Mayville, Michigan Alumni Association - Est 1887 ~Celebrating 137 years in 2024~
Mayville Wildcat Alumni Association Reunion Social - June 1
2024 Alumni Reunion Social
2024 Alumni Reunion Social
2024 Alumni Reunion Social
Everyone is invited to join us at the Veteran's Pavilion at the Mayville Museum - 2124 East Ohmer Road - Mayville, MI
Join us - June 1, 2024
2024 Alumni Reunion Social
2024 Alumni Reunion Social
Bring your photos and memories of attending school in the one room school houses of the Mayville area.
Mayville Wildcat Alumni Association
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Obituaries
Recent Alumni Obituaries
- Debra K. Yens Mann - '72
- Kathy Klinesmith TerBush -'71
- Patricia M. Plain Ware - '70
- Leora M. Uhl Phelps - '48
- Debra Ann Harmon Lienhart - '81
- George Johnson - '59
- George "Rex" Stout - '55
- Lyle Stout - '59
- Myrna Jean Duncan McVay - '59
- Ann L. McNinch Reimann - '53
- Jerry D. Finch - '61
- Randy L. Warren - '69
- Lois Chrystal Lay Guinn - '58
Use the button below to go directly to the 2024 Obituaries
*Note see 2023 Obituaries page 1-3 for more listings.
Your help is needed!
Volunteers Wanted
The Alumni Association has a vacancy on the Board. The office of President is currently open. If you are interested in volunteering, even for one year, please contact us! Without volunteers the Alumni Association cannot continue to function.
Class of 1974 - 50th Reunion
Class of 1974 50th Class Reunion
August 8, 2024
Frankenmuth Credit Union Community Room
Frankenmuth, Michigan
Alumni In The News
Betty Neff - Class of 2023
Alumni In The News
Shawndi Stout Hanson - Class of 1987
Word Domination: Mayville Team Named [State] Champ
By Alex Szwarc | For the Advertiser
Word after word was mastered, and as a result, a local school was recognized for its efforts. Toward the end of 2023, the Vocabulary Bowl hosted by Vocabulary.com staged a showdown of vocabulary prowess, as more than 380,000 students from more than 2,000 K-12 schools across the United States and Canada battled for word domination. In January it was announced that at the end of the bowl, students from the Mayville High School vocabulary team emerged victorious, becoming the Michigan state champion. The team mastered 16,000 words. The competition took center stage on Vocabulary.com where schools showcased their vocabulary and literacy skills against their peers to become undisputed champions in one of three divisions and state titleholders. Shawndi Hanson, English teacher at Mayville High School, said the vocab team consists of Mayville students from eighth through 12th grades. “It’s all of the students,” she said. “Each teacher gives out vocabulary assignments to do with their study.” Hanson said that a reason Mayville students excel at vocabulary is because of how often they practice. “Many other classes besides English do it,” she said. “I am proud of the students. When I told them about this story, they all said they deserve extra credit. We have a lot of good kids here.” Rather than operating like a sports team would – meeting after school with a handful of students on a team – Hanson said there’s not a formal meeting of the students to hone their vocabulary skills. “It’s just students that are doing their assignments,” she commented. “It’s considered a team because it’s our school.” The way the bowl worked is that points are awarded to schools displaying the breadth of their lexicons. According to Vocabulary.com, Mayville competes in Division III, in the high school category. “The achievement is a testament to the school's commitment to promoting language arts and developing students' vocabulary,” a release from IXL Learning states. “Its success in the Vocabulary Bowl not only demonstrates the linguistic excellence of learners but also highlights the power of language education in today's world.” Hanson commented that Mayville teachers have students do a lot of online vocabulary work, again contributing to the school’s success. “We’ve been recognized before for the bowl, where someone came and gave us an award for it,” Hanson said. “When we assign vocabulary, they are scored two different ways. Completion and mastery. They have to have 100% completion of their assignment, and for mastery, they have to have 90%.” Hanson, an English teacher at Mayville for 30 years, added that Mayville students get heavily involved on Vocabulary.com on their own, seeing how many words they have mastered, and competing against each other to see who masters more words. Each student in Hanson’s classes has their own Vocabulary.com account. In response to what skills students need to excel at vocabulary, Hanson said students that read the most are the best at it. “They recognize the words right away,” she said. “Persistence and repetition are also important. They have to have tenacity and consistency.” Mark Williams, interim Mayville Middle/High School principal, said the vocab team allows students to compete and at the same time learn vocabulary that will hopefully stick with them as they prepare to write at a level that ensures them future success. “This is a great accomplishment for our school and students,” he said. “I believe our students take a sense of pride in celebrating their success.” In the current spring 2024 Vocabulary Bowl, Mayville is atop the standings in Michigan, with 2,829 words mastered.
*Shawndi is the daughter of Douglas Stout - '56 and the late Bonnie Ohmer Stout - '59
TuscolaToday.com Wednesday, February 21, 2024,
The Advertiser —page A5
Alumni In The News
Anthony Bodeis - Class of 2014
Congratulations!!!
Congratulations to Anthony Bodeis who, as of January, has been promoted to Manager in the Ag Department of Nietzke & Faupel, P.C. of Pigeon, Michigan.
Anthony began working with Nietzke & Faupel as an intern in January 2018. He became employed full time as a staff accountant with Nietzke & Faupel in May of 2019 and was promoted to senior accountant in January 2021.
He received his CPA license in April of 2020. Anthony graduated from Mayville High School with the Class of 2014, and graduated summa cum laude from Saginaw Valley State University with a Bachelor of Professional Accountancy degree.
Source: Nietzke & Faupel, P.C. - February 2, 2024
Alumni In The News
Judy Ollila - Class of 1979 & Alumni Association Board Member
Puppy love captured on camera at Utica store
Pet owners get Valentine portraits of their four-legged friends
By SUSAN SMILEY | ssmiley@medianewsgroup.com | Macomb Daily
PUBLISHED: February 5, 2024
Photographer Judy Ollila says taking pictures of dogs presents some of the same challenges as photographing toddlers.
“Sometimes it is hard to keep their attention focused on what you’re trying to get them to do,” Ollila said.
She was at Magoos Pet Outlet in Utica Saturday afternoon to create Valentine portraits of people and their pets. With a variety of Valentine backdrops and props including a kissing booth and small white bench decorated with a heart, Ollila posed all sizes and breeds of dogs to create pictures their owners will treasure.
“I think pet portraits are popular because our pets are just so special to all of us; we treat them like they’re our kids,” Ollila said. “So many of my customers have come back year after year because I think people like capturing that history of their pet.”
Ollila has been a professional photographer for more than 20 years. She has photographed families, babies, special events, and for the past few years, pets.
“A few years ago a friend of mine who owns a kennel asked me about coming there and doing a photo event and it just went from there,” Ollila said. “I travel all over the state and expect to be back in Utica for Easter themed photos in March.”
One of Ollila’s clients has two Weimaraners ,12-year-old Ellie and 2-year-old Rosie, and wants Valentine portraits because Ellie has cancer. Ellie is happy to pose and gazes soulfully right at Ollila’s camera, but Rosie is more fidgety and must be plied with treats to sit.
Rosie’s pictures come out perfectly, as if she was just sitting quietly the whole time.
“Most of the pets that come in are really very well behaved,” said Ollila. “Believe it or not, I’ve even photographed dogs and cats together and that has worked out better than you would think.”
Alumni In The News
David Vizard - Class of 1970
Check out the seventh novel in the Nick Steele series - "Murder For Treasure"
“Long-lost treasure from a sunken Great Lakes steamer is the link between two Michigan killings and an attempted murder. Plenty of cut-throat desperadoes are eager to get their hands on the vault of silver and gold. Follow Bay City news reporter Nick Steele as he solves the murders, tracks down the killers, and goes on a wild run to beat the bandits to the booty in this fast-paced thriller.”
A note from Dave: Most Wildcats know the protagonist in my series is old schoolmate and friend Nick Steele, who, in the series, is a news reporter who solves the mysteries and gets the bad guys. This story, in large part, is about the connection and lasting bond forged in school by friends. So, I dedicated this story to other schoolmates in Wildcat nation by naming Murder for Treasure characters for Floyd, Lonnie, Dan, Bob, Joe, and Dave. Now, the nefarious characters in this story are nothing like my old friends in real life. This is merely my tip of the cap to old buddies who helped me transition from youth to young man.
The Nick Steele series can be found on Amazon or you can contact Dave directly at davidv1652@gmail.com
Alumni News
Class of 1981
A few members from the Class of 1981 met in Frankenmuth for dinner and a visit with Juan Lorenzo and his wife. Juan was an exchange student from Vigo, Spain with the Class of '81. Front Row: Patti Vollweiler, Juan Lorenzo. Back Row: Michelle Scott Steele, Jeff Steele, David Gregory, Robert Higgins and Juan’s wife Montserret. Juan lived with Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Haindl of Mayville while he was attending Mayville High School.
2023 Class Reunions & Upcoming Alumni Events
Class of 1998 - 25th Reunion
The Class of 1998 celebrated their 25th Class Reunion Saturday, July 22, 2023 at the Golden Years Club - 277 West Snover Rd, Mayville. There were 12 class members in attendance. Back row: Amy Jo Wright, Steve Turner, Terry Smith, Marc Bodies, Tony Hoffman, Jenelle McKeage Front row: Julie Cook, Randi Penland, Shannon Hudie, Rachel Lieber, Nikki Emerson, Janice Williams (Gals names are listed as maiden names)
Photo credit: Terry Smith
Class of 1983 - 40th Reunion
Mayville's Class of 1983 gathered to celebrate their 40th reunion on Saturday, July 22nd at the home of Kim (Perry) Copeland. There were 21 classmates in attendance.
Front Row: Donna (Gregory) Gray, Toni (Irvine) Craig, Linda Taylor, Rebecca (Workman) McNiel.
Second Row: Rhonda (Richardson) Wright, Jill (Tewksbury) Wiechec, Kim (Perry) Copeland, Holly (Davis) Brown, Barb (McConnell) Bennett, Brad Moss.
Back Row: Mike Pilly, Jill (Steele) Pape, David Pape, Tim Elling, Rene' (Honoway) Hampel, Bryan Hampel, Vickie (Taylor) Acha, Gordy Brown, Marty Tompkins, Wayne "Rick" Grant. Not pictured: Sandy (Lamphere) Thompson
Class of 1973 - 50th Reunion
The Class of 1973 celebrated their 50th Class Reunion Saturday, August 5, 2023 at the O'Brien Farm - 2445 O'Brien Rd, Mayville. There were a 19 class members who showed up.
Left to right: Back row - Dan O'Brien, Richard Hiiter, Bill Hunt, Gary Anderson, Bill Frenzel, Gary Stonerock, Fred Beach, Phil Kaatz. Front row - Bruce McInally, Donna Manwell, Roxann Johnson, Barb Kilmer, Karen Brigham, Doreen Steele, Virgil Rexin. Front - Brian Stout and Valerie Geib. Not pictured - Marty Plain and Brenda Beckman. (Gals are listed by maiden names)
Check out the photo gallery using the button below.
The Class of 1988 - 35th Reunion
The Class of 1988 got together on Friday night October 6th, 2023 at Friends Bar, formerly known as Hollywood & Vine in Silverwood. On Saturday, October 7th, they met at the Willow Springs Golf & Country Club, in Vassar.
Names and more photos can be found under the MORE PAGES tab - then click on the Class of 1980-1989 tab.
Class of 1975 begins planning for their 50th Reunion in 2025
The Class of 1975 celebrates 50 years in 2025!!!
If you are interested in being part of the planning or want to be on the mailing list for updates and information, please email us at mhsalumniassoc2019@yahoo.com or send us a message here on the website using the CONTACT US tab or by clicking on the conversation icon. You can also send Class President, John Jordan a message on Facebook or an email at:
Donation Information
NEW Mailing Address: MHS Alumni Association C/O Jill Pape 5709 Plain Rd, Silverwood, MI 48760
NEW Mailing Address: MHS Alumni Association C/O Jill Pape 5709 Plain Rd, Silverwood, MI 48760
NEW Mailing Address: MHS Alumni Association C/O Jill Pape 5709 Plain Rd, Silverwood, MI 48760
Drop us a note or send a donation!
Alumni Scholarship Donations
NEW Mailing Address: MHS Alumni Association C/O Jill Pape 5709 Plain Rd, Silverwood, MI 48760
NEW Mailing Address: MHS Alumni Association C/O Jill Pape 5709 Plain Rd, Silverwood, MI 48760
The Mayville Alumni Association awards a $1,000 scholarship each year to one graduating senior.
Cash For Class Donations
NEW Mailing Address: MHS Alumni Association C/O Jill Pape 5709 Plain Rd, Silverwood, MI 48760
Cash For Class Donations
Funds are given directly to teachers to purchase needed items for their classrooms.
School Supply Closets
General Fund Donations
Cash For Class Donations
Donations are given to each school to help them stock their supply closets with various school supplies that are handed out to individual students as needed.
General Fund Donations
General Fund Donations
General Fund Donations
General Fund donations help cover the cost of the Alumni website and the domain, along with miscellanous office supplies.
Thank you for your $$$
General Fund Donations
General Fund Donations
Thank you for your donations that help the Alumni Association with the various programs. Your continued support is greatly appreciated!!!
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