RE Log - Fall 2021

72 Ransom Everglades LOG FALL 2021 In Loving Mem y Gretchen Graham ’84 passed away on November 7, 2020. Gretchen was born in Miami on March 3, 1966. She grew up in a home where the head of the family was her mother, Dorothy Mae Wallace Graham, and her grandmother, Mae Foster, along with Gretchen’s two brothers – Michael Graham and Wendell Graham ’74 . Gretchen was later raised by her adopted parents – Jeane and Clinton Thorton of Hampton, Va. As a young child, Gretchen attended church with her family at The Episcopal Church of The Incarnation in Miami. There, she spent many hours with the various youth ministries at the church. She attended public school and excelled in academics and athletics. She threw the shot put, discus and javelin. She then went on to attend Ransom Everglades. After RE, she attended Hampton College but left to join the Naval Reserves. Recognizing the importance of education, Gretchen completed her under- graduate studies and received a Bachelor of Science from Liberty University. She also received a Master of Education in Multidisciplinary Studies and Educational Administration from Grand Canyon University. Gretchen enjoyed life to the fullest. Her greatest joy, besides being a follower and lover of God, was her wonderful husband, Fernando, and her beloved daughter, Jordanne. She and her husband loved to travel; they both became ministers of Liberty Baptist Church where they actively served in the usher ministry. Her passion for enjoying and living life was also demon- strated in her years of teaching school. Her focus was special education where she encouraged and inspired her students to excel and do their best despite challenges that they might face. Despite the challenges of battling breast cancer on two separate occasions, Gretchen was a trouper, a fighter and a warrior. Thomas Donald Cahill ’63 , a Miami native and 25-year resident of Cudjoe Key, Fla., passed away on December 24, 2020. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of the university’s varsity tennis team, he was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served as a helicopter pilot. He later returned to Miami and worked for numerous country clubs as a tennis pro. Then, from 1986 until he retired in 2008, he was the Head Tennis Pro at the Harbor Club in Seal Harbor, Maine. Alan Gittleson ’68, a Ransom associate alumnus, wrote his obituary before his death on February 21, 2021: “I passed away from COVID-19. I was a humanitari- an, philanthropist, and a prolific writer, having had numerous ‘Letters to the Editor’ published in area newspapers. My interest in politics spanned many decades; including work on presidential, senate and mayoral campaigns. I also volunteered as part of the Gadsden Tutorial Program, and at the After School House in South Miami. Additionally, I did volunteer office work for the late Father Mullaly at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. When I had apartments, I took in the homeless so they didn’t have to sleep in the rain. I considered myself a ‘mench’ (a ‘good man’ in Hebrew). Although Jewish, I proudly had Palestinian friends — because I consid- ered myself to be a peace-maker and a very good diplomat. I worked hard for 30 years and did everything from washing dishes, babysitting, delivering newspapers, working at Ben and Jerry’s to writing my own newsletter, ‘The Humanitarian.’ I enjoyed playing chess and Scrabble. I was upbeat and enjoyed telling jokes to enter- tain my friends. My favorite slogan was: ‘I like hugs, not drugs.’” Lisa Steiner Brown ’74 of Bremen, Ariz., passed away on March 6, 2021. She was born in Miami, the daughter of the late Louis Steiner. Lisa served as a heli- copter EMT in Arizona for six years. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her husband, David Brown. Survivors include her children Darren and Lauryn Brown of Pine Mountain, and David and Angie Brown of Bremen; mother, Lois Steiner of Hollywood, Fla.; sister, Leslie Steiner of Hollywood, Fla.; and six grandchildren. Anne Wellington ’76 passed away in the spring of 2021. Bill Epstein ’79 passed away in February, surrounded by family and friends, after a sudden and brief battle with cancer. He leaves behind his wife, Hilda, and sons, Lucas and Isaac. Born and raised in Key Biscayne, Bill was a standout athlete throughout his six years at RE, earning Miami Herald all-county honors in both soccer and track. He earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Miami, where he played men’s soccer, and his PhD at the University of Florida. After receiving his PhD, Bill and Hilda lived in Coconut Grove where their first son, Lucas, was born. Bill worked for a time as project manager for a construction firm in Miami. He then moved the family to Cayucos, Calif., where he began his teaching career at the University of California at San Luis Obispo teaching construction management and eventually becoming a tenured professor. Bill’s and Hilda’s second son, Isaac, was born in Cayucos, Calif., where they lived for 20+ years. Bill had moved back to Florida in October 2020 to return to the construction industry managing the construction of “Tech Campus” in the Jensen Beach area for a private enterprise. Unfortunately, soon after he was diagnosed with late-stage melanoma. An informal gathering of friends, in Bill’s memory, will take place this fall in Miami. For more information, contact Chip Cole ( chip.cole@usi.com ) or David Villano ( dvillano@yahoo.com ).