Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Happy 105th birthday to Blandine Schilling formerly of Ernie's Corner in Strathmere
Tim Cox let me know that Blandine Schilling recently celebrated her 105th birthday! She and her husband Ernie ran the grill and grocery store in Strathmere until the early 1980s.
She now lives in Hilton Head South Carolina and attends St. Francis by the Sea Church.
Below is a reprint of the story that appeared in The Catholic Miscellany on Blandine's 100th birthday.
Blandine Schilling, 99, leads an active life of faith
BY CHRISTINA LEE KNAUSS THE CATHOLIC MISCELLANY HILTON HEAD —
Blandine Schilling, 99, has become one of the best-known members of St. Francis by the Sea Church. She attends daily Mass so faithfully, always sitting in the front row, that when she left for a two-month trip earlier this summer, she was instantly missed.Daughter Susan Boyd said that dozens of people greet her by name at church social functions, and at locations around the island. Her birthdays have become a cause for celebration at the parish.
Schilling, a native of France, will celebrate her 100th birthday on Oct. 16. She said her strong religious faith and a good attitude have helped her live this long. “My faith helps me to live. I could not be without it,” Schilling said in a recent interview with The Miscellany. “I have been so blessed to have a healthy life and a healthy family.” She’s been a member at St. Francis by the Sea since 1998, when she moved to South Carolina from Florida.
She grew up in the city of Tourcoing in the north of France, in a region known for its textile mills. Schilling started working in the mills when she was 13, and became adept at a skill called “invisible mending,” which involved hand sewing to fix flaws in fabric as it came off the looms. She came to the United States through Ellis Island at the age of 19, after the death of her mother.“She had four brothers and sisters at home, and her father let her go because she could send money home,” Boyd said. “She also said she wanted to come because of the adventure of going to the United States.” Schilling remembered one humorous anecdote from her time at Ellis Island. A processing agent told her that American girls “would be jealous of her beautiful teeth.” Schilling grew up during World War I, and she said sugar and sweets were almost nonexistent.
Schilling moved to Philadelphia to live with an aunt and took a job in her mending shop. When the Great Depression hit in 1929, Schilling’s “invisible mending” was in high demand because people couldn’t afford to buy new clothes and brought them to her to be repaired. In Philadelphia, Schilling met a German immigrant, Ernest Schilling, when both were enrolled in night school to learn English. The two married and raised seven children — three girls and four boys — in Philadelphia, where Ernest ran a restaurant called the Fernwood Diner.
The family continued to grow over the years. Schilling now has 18 grandchildren and 17 great-grands. Ernest wasn’t Catholic when they were first married, so the couple said their vows in a rectory. He later became a convert, and the couple renewed their vows with a full church wedding in 1960.
They moved to Strathmere, N.J., and ran a grocery store and grill there until the early ‘80s, and then retired to Florida. Ernest died in 1991, and Schilling moved to Hilton Head seven years later. For many years, she walked to the church from her apartment at an assisted living facility adjacent to the church property.
These days, Boyd drops Schilling off for Mass in the morning. “She’s treated like the doyenne of the church,” Boyd said. “People vie to take her home when it’s over.”“She’s quite an individual,” said Dr. Vincent Rerucha, a retired physician and fellow member of St. Francis who regularly drives Schilling home from daily Mass. “She is really considerate of everybody; she’s got a good memory; she knows everybody at St. Francis. And everybody knows Blandine.”
Lorraine Dufour also drives Schilling home frequently, and the women have become close friends. “She’s a really sweet lady and such a devoted parishioner,” Dufour said. “She loves a party and loves a good time. I draw a lot of inspiration from her. She’s like an Eveready battery; she keeps going.”Schilling’s daily life is an active one. She plays games three times a week, takes senior exercise classes, and reads three or more murder mysteries a week. Her favorite author is Agatha Christie. She crochets and makes baby blankets for each new family birth.
She also still nurtures a lifelong love for travel. Her most recent trips took her to Montana for a grandchild’s wedding, Bermuda, Philadelphia and upstate New York.
Her Catholic faith, Schilling said, is one of the reasons she is able to stay so active. She also knows how important it is to help others live their faith, she added. Schilling is an extraordinary minister of holy Communion who regularly brings the Eucharist to shut-ins at her assisted living complex. She said she has a special devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, likes to say the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi and regularly prays seven rosaries a day.
“My mother has a very strong belief in God watching over her,” Boyd said. “She’s weathered the sadness in her life with an unshakeable faith.” Schilling said she doesn’t have any overly profound advice for people who wonder how she’s lived this long. Her three simple tips sum up the way she’s approached her entire life.“Stay active, stay involved, and keep the faith,” she said.
Published Oct. 2,, 2008, The Catholic Miscellany
SIA Newsletter 10 29 2013 - Another Christmas Party Change; Sandy; Deauville; Tidal Levels; Bulk Trash; Boat Ramp
To All Strathmere
and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,
In our October 9
Newsletter, we advised you that there would be changes in this year's
Community Christmas Party. Because of severe overcrowding at
the Firehouse, it would move to the Deauville Inn and there would be a
charge for all attendees nine and older.
But now we
have another big change in Our Christmas
Party!
The Citizens
for Strathmere and Whale Beach organization has offered a very generous,
one-time donation to keep the party free for one more year. The
SIA and the Strathmere Volunteer Fire Company will still contribute what they
did last year.
The party will take place on Saturday, December
14, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. The Deauville will provide
appetizers, a full dinner, and one drink ticket for wine or beer. We'll again
ask attendees to bring their favorite desserts to share.
Since a free dinner
at the Deauville will obviously be very popular, and we do not want to overwhelm
the Deauville Dining Room, we'll put an upper limit on the number of tickets.
Attendance will be limited to the following folks: Strathmere
residents, homeowners, Fire Company members
and SIA members.
You must
apply for tickets by mail to the SIA at PO Box 57, Strathmere 08248, or email
Donna at donnad921@comcast.net
. Please provide the names of people you are requesting tickets for,
your Strathmere and home addresses, and especially the name, age and
shirt size of any children 12 and under.
Don't forget the address you want
tickets mailed back to.
We expect
tickets to run out fairly quickly, so don't wait to apply! We do not believe
there will be any tickets left to make available at the door.
Also, Santa
would like to start planning and ordering the gifts for children 12 and
under as soon as possible.
Sounds like a great
party! Special thanks to the CFSWB and of course to the SIA and the Fire
Company, also.
We look forward to seeing you on
December 14!
*********************************************************
Today, October 29, is the date the
Sandy came ashore last year. Certainly not a date to celebrate, but we
should take time to acknowledge the hardships and suffering many of our
neighbors endured (and some are still enduring) from that storm.
To all those who chipped in to help, whether
through SURF or giving of your personal time, our sincere thanks!
**********************************************
The storm and subsequent release by FEMA of
Advisory Base Flood Elevation maps caused us all to learn about the changes in
flood maps and the Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 changing the way flood insurance
premiums are calculated...
Ed Tettemer passed along this New York Times article indicating folks beyond the Jersey shore are also
upset...
********************************
In past off-seasons, the Deauville Inn has gone to a
five-day schedule, closing on Tuesday and Wednesday.
This year, they are experimenting
with a full seven-day schedule. If enough people come in on Tuesday and
Wednesday, they'll stay open for seven days all winter.
If you're near Strathmere on Tuesday or
Wednesday, we suggest you stop in.
********************************
We previously reported on and showed pictures
of the five consecutive days (Wednesday, October 9 to Sunday, October 13) of
flooding on Bayview Drive.
You might want to save this website on tidal water levels. Click on "East" (upper left) and then down the left side to the
number left of "Atlantic City".
It will take you here,
and you'll see a plot like the one below.
The blue line shows the "normal", or
predicted height of the water off Atlantic City. The red line, or plot,
shows the observed (actual) height.
The difference between them, called the
residual, is plotted in green.
When we have a northeast wind, we have to
watch the residual. If the water builds up and can't get back out, the residual
continues to climb and the next high tide(s) can be damaging.
Here you can see that on Saturday, October
12 the afternoon tide reached six feet with a residual of just over a foot.
The residual then went almost all the way up
to two feet Saturday night, during a "low" high tide, but by Sunday afternoon,
the wind had changed and the residual dropped back to one foot. We still had
almost a six-foot tide, and water again in Bayview, but without the wind change
and drop in the residual, it would have been much worse.
Now that you know how to read these things,
here's an interesting "Forecast" Ted Kingston found on 10/28/12 - a day before
Sandy came ashore!
Looks like they were pretty
accurate.
We'll have a quiz on all this some Wednesday
evening at the Deauville!
*********************************
Our next bulk pickup of trash will be
Monday, November 4.
****************************************
Upper Township has received a
$280,000 grant from Cape May County to rehabilitate our
boat ramp on Bayview Drive.
It will include the addition of a floating
dock and a pier.
****************************************
Remember to follow and "like" the SIA (click the
"Thumbs Up" box ) on Facebook:
***************************************
Upcoming Events - please add to your
calendars:
SFEC Meeting (Nominations of Officers),
4:00 pm, Saturday, November 9
SFEC Last Cast Tournament, Friday to
Saturday, November 29-30
SFEC Meeting (Election of Officers and
Christmas Party), 4:00 pm, Saturday, December
7
Community Christmas Party at the Deauville Inn,
6:00 pm Saturday, December 14
Let us know of additions or
corrections!
***********************************************************
Again, check out Carol Baker's wonderful
Strathmere History website at http://www.strathmere.net/
***********************************************************
The Strathmere Improvement Association was
founded in 1951 as a community organization with the simple objective of making
Strathmere a better place. We are proud of the organization's many
accomplishments over the years.
Please let us know if you have comments or
suggestions for the newsletter or for SIA in general, or if you'd like us to
change your e-mail address in our records.
**************************************
Thanks very much for your continuing support of
the Strathmere Improvement Association!
Linda Bateman
Elaine Holsomback
Donna Diefenderfer
Rosemarie
Whelan
Ken Weaver
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
SIA Newsletter 10 9 2013 - Bayberry and Beach Plum Planting Saturday; No Trash or Recycling Monday; Beach Funding; Christmas Party Changes; Bayview Flooding; Calendar
To All Strathmere
and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,
This
Saturday, October 12, is the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club's
"Environmental Day".
The Club invites Whale Beach & Strathmere residents to join them
in planting Beach Plums & Bayberry bushes at
10 am at
Randolph Road and the
beach (rain date
October 13 at noon). Please
bring a shovel and gloves if you
can.
In
addition, the SFEC requests all to join them for a special presentation by the
American Littoral Society
that afternoon at 4
PM
Refreshments will be served following the
discussion.
**********************************************************
Since this Monday is the Columbus Day Holiday,
there will be no trash or recycling picked
up.
Trash will be picked up on
Tuesday, October 15, but the
next
recycling pickup will be Monday, October 21.
The next bulk trash pickup will be November 4.
A reminder that all of Cape May County went to "single
stream" recycling earlier this year.
The Strathmere
Community Christmas Party will take place on Saturday, December
14, from 6:00 to 10:00 pm and will once again be hosted jointly by the
Strathmere Volunteer Fire Company and the Strathmere Improvement
Association.
This year, however, we've had
to make some changes. In a way, our Christmas Party's popularity has
forced us into this. Last year, attendance climbed to well over 125 attendees.
Not only was it difficult to find a seat for dinner, but the limit for
the second floor of the Firehouse is just 75 people. It was, by
definition, an unsafe condition and embarrassing to the sponsors.
Since we don't want to limit the
number of attendees, we have decided to move the party to a larger
location.
This year's party will take
place at the Deauville Inn. The Deauville will provide appetizers, a
full dinner (menu to follow), (drink tickets for) red and white wine, beer,
soda, and water. We'll again ask attendees to bring their favorite desserts to
share.
The SVFC and the SIA will subsidize
the party with the same amount as in previous years. There will, however, be an
admission charge to offset the additional costs.
Tickets purchased in advance
will be $15 for adults and children 13 and over, and $5.00 for children from 9
to 12; children eight and under will be free. Tickets
at the door will be $20 for adults and still $5 for children 9 to 12 (although
Santa may not have gifts ready for latecomers). We think these are very
reasonable prices for dinner, drinks, gifts and community camaraderie.
Tickets will be available at
the Riordan Real Estate Office or by mail from the SIA at PO Box 57, Strathmere
08248.
Santa would like to start
planning and ordering the gifts for children 12 and under as soon as
possible. His elves will need the name, age and shirt size of all such children
who are planning to attend. Please provide this information as soon as you can
by e-mail to sia6@comcast.net, Donna Diefenderfer at donnad921@comcast.net or call Donna's cell phone at
215-801-5876.
We look forward to seeing you on
December 14!
*********************************************************
We've had quite a northeast wind today
(Wednesday), resulting in flooding once again on Bayview
Drive.
It began to flood at 10:30 this morning and
as we write this around 4:30 pm, you still can't get to many homes.
Remember to follow and "like" the SIA (click the
"Thumbs Up" box ) on Facebook:
You'll get an early look at lots of things going
on in Strathmere!
******************************************************************
Upcoming Events - please add to your
calendars:
SFEC-Sponsored Beachplum and Bayberry Planting,
10 am Saturday, October 1
SFEC Meeting & Environmental Program (open
to all), 4:00 pm Saturday, October 12
Community Christmas Party at the Deauville Inn,
6:00 pm Saturday, December 14
Let us know of additions or
corrections!
*******************************
And once again, check out Carol Baker's
wonderful Strathmere History website at http://www.strathmere.net/
*************************************
The Strathmere Improvement Association includes
all owners in Strathmere and Whale Beach and many visitors. It was founded in
1951 as a community organization with the simple objective of making Strathmere
a better place. We are proud of the organization's many accomplishments over the
years.
The SIA kept the 2013 annual dues
at $10 per adult family member. The dues and the fund
raisers provide for the Fourth of July Parade and our share of the Christmas
Party. We conducted a number of Centennial events in 2012, donated money to help
pay for extra State Police protection, and donated to residents affected by
Sandy.
NOTE: Since most of you
never formally "signed up" as members, obviously we cannot "force" you to pay
dues,which are really more like (non-deductible)
donations anyway. If you don't pay, we will still keep
you on our newsletter distribution. The only penalty will be that you can't vote
in our (mostly uncontested) elections!
Nevertheless, we really hope you
see value in our projects and enjoy the newsletters enough so that you'll
contribute $10 per adult family member.
Thanks!
Dues payments may be sent to SIA
at PO Box 57, Strathmere, NJ 08248. Remember to tell us your
correct e-mail address!
Also, please let us know if you have comments
or suggestions for the newsletter or for SIA in general, or if you'd like us to
change your e-mail address in our records.
**************************************
Thanks very much for your continuing support of
the Strathmere Improvement Association!
Linda Bateman
Elaine Holsomback
Donna Diefenderfer
Rosemarie
Whelan
Ken Weaver
Friday, October 04, 2013
Schiavo Library: October 2013 Newsletter
Schiavo Library: October 2013 Newsletter
Most Popular Books and DVDs for summer 2013:
Most popular children’s books – Sea Monsters, The Enormous Crocodile & Charlotte’s Web
Most popular fiction – Gone Girl & And the Mountains Echoed
Most popular non-fiction – At Home: A Short History of Private Life & Killing Kennedy
Most popular DVD- Silver Linings Playbook (checked out a record 13 times)
Used Book Sale and Donations:
Our fifth annual “End of Summer” book sale is over and it was very successful. We made $541.80 and had 284 people stop in the library to browse and buy. Keep those donations coming!
October is Mystery Month at the Library:
For the month of October we are having a special drawing for a “mystery prize.” Check out a book (any type of book – it doesn’t have to be a mystery, even though we have LOTS of those to choose from) and enter to win.
We will also have our “Borrow a DVD for FREE” promotion this month. What a deal!
Winter Hours:
Hours will vary this winter. We’ll be open Tuesday - Saturday, either from 9-4pm or 8-3pm. This is to accommodate Melissa’s hours (she has to pick up children from school). And no Thursday evenings.
Our Library and the Used Book Sale Are Famous:
Well, maybe a little famous – we were STARS of a great article in the Hometown section of the Press of Atlantic City. Joan was even featured on the front page of that section.
Here’s a link: Article about the library
Christine Rohrman, Library Director
www.strathmerelibrary.org
Most Popular Books and DVDs for summer 2013:
Most popular children’s books – Sea Monsters, The Enormous Crocodile & Charlotte’s Web
Most popular fiction – Gone Girl & And the Mountains Echoed
Most popular non-fiction – At Home: A Short History of Private Life & Killing Kennedy
Most popular DVD- Silver Linings Playbook (checked out a record 13 times)
Used Book Sale and Donations:
Our fifth annual “End of Summer” book sale is over and it was very successful. We made $541.80 and had 284 people stop in the library to browse and buy. Keep those donations coming!
October is Mystery Month at the Library:
For the month of October we are having a special drawing for a “mystery prize.” Check out a book (any type of book – it doesn’t have to be a mystery, even though we have LOTS of those to choose from) and enter to win.
We will also have our “Borrow a DVD for FREE” promotion this month. What a deal!
Winter Hours:
Hours will vary this winter. We’ll be open Tuesday - Saturday, either from 9-4pm or 8-3pm. This is to accommodate Melissa’s hours (she has to pick up children from school). And no Thursday evenings.
Our Library and the Used Book Sale Are Famous:
Well, maybe a little famous – we were STARS of a great article in the Hometown section of the Press of Atlantic City. Joan was even featured on the front page of that section.
Here’s a link: Article about the library
Christine Rohrman, Library Director
www.strathmerelibrary.org
Thursday, October 03, 2013
SIA Newsletter 10 2 2013 - Town Meeting Last Saturday on New FEMA Maps; Bayberry and Beach Plum Planting 10/12; Webcam; Like Us on Facebook!; Calendar
To All Strathmere
and Whale Beach Homeowners and Visitors,
We'll try to summarize some key points
here...
Paul pointed out that typically, the general
public would not see the "advisory" maps that came out last December or even
these preliminary maps. The advisory maps were published because of rebuilding
requirements due to Superstorm Sandy. These preliminary maps would normally be
shared only with State, County and Municipal officials, to get comments and
input before releasing the preliminary FIRM maps, but because these maps are so
different from the advisory maps, FEMA could not expect local officials to keep
them "secret" until the next round of maps. As reported in previous newsletters,
the new maps moved almost all of Strathmere and Whale Beach out of the
"V" zone and into the "A" zone.
The next step will be the release of the
Preliminary FIRMs (Flood Information Rate Maps), in a few months. These are the
maps that solicit public input and the only ones that can be formally appealed.
After considering all input, FEMA will release the actual FIRMs. These FIRMs are
what the new flood insurance premiums will be based on, and no chnges in flood
insurance rates due to mapping will occur until the next renewal (or new policy)
after they take effect. We're guessing that for most people, that would be in
2015, although it could be in late 2014.
Most of Strathmere was previously in the A10
Zone, meaning (for flood insurance purposes) the elevation of your lowest
"habitable" floor had to be 10 feet above "sea level" on the 1929 datum. These
new maps use the 1988 datum, which, in Strathmere, puts "sea level" 1.28 feet
higher than maps using the 1929 datum. This means that if your first floor was
10 feet above sea level on the old maps (or on your elevation certificate), it
is now 1.28 feet closer to sea level or at 8.72 feet elevation.
Paul brought large-scale paper copies over for
display, and we have taken them to the Schiavo Library where you can look at
them. Frankly, if you are able to receive this newsletter, you can see these new
maps in even more detail by accessing this link:
Please plan to be
in town for Columbus Day Weekend.
That
Saturday, October 12, is the Strathmere Fishing and Environmental Club's
"Environmental Day".
The Club invites Whale Beach & Strathmere residents to join them
in planting
Beach Plums & Bayberry bushes at
10 am at
Randolph Road and the
beach (rain date
October 13 at noon).
Please
bring a shovel and gloves if you
can.
In
addition, the SFEC requests all to join them for a special presentation by the
American Littoral Society
that afternoon at 4
PM
Refreshments will be served following the
discussion.
************************************************************************
Ed Tettemer wants everyone to know that
the Beach Webcam at the Octagon is back up and running and you
can check out the Randolph Road beach here:
Add it to your "favorites".
*********************************************************
Remember to follow and "like" the SIA (click the
"Thumbs Up" box ) on Facebook:
You'll get an early look at lots of things going
on in Strathmere!
******************************************
Upcoming Events - please add to your
calendars:
SFEC-Sponsored Beachplum and Bayberry Planting,
10 am Saturday, October 12
SFEC Meeting & Environmental Program (open
to all), 4:00 pm Saturday, October 12
Let us know of additions or
corrections!
***********************************************************
And once again, check out Carol Baker's
wonderful Strathmere History website at http://www.strathmere.net/
**************************************************
The Strathmere Improvement Association includes all owners in Strathmere and Whale Beach and many visitors. It was founded in 1951 as a community organization with the simple objective of making Strathmere a better place. We are proud of the organization's many accomplishments over the years.
The SIA kept the 2013 annual dues
at $10 per adult family member. The dues and the fund
raisers provide for the Fourth of July Parade and our share of the Christmas
Party. We conducted a number of Centennial events in 2012, donated money to help
pay for extra State Police protection, and donated to residents affected by
Sandy.
NOTE: Since most of you
never formally "signed up" as members, obviously we cannot "force" you to pay
dues,
which are really more like (non-deductible)
donations anyway. If you don't pay, we will still keep
you on our newsletter distribution. The only penalty will be that you can't vote
in our (mostly uncontested) elections!
Nevertheless, we really hope you
see value in our projects and enjoy the newsletters enough so that you'll
contribute $10 per adult family member.
Thanks!
Dues payments may be sent to SIA
at PO Box 57, Strathmere, NJ 08248. Remember to tell us your
correct e-mail address!
Also, please let us know if you have comments
or suggestions for the newsletter or for SIA in general, or if you'd like us to
change your e-mail address in our records.
**************************************
Thanks very much for your continuing support of
the Strathmere Improvement Association!
Linda Bateman
Elaine Holsomback
Donna Diefenderfer
Rosemarie
Whelan
Ken Weaver
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