April's extended family

Today's blog is about the extended family that surrounded April. We gathered for Christmas, Easter, summer camping, birthdays and other holidays. That's when memories are made and pictures record them.

Jim & April. The best man in my wedding was my brother, Jim. We were very close and the reason that there are a lot of pictures of his son, Kelly, along with April in this blog is that we got together often - even though he lived in Sheboygan and we lived in Milwaukee. Jim died in a car accident 18 months after April died.

Godparents for April were Tom and Linda Mastaler of Newport News, VA. We met the Mastalers when Butch was working in Columbia, SC at an Allis-Chalmers lift truck plant in 1979. They followed us back to Milwaukee. Al & Jan Rutkowski, of IL & IN, were subletting our apartment while we were in SC. Both families remain special friends to this day.

Grandma Jean and grandpa John Wiggin attended April's baptism, 7-19-1981.

April had an extra grandpa who lived upstairs (Earl Kraus). She is standing on Bobby & Earl's son-in-law, Ray. Ray and Kathy lived in Canada.

April had an extra grandma (Bobby Kraus) who lived upstairs. She loved to bake terrific stuff that we enjoyed eating. Joan & Butch visited Bobby and Kathy in Sarnia, Canada, in 2008. Bobby still looks the same 29 years later.

There are 11 people in this pic. Santa, Scott Stegemeyer, Kelly, Ryan, Sarah, Joan,

April, Becky, Barb and Ron & Berny in back. 1981

All dressed up for some reason. Who does that anymore?

Butch, April, Becky & new cousin Joey.

Aunt Marie, cousins Becky, Ryan & Kelly, Dad & April.

This was before TV & video games.

Joan, JoAnn, April Kelly & Carl.

Another birthday gathering...
Kim Hintzelman, Becky Wolf, Joey & grandma, Marie & Ryan Wolf, Kelly H, Butch & April

Somebody's b-day... Jennifer or April?

Joan, April, Jennifer & Jack Wiggin, Miles Capron.