Brevort
By Lois Movalson 292-5581

Labor Day approaches with school starting, more retired people on the road, cooler days, and color throughout the land. We welcome a breather after the busy tourist season and hosting summer company.

Mike and Heather Hebner and family were in Brevort this past weekend, getting in some lastminute boating. Mike dropped by the house and regaled us with boating stories, some of which had us laughing so hard. Our guests were just finishing up an after-Sundayservice brunch. Marilyn and Roy DuMond of Traverse City, Del and Sharon Nelson of Hog Island and Denver, Colorado, and Tracy Movalson and Barb Sexsmith of the Appleton, Wisconsin, area were our guests.

Tracy Movalson was home for her debut into the beauty consultant business. With her was her district manager, Barb Sexsmith. Fifteen ladies of the area and of Traverse City, Grand Blanc, Sault Ste. Marie, Fort Myers, Florida, and St. Ignace all gathered to learn more about the Mary Kay cosmetics program.

The flea market will be open for one more weekend on Labor Day. The village has enjoyed the work of Dale and Yvonne St. Andre, and people appreciate their efforts in making another place of interest in the village.

Diane Quist was a weekend guest of Lorie Quigley. They took a trip to Mackinac Island Saturday afternoon.

Marilyn and Roy DuMond of Traverse City were weekend guests. We all attended Sunday services at Trinity Lutheran Church. Pastor Tari had asked the parishioners their thoughts on their morality. Joe Chalmers was sitting directly behind me, and mentioned he is probably self-righteous, and I am a little judgmental. Those are the cracks in our moral makeup. That brought a lighthearted laughter from the congregation.

Al and Connie Deal, along with their sons, Don and Doug, are spending some time at their cottage on Schoolhouse Road, north of Worth Road this week.

Wes and Bev Brun of Farmington Hills joined Denny and Jackie Rippett for a full weekend of touring the sights of the area. Saturday found them at the powwow at the Father Marquette Park in St. Ignace. Sunday, they drove to Seney Wildlife Refuge for a nature tour.

Joyce and Tom Gustafson have returned home from Saratoga Springs and the wedding of their granddaughter, Danielle Campbell. There will be a full announcement in a future issue of The St. Ignace News.

Tom Coffey is back in the area, preparing for his semiannual antique sale.

Horst and Ingrid Daemmrich continue their afternoons on the beach. They've not missed many days of swimming in Lake Michigan.

The old carpeting has been removed from the hallway at the Hope Chest store in St. Ignace, and now we wait for help in procuring the material to cover the floor, as Connie Litzner said there was an installer who would donate his time to put a new floor covering down. A new room full of Christmas decorations has been added to the many items already on display. Everyone is welcome to shop there, and to donate.

Sharon and Joe Chalmers have been golfing this week, as Joe can't get to Findlay, Ohio, to pick up supplies for his gift and novelty business, owing to the floods in that area. He will drive down when the waters have receded.

Jack Dyer and family members stayed at the home of his sister, Dot Glashaw, this past week. Theresa and Derrick Jewel and children have been camping at the township park and dropping in on Theresa's mom, Dot Glashaw. Dot attended the Red Hat picnic in St. Ignace Saturday.

Thora and Jack Shepard attended the wedding of Steve Truman and Natalie Eller Saturday. Pastor Herb Kitzman officiated at New Hope Lutheran Church in Orchard Lake. Pastor Kitzman was a former pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in St. Ignace and Trinity Lutheran of Brevort.

Steve and Nancy Marshall spent four days visiting Michael and Helena Shepard and family of Gros Cap Road.

John and Bea Zak of Painesville, Ohio, are in the area visiting for a week. Joining them are Bea's daughter, Julie, and her friend, Matt, from California.

Jeff and Pat Cranson spent the weekend at their home on Wildwood Lane. They were joined by Jeff's son, Joe, and his wife, Tracy, of Boston. They all enjoyed the Soo Locks, area lighthouses, and Mackinac Island. Joe and Tracy had not been to the Upper Peninsula before.

Tim and Sue Stebbins from Kalamazoo have been vacationing in the area. They thought it would be fun to have a scavenger hunt for their 10-year-old nephew and 12- year-old niece when they came camping. They were instructed that they were to find a missing cookbook. Their first clue was hidden under their picnic table. That told them to go to a pasty shop and ask for a moose meat pasty. Once there, they were given another clue for more businesses in town. When all of the clues were revealed, they ended up at Mary Carney's book store for the missing cookbook. I don't know who had more fun, the kids or the adults.

Rob and Beth (nee Sunderland) Logan of Prescott visited with Pega and John Kennedy at their pasty shop. Their daughter, Noelle, got married in July.

Our family has many memories of Todd Backus, who died August 20, and the time he spent living in Brevort. Todd moved here when he was in the fifth or sixth grade. He attended Gros Cap School. I distinctly remember the first time I saw him. He was tall, and a goodlooking boy. Eric Movalson and Harvey Bentley were a year younger, but in the same classroom. There's always a kid who likes to intimidate the younger and smaller kids, and Eric and Harvey were in that "smaller" category. They soon found that Todd would be their hero, as no one would tease them and make life miserable with Todd around. Their friendship lasted all through school. Eric and Todd were confirmed together at Trinity Lutheran Church. Todd, Eric, and Danny Carlson played football together for the Saints. Todd had a driver's license first, so he was transportation to practice and games. The Mitchell family lived in Brevort at the time, as did the Franz family. They were a tight-knit group. There were hockey games on the clay pit or Little Brevort Lake in the winter. They played baseball with the kids from the inner city that camped at Boedne Bay in the summer. There was trick or treating in grand style, often with Tracy Movalson and Cheryl Bentley joining Todd, Eric, and Harv, filling up pillowcases of the good stuff. We went Christmas caroling. There were sleepovers in the living room at our home when we lived at the Marathon station. Todd also learned many tasks when he worked for us at Chapel Hill Motel, including making beds and cutting grass. He learned to scrape paint off the siding of the house at Chapel Hill, prime it, and paint it. Todd went on to LaSalle High School, and college, and bigger and better things. Dave and I, along with the many other people who touched his life, are so proud of his life. We looked forward to his summer week's vacation, when he came back "home" to Brevort and stayed at the cottage on the lake. He brought his friend, Connie, to meet his friends from his early life, and Todd and Connie were married at Trinity Lutheran Church. Todd's absence will leave a big hole in our lives, and everyone who knew him, but the wonderful memories will sustain us, and we will cling to those. We will all miss him. An obituary for Todd Backus is published in this newspaper.

Happy birthday to Drew Laughlin Thursday, August 23, Minnie Gustafson who turned 89 Sunday, August 26, Bing Binger August 26, Belinda Lamb Tuesday, August 28, and Marilyn DuMond Saturday, September 1.

Happy anniversary to Ken and Sharon Smith Monday, September 3, and Joe and Sharon Chalmers Wednesday, September 5, and Eric and Kelli Movalson Friday, September 7.