She did this for 20 years. As a young woman she had Polio. She recovered, but has been affected by Post Polio in her later life. She misses gardening. Her son lives with her and helps her out. The Women's group gets her to meetings.
	Don & Mary Lou Osborne came from West Virginia. In '52 he came to Michigan to go to Radio Electronics School. In '54 he was drafted into the Army. Mary Lou left college after 2 years to work. When Don was discharged he returned to West Virginia and married Mary Lou. That day they rode with Don's brother to Michigan. They had no car, money or home. Don worked at Chrysler among other places before going to Pontiac Motors. Although he had no drafting classes he advanced to Design Supervisor. He retired in '96. Mary Lou worked as a teller and a magazine editor at OCSC for a combined 27 years. They moved to Aquarina in '67 with a son, Jim. A daughter, Joni, was born 9 months later. They both were active in scouts, school, fraternal organization, LOHA and church. Mary Lou has held various roles in the Women's Auxiliary. Don was both treasurer and president of LOHA. They remember the smelt fry parties in the sub. They continue to have an active interest in the sub.
	Ed & Fran Amos, who have been married 51 years, bought their lot on the island in 1964. Building the house was a joint job between them and a builder. They moved in 1966. Ed was the Fire Chief in Pontiac before he retired and then he spent 8 years working at Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital. Fran worked for Ma Bell for 35 years. She spent 8 years as a Commisioner and is in her 3rd term as the State Representative for the area. Fran said that her children are grateful for the opportunity to grow up on the lake. The neighborhood kids spent many days on the water. Ed remembers one of the neighbors trying to attach a toilet to Merle Coyle's chimney.
	Tom & Terry Schulz bought the home on Embarcadero in 1981. Terry previously lived there from 1963-1970 with her parents, the Ewings. She babysat for the Amos, Ish & Ashley's children. She met Tom in 1969 at a pary in the sub and they married in 1970. Their children had the advantage of growing up on the lake before they moved in. Terry said that the July 4th fireworks were shot off from the LOHA beach for many years. Terry retired this spring from GMAC Mortgage where she was a National Corporate Trainer for sales and operations. Tom retired in 2005 from GM. Terry was the 2007 weekday beach attendant. She hopes she brought goodwill to the residents. Both she and Fran Amos would like to see a strong sense of community.