Couples: September 21, 2009
Engagement: Potts and Chandler
Jerry and Patricia Potts of Fairbanks announce the engagement of their daughter, Angela Marie Potts, to Nathaniel Chandler, son of Dawn Blair and Robert Chandler of Indianapolis.
Angela has been a resident of Fairbanks for 17 years and graduated from Lighthouse Community Christian School in 2006. She works as a certified nurse’s assistant at the Fairbanks Pioneers’ Home and will enroll at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to pursue a nursing career.
Nathaniel was born in Indianapolis and has been stationed at Fort Wainwright the past three years. He is part of the 1st Brigade Stryker Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
The wedding will take place in Reno, Nev. on Oct. 3.
Wedding: Letteney and Clarke
Jane Anderson Letteney and Edwin Stetson Clarke plan to marry on Oct. 10 in Framingham, Mass.
The bride is a graduate of Newton High School and Melrose-Wakefield Hospital School of Nursing. She recently retired as a psychiatric nurse at Metro West Medical Center where she had been employed for more than 30 years. She is the daughter of the late Eric Bernard Anderson and the late Doris Goodnough Anderson of Newton.
The groom is the son of the late Edwin Leavitt Clarke and the late Mary Stetson Clarke, formerly of Melrose, Mass. He is a graduate of Melrose High School and earned bachelor of science and master of science degrees in civil engineering from the University of Alaska. Until recently a long-term resident of Fairbanks, he was employed with several engineering firms, worked on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and established the firm of Soils Alaska PC, which specializes in permafrost identification and assessment.
The bride is the widow of Frederick Kimball Letteney of Framingham and the groom is the widower of Alta Pence Clarke of Fairbanks. Mr. Letteney and Mr. Clarke were high school classmates, and the two couples had been friends for many years.
Officiating at the ceremony, to be held at the bride’s home, will be the Rev. Kathleen Hepler, senior minister, First Parish in Framingham Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Wedding participants will include the bride’s daughters, April Letteney Smith and Trina Letteney Conover, and their children. Family and friends from Alaska and the East Coast will join the celebration.
Wedding: Peterson and Woodworth
Kenneth and Helen Peterson are proud to announce the wedding of their daughter, Felicia Peterson, to Josh Woodworth, the son of Anne Woodworth.
They were married on July 18, 2009, with their son, Tayden, in attendance.
The maid of honor was Aleena Peterson and bridesmaids were Emily Peterson, Sarah Sutton and Nichole Peterson. The best man was Gary Thomerson and groomsmen were Bob Revermann, Neil Whittingham and Michael Weimer.
The couple plans to take a Caribbean cruise.
Wedding: Case and Wilson
Samantha Erin Case and Kendall Scott Wilson were married in a ceremony in Girdwood on July 18, 2009, surrounded by family and friends.
Kendall is the son of Kristi Wilson and the late Howard Wilson of Fairbanks. Samantha is the daughter of Dr. Jim and Erica Case of Anchorage. The couple will live in Anchorage, where they have a home and where Kendall’s construction business is based.
A celebration of their wedding will be from 7-9 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26, in the Northern Latitudes Room at Fairbanks Westmark Hotel.
Wedding: Kuss and Delanni
Best friends Jana Kuss and Christopher Delanni were married at Trentadue Winery in Sonoma Valley, Calif. on Aug. 29, 2009. It was “magical,” as described by the many friends and relatives sharing in the festivities.
The daughter of Judy and Herb Kuss, Jana is a graduate of Monroe High School, class of 1999, and graduated from Santa Clara University in 2003 with a degree in finance, and in 2006 from Gonzaga University School of Law. She specializes in construction defect litigation with the firm of Brady Vorweck Ryder & Caspino in Walnut Creek, Calif. (Thanks for all the carpentry projects, Dad!)
Chris is the son of Cindy Delanni of Dublin, Calif. He graduated from Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City and received a degree in marketing from Santa Clara University in 2003. Chris is an associate director of Strategic Alliances with AT&T in San Francisco.
Jana and Chris will live at their home in Walnut Creek. They are planning a honeymoon and scuba diving adventure this fall at a yet-to-be decided exotic location.
Anniversary: Romans
The children of Earl and Judy Romans are pleased to announce the golden anniversary of their parents. Earl and Judy were married on Sept. 6, 1959, at First United Methodist Church in Denver. George Weir was the best man, and Sue Sheets, the bride’s sister, was the maid of honor.
Soon after the couple married, they moved to Fairbanks to start their lives. The couple has four children: sons, Wade Romans, Ward and wife Denise Romans, Pat and wife Tammy Romans, and daughter, Marcy and husband David Sutton. They also have seven grandchildren; Rachel, Ashley, Shayla, Cloey, Kaelyn, Brittany and Jenna.
An intimate family celebration honoring the occasion was held in Palmer during the Labor Day weekend. It was filled with stories and laughter in celebration of their 50 years of marriage.
Anniversary: Matthews
James and Barbara Matthews celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 5, with friends and relatives near Denver. The couple met at a Get-Acquainted Breakfast at the National 4-H Conference in Chicago in November 1958. As an Agricultural Extension agent for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Jim was chaperoning 4-Hers who were attending the conference, and Barbara was teen editor on assignment for Farm Journal magazine in Philadelphia.
After a long-distance courtship, they were married Sept. 5, 1959, at Lincoln Park Methodist Church in Flint, Mich., where Barbara was born and raised.
They drove the Alaska Highway to Fairbanks where they have lived the past 50 years. Barbara worked part-time as a journalist for the Air Force, UAF Geophysical Institute and University Press as well as a freelancer. Jim continued as Agricultural Extension Agent with the UAF Cooperative Extension Service, becoming associate director and director. The couple spent nine months in Madison, Wis., where Jim earned his master’s degree in adult education and returned to Madison in 1966 where Jim earned his doctorate. Their son, Stefan, was born there in 1967. A daughter, Shannon, joined the family two years later. Both children live in Colorado. Stefan and wife Julie have two sons, Tanner and Talon, and a daughter, Taylor, ages 12-16.
They all attended the anniversary dinner in Parker, Colo., with Barbara’s sister, Eileen Wheeler, who had been her matron of honor; Eileen’s two children, Alan and Laurie, all of Dallas; her cousins, Judy and Joe Pickle from Colorado Springs; Jim’s brother and sister-in-law, Glen and Grace Matthews of North Dakota and their daughter, Tamara and husband Randy Gebhardt from Minnesota; and longtime friend David Reynolds from New Zealand. Their son and his family hosted a dinner at their home the night before the anniversary celebration, and daughter Shannon and her friend, Dick Snedeker, hosted a Sunday barbecue at her new home near Byer, Colo.
Barbara and Jim enjoy traveling, visiting far-flung countries such as Kenya, Australia, New Zealand, Greenland, Hungary and Iceland to name a few. In 1999, they took a three-week cruise around Alaska, retracing the Harriman Expedition of 1899. Now retired, they enjoy summers at their cabins on the Delta-Clearwater and Goodpaster rivers. Jim enjoys gardening while Barbara tends flowers. They are active members of Fairbanks Lutheran Church, Fairbanks Retired Teachers Association, and AARP. He belongs to Fairbanks Host Lions Club and she is a member of the American Association of University Women.
Each year, Jim heads the Lions’ project of reconditioning bicycles whose proceeds support local charities and Lions’ vision programs. At the 2001 Senior Recognition Day, they were honored as “Outstanding Senior Volunteers.” During quiet times they enjoy reading and visiting their many friends. When they first met, Barbara said “I’ve always wanted to visit Alaska. I’ll have to talk with you” — and after 50 years they still enjoy conversing.
