Anchorage Daily News

AUG. 23, 1958

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Karen and Mike Laufenburger

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Julie and Jim Ede

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Karleen and Mike Laufenburger

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Leigha Tims and Adam Ducharme

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Jimmie and Charles King

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Julie and Jim Ede

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Jeanne and Ed Morries

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Jimmie and Charles King

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Karen and BJ Barker

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Patti and Jack Garrison

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Patti and Jack Garrison

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Karen and BJ Baker

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Julie and Jim Ede

Julie (Wallace) and Jim Ede celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 23 at the Palmer Elks Lodge in Wasilla. They were married Aug. 23, 1958, in South Bend, Ind. The Edes drove a Volkswagen bus to Alaska during summer 1959, in time to see the 49th-state flag raised on the Anchorage Park Strip on July Fourth.

The Edes taught school in rural Alaska as well as Wasilla and Anchorage for many years. Since 1961, the Ede family has made their home on Davis Road near Wasilla. Jim retired and worked for the Wasilla museum while Julie continued to teach in Anchorage and Chugiak. They ran an antiques business for 25 years and had a bed-and-breakfast for several years.

Julie and Jim have been active in statewide and community organizations in areas such as arts, education, historical and political groups for the past 30 years.

Their retirement activities include reading, traveling, classic-car events, jazz festivals and volunteer work.

Their three children and seven grandchildren live in Anchorage.

SEPT. 20, 1958

Patti and Jack Garrison

Patti Sue Garrison and Jack Warren Garrison of Big Lake will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary Sept. 19 during a family celebration at Henry's Restaurant. They were married Sept. 20, 1958, in Anchorage.

Jack came to Alaska in 1942, graduated from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks and was chief land surveyor for Tryck Nyman & Hayes for 20 years. He earned a personal pilot license and is a charter member of the Big Lake Lions Club. Jack built many houses during the years. During his younger years, he played goalie in hockey and still enjoys watching it today as well as reading, history, genealogy and construction projects.

Patti came to Alaska in 1956 and has been a homemaker for 50 years, raising five daughters. She ran an in-home day care for 20 years and was instrumental in starting the first kindergarten class at Big Lake Elementary School. Patti enjoys cooking, reading, puzzles and family gatherings.

Patti and Jack will be joined in their celebration by their five daughters, Sharon Kalnoski, Shelli Rabung, Shannon Rogers, Shawna Smejdir and Joi Webber. The Garrisons have 11 grandchildren: Summer and Chelsea Kalnoski, Jack, Caleb and Emma Rabung, Charity Lawson, Nick Garrison, Alexander and Samantha Hunley, and Jackie and Eric Smejdir; and great-grandchildren including Savannah Kalnoski and Warren and Jack Lawson.

They plan to retire to West Plains, Mo., in October.

SEPT. 20, 2008

Leigha Tims and Adam Ducharme

Leigha Tims of Eagle River and Adam Ducharme of Winchedon, Mass., will marry Sept. 20 at Riverside Community Church in Eagle River.

Adam proposed Christmas morning when Leigha awoke with the engagement ring already on her finger.

They enjoy fishing, camping, watching and playing sports, and plan to remodel their home after the wedding.

Leigha, daughter of Les and Rene Tims of Eagle River, graduated from Bartlett High School in 2004. She is the executive sales assistant at Totem Ocean Trailer Express Inc.

Adam, son of Dennis Ducharme and Ann Chagnon of Winchedon, graduated from Murdoch Middle High School in 2003. A staff sergeant in the Air Force, he is stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base.

AUG. 16, 1958

Jeanne and Ed Morris

Former Wasilla residents Jeanne and Ed Morris of Granbury, Texas, have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married Aug. 16, 1958, at the Broadmoor Hotel wedding chapel in Colorado Springs, Colo. The Morrises have four children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. They are missionaries to Mexico and shared some of their mission work with a short video presentation during a recent service at Family Christian Center in Palmer. Afterward, they renewed their vows, and a reception followed at the church.

JULY 2, 1968

Karen and BJ Baker

Karen and BJ Baker of Anchorage celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a quiet trip to favorite Alaska fishing lakes. A trip to Tuscany in Italy is also planned.

The Bakers were married July 2, 1968, at the Lemoore Naval Air Station Chapel in California. Both were naval officers and met a year earlier when BJ checked into the jet training squadron, where Karen was the personnel officer. Their newspaper wedding announcement read, "Bride Changes Name, Keeps Rank."

The Bakers settled in Hanford, Calif., then relocated to Long Beach. After BJ deployed to Vietnam for a year, Karen returned to teaching and continued her career as the couple moved to Las Vegas. There, she earned a Master of Education degree in 1975.

After leaving the Navy, BJ continued flying as an instructor and then as a member of the Las Vegas Police Department.

When BJ was recruited by the Alaska State Troopers in 1975, they moved to Anchorage. Karen was hired by the Anchorage School District and taught at Romig Middle School as special education chairman and later as language arts chairman. When she retired in 1998, she began instructing at Alaska Pacific University, for which she continues to enjoy teaching throughout Alaska.

Karen is a past vice president and member of Delta Kappa Gamma, Zeta, a member of Who's Who in Collegiate Education, and she volunteers at numerous agencies.

BJ began a third career as a paralegal, earning a degree from the University of San Diego in 1988. After working at several firms in Anchorage, he became the environmental paralegal for U.S. Army Alaska in 2001. He is past president and member of Alaska Paralegal Association.

Both enjoy reading, photography, writing and gardening. Both continue to love and discover Alaska. They travel frequently and recently completed a trip to China. When they actually do retire, the plan is to RV extensively in the Lower 48.

AUG. 15, 1958

Jimmie and Charles King

Jimmie and Charles King celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 15 at the Kincaid Park chalet while with by family and friends. Guests from Chattanooga, Tenn., included Eddie and Nancy Kemper, and Mary Nesbitt, who helped serve the cake, the function she performed 50 years ago at the Kings' wedding. Guests from across Alaska ranged in age from 10 to 94.

Jimmie and Charles met at the Seward Sanatorium in 1956. Twenty months later, they married in Chattanooga and set up housekeeping in Fairbanks. Charles completed a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Alaska before moving to Anchorage to work for Alaska Medical Labs. He helped found Blood Bank of Alaska in 1962. He also worked for the Anchorage School District for 17 years. In 1997, Jimmie retired as a partner from Northern Adjusters Inc., where she had started as a transcriber 37 years earlier.

In lieu of gifts, the Kings ask that guests bring contributions for the Blood Bank of Alaska. Charles is a 15-gallon donor, and Jimmie has donated 12 gallons.

The Kings are members of St. John United Methodist Church.

AUG. 27, 1983

Karleen and Mike Laufenburger

Karleen and Mike Laufenburger will celebrate 25 years of marriage by reliving their honeymoon with a trip to the Kenai Peninsula.

The Laufenburgers were married Aug. 27, 1983, at Faith Lutheran Church in Anchorage. Mike had a surprise waiting for her. As they exited the church, with rice raining down upon them, Mike kept telling Karleen to look up. When she finally did, she saw a hot air balloon waiting to whisk them away. They spent their first 59 minutes as husband and wife literally "floating on air."

It was love at first sight when Karleen saw Mike at a Mexican restaurant on Muldoon Road. But they didn't officially meet until several months later (February 1983) during the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Polka Dance at St. Patrick's Church hall, listening to the music of Marge Ford and the Polka Chips. They became engaged in May 1983 on a large rock formation along Turnagain Arm.

In April 1986, they packed their son, dog and cat in their Ford van and drove the Alaska Highway to California, where Mike was born. For the next three years, they lived in several cities in the Mojave Desert, in Moreno Valley and in Westminster. In June 1989, they packed their son and dog in the same Ford van and drove the Cassiar Highway back to Alaska, vowing never to leave again.

Their adventurous spirits have taken them on a Panama Canal cruise out of Costa Rica, a Western Caribbean cruise out of Miami, trips to the Hawaiian Islands, Europe, New York City, Las Vegas, road trips throughout Washington, Oregon and California, and many wonderful adventures throughout Alaska. Their latest adventure has been living in King Salmon for the past 11 years, where Mike works for Paug-Vik Development Corp. and Karleen works for the state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. When Mike isn't out fishing, golfing or traveling, you'll find him in his woodworking shop. When Karleen isn't gardening, reading or traveling, you'll find her sewing and quilting in her craft room.

Their son, a staff sergeant in the Air Force, is stationed at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colo.

How to submit a Together announcement

The Daily News publishes engagement, wedding and anniversary announcements every Monday at adn.com and in the Life & Style section. We have teamed with Legacy.com to offer guest books and photo galleries to accompany all announcements. Those placing an engagement announcement also have a convenient online gift registry. Couples are encouraged to personalize these new enhancements. After a submission is made to the Daily News, Legacy.com will contact the submitter with an e-mail that contains a link to the extra features.

We accept all anniversaries, for couples married just one year or 60. We accept submissions from former residents who did not grow up in Alaska. We have extended the deadline to submit weddings and anniversaries from three months to six.

Engagements start at $55 for up to 200 words. Wedding announcements start at $5 for up to 70 words. Anniversary announcements start at $10 for up to 70 words. Couples celebrating their 40th anniversary or beyond can place a free announcement of up to 200 words; 201 to 350 words is $75. More words costs extra.

No announcement may exceed 700 words. Our electronic forms count words as they are typed. Our online forms allow for photo uploads and secure payment. See our forms at adn.com/help. Our online forms help us process submissions as quickly and accurately as possible. A $15 service fee will be added for announcements that are e-mailed, dropped off at or mailed to the Daily News.

Submit announcements no later than six months after the event. Engagement announcements should be submitted at least one month before the wedding day.

We edit announcements for clarity and news style. All announcements become the property of the Anchorage Daily News and may be republished in any format.

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