black and white rain cloudsmilingSunPlease use this area to share get well, sympathy and good wishes for members of our dancing community. If you are a registered user of the site, you can add comments by using the comment form below the article.  If you are not a registered user, you can use the login / register link at the top of the page to register as a site user. Or, if you prefer, you can submit your comments by opening a help / support ticket at http://coloradosquaredance.com/index.php/support-ticket or by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Terry Cathcart passes

Terry Cathcart passed Monday morning March 2nd. He left behind a legacy to be proud of in the Square Dance community.  Terry was 78 years old.  He headed several state festivals and was Colorado State Bulletin editor for many years. He was instrumental in the formation of Single Footers, Buttons and Bows and Leather and Lace - now the Pueblo Pepper Steppers.  His leadership will be missed.
 
Condolences can be mailed to 1183 Marengo Dr.  Pueblo West, Colorado 81007.  Cremation has taken place.  No services are scheduled at this time.

Sam Margheim

Our sincere condolences to Linda, their family, and to his many dancing friends. 
Please pass this on to your club members
Ralph and Linda

 

It is with a sad heart that we tell you that Sam Margheim passed away this morning, March 17,2018.  Linda was driving the 2 of them home late last night and when Sam had not said anything for a while. She tried to wake him with no result.  She pulled over and assuming a heart attack, called 911.  They responded quickly and attempted resuscitation for an hour while in the ambulance and at the hospital, but to no avail.

 

He will be cremated, but a service will wait until later this spring or this summer.

 

Sam & Linda were the General Chairman of the 53rd National Square Dance Convention in Denver in 2004, and have served on the National Executive Committee since then. Sam helped form the USA West Square Dance Convention, and served in many square dance capacities in Denver and Colorado State.  Sam & Linda are still head of the 53rd Grant Committee and Linda, Jim & Judy Taylor will see to it that the Grant Fund remains viable for the Colorado Square Dance Community.

 

Cards may be sent to:

Linda Margheim

1575 Barres Street

Strasburg, CO  80136

 

Tax deductible contributions may be made to the 53rd NSDC Grant Fund and sent to Linda (Treasurer) at the above address.

 

Jim and Judy Taylor

Obituary: Bill Christensen (Legacy.com)

Marin William "Bill" Christensen


Bill passed into God's hands on January 27, 2017 in Colorado Springs, Colorado surrounded by his wife, Beverly; daughter, Lori; son-in-law, Roger; grandson, Michael; and grandson-in-law, Michael Paris.

Bill was born on November 30, 1933 on the family farm in Lindsay, Nebraska to Oscar and Charlotte Christensen. In 1938, the family moved to Geneseo, Illinois. Bill graduated from Geneseo High School in 1951. During his school years, he was employed on several jobs, including construction and sandblasting projects.

Bill had an adventurous spirit and lived life on his terms. He was a brakeman in the railroad yards in East Moline, Illinois at the age of 18 and later joined the Army. For two years, he was a trainer of pacers and trotters working at Chicago area race tracks, primarily at Sportsman's Park. In subsequent years, he was a postman in Geneseo, where he met his wife of fifty-nine years, Beverly, and then went on to serve on the Geneseo Police force. In 1957, Bill became a member of Stewart Lodge No. 92 in Illinois and was a Master Mason for almost sixty years.

While in the Army, Bill became interested in flying through a buddy on base whose family had extensive ranch holdings in Western Nebraska. On weekends, Bill earned his private pilot's license. He also obtained his multi-engine rating, which he was never able to use. He bought a 1947 Piper C3 from his buddy's father for $750, and after his transfer to Fort Knox, would fly home on the weekends when he had leave and land in a field east of town. He navigated using a compass and following highways and rivers as the plane had no other navigational aids.

Bill later developed an interest in an insurance career. Through his typical diligent efforts, competing against college graduates and lawyers, he secured a position as an insurance adjuster for Bituminous Casualty in Davenport, Iowa. Later, he became an adjuster for Western Casualty and moved to Colorado Springs. During this time, he studied to become a CPCU and scored #1 in his class. He was recognized for this achievement at a National Convention in San Francisco. He joined USAA in 1986 and was in management until his retirement in 1994.

After thirty-four years in Colorado Springs, Bill and Bev bought a home on an acreage in Peyton, Colorado. They enjoyed their horses and gardening in the rural setting. During his Colorado years he was continually active with his construction skills and in developing his property near Woodland Park. Bill was a longtime member of Stewart Lodge No. 92 AF&AM in Geneseo, Illinois. Through their time in Colorado, Bill and Bev shared a passion for square dancing and made many friends.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, and sons, Kenneth and John.

He is survived by his wife, Beverly; daughter, Lori (Roger); grandchildren, Michael, Holly (Ted), and Kristina (Michael); and great-grandson, Eli Paris. He is also survived by brother, Dean (Judy) of Columbus, Ohio; sister, Lora Tremayne (Bill) of Somerset, New Jersey; and brother, Gary (Linda) of Eugene, Oregon.

A special word of thanks to his friends, Clark and Sherm for their many visits to the hospital, Michael Paris for his daily prayer sessions with Bill, the staff at The Center at Cordera, and the wonderful people with Abode Hospice of Colorado.

A Memorial Service will be held at a later date in Geneseo, Illinois.

Memorials may be made in Bill's memory to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Springs Rescue Mission, or a charity of choice .



- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gazette/obituary.aspx?n=marin-william-christensen-bill&pid=183988751#sthash.MSXXX9YV.dpuf

InMemory.pngPlease use this area to recognize and share photos, stories and memories about departed members of our dancing community. If you are a registered user of the site, you can add comments by using the comment form below the article. If you are not a registered user, you can use the login / register link at the top of the page to register as a site user. Or, if you prefer, you can submit your comments by opening a help / support ticket at http://coloradosquaredance.com/index.php/support-ticket or by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A memorial for Joy Chichester

A memorial for Joy Chichester has been set at the Hilton Garden Inn in the Denver Tech Center. The address is 7675 East Union Avenue Denver, on January 14, 2023, At 10:00 AM

The hotel phone number is 303-770-4200

   Contact Matthew Chichester,  phone number 720-381-7768, Joy's past phone number. 
      You are cordially invited to an inter- active Celebration of Life honoring and sharing some activities loved by Lydia Joy Chichester.  

* Traditional dancing led by Chris Kermiet.

* Modern dancing led by Mike Olivieri.

* Rounding out the event will be a sing- along of Handel's Messiah, Part 33,

         Lift up your heads, O ye gates

* A buffet lunch will follow the celebration.

--------------------------------------------

Please contact Molly or Marshall if you have any questions...at 303-332-4212.

                   Thank you. 

In Memory of Carol Toft

Carol passed away on August 2, 2020.  She was a member of Prairie Stars Square Dance Club for many years. 

She will be remembered by many as a very sweet lady with a great disposition, always working to grow Prairie Stars.

Private services were held.  Please remember her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Sympathy cards may be sent to her family at:

Carol Toft Family

1175 S. Balsam Way

Lakewood, CO  80232

Roger Minke

Candy has asked that this be forwarded to our Monarch Mavericks family and friends.  She can use all the prayers and support that we can give. 
 
This morning Roger passed away.    He remained so dignified and so  
ROGER  through it all.    He chose to be cremated.   He did not want a 
church service.    The kids and I decided to honor his memory at the 
Comm. Ctr.  It will be in the obituary.    It will be on Dec. 2nd   
from  1:00 - 3:00.   Also in the obituary will be a couple of donations 
if any care to do that,  in lieu of flowers.    He had so many loyal 
clients here in Salida and area and of course all of you.   There won't 
be a designated speaker,  but anyone wishing to speak of  any stories or 
special, or fun moments you shared with Roger  would be so welcome.    
Thank you all for the huge outpouring of care and concern for us.   It 
kept us going   and is still now  keeping me going.
candy
In case you have missed their address, here you go:
Candy Minke and Family
1225 I Street
Salida, CO   81201
email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Chronicle of Dan Pantano The Square Dance Years

Bear Miller  November 9 at 3:27pm ·Very sad news. My friend dan pantano passed away this Monday. He died peacefully in his chair at home. Don't have many details, but will pass them on as we learn them. dan was a very unique, interesting man that I was blessed to be able to call him my friend.
Senda Casada Griswold -The Chronicle of Dan Pantano The Square Dance Years
Late in the year 1993 while talking with a friend, it came to mind that life as we knew it had indeed ended and it would be a good idea to learn to square dance. He enrolled in a winter class being given by the Rocky Mountain Rainbeaus club. It was taught by Robert “Bear” Miller. It was a  long class that went through the heat of summer. In fact, the heat was so great Bear has never agreed to teach another winter starting class! Never-the-less Dan graduated in the Yellow Rock class and began to attend mainstream dances hosted by the Rocky Mountain Rainbeaus. Not long after, He was approached by the membership of the club to run for an office on the Board of Directors and was subsequently elected to the position of Secretary. Thus began the active political tenure of Dan in the long road to fame. The next year he was elected to the position of Vice President and successfully brought the dance scheduling of callers, which had been neglected, up to date and forward 3 years into the future. He was serving under David Crowell, who had started the process of applying for membership in the Denver Area Square and Round Dance Council. David resigned his position of President about half way through the year, leaving the application unfinished. This task was picked up and completed by Dan and the Rocky Mountain Rainbeaus was admitted to the ranks of recognized clubs in the Denver Area. Since the club was new to this organization, Dan also accepted the responsibility of being the club’s council representative and continued in that position to the time Dan left the club as a member.
 
As a new representative to Council, Dan was intent on establishing a good reputation for the club he represented so volunteered to chair a committee that had no chair. At the time the only committee that met that criteria was the Float committee, and thus he became the Chair of the Float committee. The float was in disrepair and needed serious attention to make it safe for use. Since the budget was only enough to buy a few cans of paint, he bought and applied a restorative paint that made the float usable, albeit still in need of more repair. Unfortunately without realizing the stir it would cause, he had the paint dyed pink. Kind of a Pepto-bismol Pink. He actually thought it was a good idea in that it would be an eye catching color and draw attention to the float as it was pulled in the parades, but, alas, he was mistaken. On the positive side, he was then able to rangle a sufficient budget to totally restore the float to safe usage. This was accomplished by the hard volunteer work of the members of the Scootback Club.
After the Float incident and during the remainder of that tenure, he and his dance partner Debbie Hoyt also chaired the Class Visitation Committee. In addition to that they began to work their way through the chairs of the Board of Directors of the Council. Two years as Treasurer, then a year as Vice-President and at the turn of the century as President. At that time the induction ceremony to the presidency was somewhat different. It was customary to have a candle ceremony, and in Dan’s case he was carried to the dias on a palanquin with great fanfare and pomp, including scepter and crown. This was a surprise to him provided by Bear Miller. As President Dan lead the Council to forgive a loan that had been made some years previously to the committee that established the USAWest Square Dance Convention. These monies had been raised by square dancers to promote square dancing which, in essence, was done. Also, it seemed foolish to have square dancers raise more money from square dancers to repay square dancers. Being able to remove the loan from the books of the Council Treasury went a long way to heal some of the friction in the general membership of the Council. At this same time the Council also decided to support the hosting of the 53rd National Square Dance Convention which was chaired by Sam and Linda Margheim.

For the 53rd National Square Dance Convention, Dan was eventually appointed to Finance Chair. This Chair was in charge of the treasury, the accounting, the program book, vendors, and the ways and means subcommittees. It required lots of travel, patience, and expertise. Over the 5 years leading up to the Convention, Dan did his part to help the 53rd National Square Dance Convention be a financial success which continues to benefit the entire state of Colorado’s square dancers. The Convention ended with a dollar profit exceeding $50,000.

During these years Dan continued to take lessons and danced on a regular basis. He learned the calls through the Challenge 1 program. He also continued to represent his various clubs at council meetings.

After the 53rd NSDC concluded, Dan continued to support the Council by chairing the Orbiting Squares Committee; three years, acted as Parliamentarian for the Council until dance year ending June 2015, and Chaired the 55th Colorado State Square Dance Festival. This festival was held at the Keystone Resort and showed a total profit of $22,000. Half of this profit was returned to the participants of the Festival in the form of subsidies to the food and other amenities. The other half was turned over to the State Association and the Denver Council in equal shares. For the Festival Dan had a very loyal and enthusiastic group of volunteers without which the Festival would not have been possible.