BJ reunion in Florida

 



John Olesky, Bob Page, Hugh Downing

Dennis Petee, Bob Page, Hugh Downing

Gary from Canton, Frank from Manchester
& John Olesky from Tallmadge and The Villages

 

You can take the golfer out of Ohio, but you can’t take Ohio out of the golfer, even when he is in Florida.

Today I played with retired BJ printer Hugh Downing, former State Desk reporter Bob Downing during my assistant State Desk editor days under Patrick T. Englehart and former Kresge Cuyahoga Falls store manager Dennis Petee.

Petee was subbing for Bob Rossbach, also from Summit County before re-settling into their home in The Villages, Florida with wife Nancy.

The two Bobs, Hugh and this John play golf together every Thursday in The Villages.

Dennis was a K-Mart store manager for 28 years, seldom staying more than a few years in each town.

He was a paid vagabond who was the best golfer in our foursome today.

Even though he hasn't completely recovered from the shoulder injury when he fell off his latter while trimming a tree on his Villages property, Hugh had the best score among Ol’ Blue Walls Escapees at 37 on the El Diablo course, the most challenging executive course that I’ve played in The Villages because there is water and/or beaches (sand traps) on every hole.

Bob and I followed with 39s, which is my 2016 Florida average.

Sunshine (of course) but temperatures in the high 50’s and low 60’s.

And the second day of winds that were mild instead of whipping the golf ball back in your face the way it did earlier in the week.

Bob, who left BJ for the ministry and is associate pastor in The Villages, re-married in January.

Bob’s first wife, Linda, was with him on Sackett Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls and their Barberton home before he left the BJ (1968-73) to study for the ministry.




Bob is an associate pastor at the Live Oaks Community Church in The Villages.

Bob met his new wife, Vicky,  through his congregation.

His first wife passed away several years ago. Vicky and Bob had a mini-honeymoon just south of St. Petersburg that caused Bob to miss last week’s Thursday outing that Hugh lines up each week.

A week ago I wound up with Gary from Canton and Frank from Manchester.

A lot Ohioans prefer not to shovel when they can play golf in Florida.