The Janssen Family 2021 Christmas Letter

Greetings From Chez Janssen I know, you thought we’d dropped off the face of the earth. But no, we’re alive and well in Colorful Colorado. I’ve never been as anxious before a final exam, check ride, important business meeting, etc. as I was waiting for Debbie’s 6:30 PM appointment in late January for her first Covid vaccination. Having beaten cancer twice now, she’s still my hero, but her immune process took a recess several years ago. Getting the shot for her was high drama indeed. We’re much too far away from family, but it looks like everyone is getting through the virus and doing well. Heidi married Jeff Baker in October. He is an oncologist who has come out of retirement to mentor and train fellows in his specialty for UCONN. They plan to move here this summer. Their planned move enabled us to put a deposit down on Aberdeen Ridge, a retirement community being built in Colorado Springs. It should open in the first half of 2023. We’re not being pushed by any medical conditions, but we’re just trying to do the best planning and preparation we can for an uncertain future. We figure we live our lives in chapters, and this move will enable us to live our next chapter in a roomy unit with a nice view of the mountains, adjacent care when needed, and very good on-site amenities. We’ll miss having enough room to enjoy hosting family and friends and sponsoring cadets in this house, but they will have overnight lodging, so you’re still welcome to visit. Back to Heidi, her boys are scattered. Evan is a Captain in the Air Force stationed in South Carolina. Alex is a banker in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. David is a junior at UCONN studying Management and Engineering for Manufacturing. Guess which one we plan to visit this winter? Yes, I’m still allergic to ice and snow. Molly and Bill are still in Hermosa Beach, CA, which is another place that beckons us in the winter. She continues to be a leader in residential real estate, and he owns and manages three El Gringo restaurants in the South Bay. His catering business has been shuttered since the early days of the dread bug. Van is a senior in high school where he plays football and lacrosse. Marty is a junior who plays soccer and started an investment club after participating in a Wharton School of Business program last summer. Covid precluded the program being in PA, so he met and worked with his teammates from other countries via Zoom. Debbie continues to be the bright, cheerful, friendly person she has always been. She doesn’t sing with her ladies’ choir any longer, but her art projects, reading, and enjoying time with friends keep her enjoying life. She will spend much of the coming year making the difficult decisions about what to keep as we downsize. After 53 years together, there are plenty of keepsakes that will vie for space in our new place. I had the opportunity to speak about my father at a ceremony for the replacement of the 100th Bomb Group memorial plaque at the Air Force Academy Cemetery. My brother, Eric, helped prepare the talk and we both enjoyed attending their reunion in Dallas early in November. Some of the veterans of those WWII days are still able to be there, but most are long gone. The documentary, The Cold Blue, captures the extreme danger and terrible conditions they faced on every mission, and it is amazing how young they were. Dad was 22 years old when he completed his 25 missions as aircraft commander for a crew of 10. The chances of doing that were less than one in four. Eric and I also enjoyed being able to join our brother, Bill, in Lincoln, NE, in September for his induction into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame. He started at defensive tackle on their 1971-72 national championship team and is one of the few people you’ll meet who was on the cover of Sports Illustrated twice. The virus has had a great impact on all of us. None of our lives are quite the same, nor will they ever fully return to the old normal. Some of the changes we’ve experienced are never going back into the barn, and they haven’t all been negative. Let’s hope the New Year brings long awaited relief along with a newly gained understanding and appreciation for many of the wonderful things ahead. Holler if your travels bring you our way. The welcome mat is always out at Chez Janssen. Debbie and Carl

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