It was
anything but an unlucky Friday, March 13, 1959 when Sharon Inch
and Mike Kerofsky met after a school dance at Rock Island's
Central Jr. High School. Four years later, on June 29,
1963, these two tied the knot.
Mike and
Sharon are the parents of three adult children, 45-year-old
twins, Tim and Theresa, and another daughter, Tammy, 43.
They also have eight grandchildren, five boys and three girls
ranging in age from six to seventeen years, including a set of
10-year-old triplets.
Immediately
after high school graduation, Mike began a tool and die maker's
apprenticeship and, upon completion, went to work for
International Harvester. In 1996, he retired from J.I.
Case Company after Case merged with IH. Early on, Sharon
worked part-time at Whitey's Ice Cream, just a few blocks from
their home, until the children started junior high school, and
then she took a position as a secretary at Moline High School.
She continued there for ten years before joining the pediatrics
department of the Visiting Nurses and Homemakers Association of
RI County. Sharon "retired" in 1999 when triplets were born to
her daughter, Theresa.
Sharon says
the best years of their lives were when the children were young
and they did a lot of traveling. Every summer, they spent
the month of July camping and trying to hit all of the national
parks in the U.S., along with traveling through Canada.
"We hiked many a mountain trail, took horseback rides through
different parks, canoed, and rafted a few rivers. We backpacked
the Grand Canyon twice, and Mike climbed Half Dome in Yosemite
Park. To keep in shape, we jogged, biked, played racquetball,
(handball for Mike), and swam," she says.
Sharon was
diagnosed with MS in 1986 and can no longer participate in all
of the activities she once did. She does, however, stay
busy with singing in a couple of different choirs, quilting,
genealogy, swimming, and helping out with all of her grandkids.
In 1993, she traveled to Austria, Germany, and France, and in
1999 to Italy, with the New Spirit Singers, and that group,
while in Rome, had the opportunity to perform for Pope John Paul
II.
Since
retiring, Mike, who has always been a master of many trades,
took on odd jobs for others. Sharon says he has done jobs
from fixing doors to remodeling bathrooms and kitchens and from
plumbing jobs to rewiring houses. But now he is ready to
retire again, work on his 1971 Cadillac, and enjoy his Harley.
Sharon
reminisces, "We remember our school days as being great times.
I don't think we ever missed a football or basketball game or
the dances on Friday nights. We enjoyed the best music in
the history of music. We wouldn't be able to count how
many movies we waited in line to see at the Fort or Rocket
theaters, how many Harris pizzas we consumed sitting in our '52
Chevy at the Semri or Memri drive-ins, or how many times we
stopped at the A&W on the way home from school for a cold mug of
root beer."
Biology was
the only high school class that Sharon and Mike were in
together. Mike enjoyed Mr. Melchior, the social sciences
teacher, and the two of them played chess together. Sharon
and Mike both liked Mr. Mott. In the summer of 1966, Sharon's friend, Pat Smith, called and said she saw in the newspaper that help was needed to plan the five-year reunion for the class of '62. That is how Sharon got involved working on the reunions. She notifies the committee when it's time to start planning another reunion. She also maintains the class records, keeping track of contact information and deaths, etc. Carla Hammerlund and Ginny Cale have also been involved since the first reunion. In 2011, planning will begin for the 50th reunion in 2012. Sharon hopes the 50th will bring many new classmates wanting to reconnect with old friends and have a really good time. If you have a change of address or know of a classmate who has passed, or if you have any information to share, please contact Sharon at msk4344@sbcglobal.net. Sharon's message to classmates is, "I would love to hear from you. Mike and I hope to see you at the next reunion in 2012."
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