Groebe Family Network
There are eleven children of Lillian and Gordon Groebe. This web is a small attempt to account and archive
the comings and goings of a very large family and their families. It is a labor of love for those involved in its
creation and maintenance.
Enjoy the news and activities.
Share your input.
This year, 2011, was a sad year for the McVicker family as we lost our beloved father, Bill McVicker in May. His death saddened us all deeply and left wounds in our hearts. He had just turned 90 in March.
Irene is learning to live on her own, without her life partner. It has not been easy on her, but we hope that time will heal her grief and she will enjoy the rest of her life in Grass Valley. The town is crowded with her sons, her daughters in law, and the many grandchildren that still call Grass Valley home. A few of the grandkids have moved to other parts of California, but there are plenty left in town.
Bill and his wife, Kathy, are still fostering children who need homes and families. Their biological children have all moved out of the nest except for Timothy who likes the convenience of home while he is in school. Of Bill’s many kids, Katie lives nearby with her husband, Landon, and their three children: Micha, Evie and Kayleen; Mathew, Bill’s oldest, and his wife Jacquelyn, live in Walnut Creek with their two youngsters, Bella and Willem, Mathew and his wife work in real estate; Andrew and his wife Kiana live in Hawaii and are expecting their first in December…it may have arrived by the time you read this! Andrew works for Enterprise, he graduated from U of Hawaii with a degree in accounting. Billy, their fourth, named after our Dad is uncannily like his grandfather and is getting a masters at CalPoly in computer engineering. He was in Malta earlier this year working on a robotics project. Nick and Teddy are still in school and finding their respective ways in life, still figuring things out. I think that’s all of them. Bill just passed his final certifications for his MFT and intends to practice specializing in families who foster and adopt…he’s pretty well qualified for that! Kathy, his wife, still has a houseful of fosterlings and runs their foundation, Touched by a Child.
Bruce and his wife, Judy, are enjoying their retirement years. Bruce has taken to the golf course with a relish, and when not traveling to see their grandkids they tend their gardens and entertain Irene. Not too long ago they designed and built their new retirement home, a much larger house than the one they raised their kids in. Since their family is growing, they needed to upsize their home, unlike most retirees. Their son Charlie and his wife, Maria, live in Fort Worth with their two kids, Emma and Blair. Charlie is making his way up the Lockheed corporate ladder and Maria has gone back to school for a degree in counseling. She has a passion for working to empower women and wants to work in crisis counseling. Their daughter Jenny lives in Southern California with her baby son and husband Dan. And their son Andrew lives south of San Francisco with his lady Theresa. Andrew and Theresa just renovated a weekend house on Lake Tahoe for ski trips and family gatherings. So Bruce and Judy stay busy chasing down their kids.
Erica still herds attorneys and their computers. She works in Atlanta for a law firm, as IT manager and when not making up jokes about lawyers she hangs out with her large and friendly dog, Tazzie. She spent a lot of time flying back and forth to California this year and now is anticipating heading across the Atlantic next year for something new and different. She and Susan are going to take Susan’s granddaughter, Telli, to Paris in June for Telli’s 16th birthday trip.
So that brings us to Susan and Ron. Ron is on his third company…he can’t stay retired, much to Susan’s dismay. The latest one is a software product that automates radiant heating. He seems to be enjoying himself, although all that time on the phone and in front of the computer doesn’t look like fun although he assures Susan he is having a great time…writing code and schmoozing clients are his idea of a good time. He does find time for a bit of travel and he and Susan spent time in Croatia and Eastern Europe this year, as well as their usual few months hanging out at Lake Tahoe pretending to play golf and heading up the mountain trails as often as possible.. A music project, the Rapido! competition for chamber music, keeps us busy and delighted to sponsor new classical music. A highlight of the Tahoe Summer was the Groebe women coming for their annual fishing trip. That
weekend was an opportunity to get lots of cousins, nieces, nephews and Irene together for a Sunday lunch. It was a wonderful day of reconnecting.
Susan is a trustee with The Nature Conservancy and manages the family foundation, a pastime that keeps her grounded and aware of the great good fortune our family enjoys. She is looking forward to lots of travel, with or without Ron! Three weeks in India with a girlfriend in January is on the agenda for her. Ron and Susan are watching their grandkids grow up way too fast. The kids live just around the corner, almost, close enough to see often and stay involved. Telli is now 16 and gorgeous and Vinny is 12 and a wonderful athlete.
We all try to stay in touch, as much as time and distance allows. Our family is large and growing every day with great grandkids, new nieces and nephews and of course old and dear friends. All of us are glad to connect with the Groebes whenever we can. So stay in touch!
