SPOTLIGHT ON YVONNE LORENZ by Bill Sisco ...........

Pictured standing from left to right are; Yvonne Lorenz, Sandy Gartner, Marge Kinser, Velda Craft, Shirley Blanst, Dorie Warren, Jim Grower, Jeannie Cagney, Augie Boychan, and Rosie Smith. Kneeling is Ruth Stelle. Members of the group not pictured are; Nancy Channell, Tim Gartner, Tony skufca, and Bob Norman.

Yvonne was born in New Lexington, Ohio and is a 1943 graduated of New Lexington High School. In May 1945, she married "Chuck" Burgess and from that marriage had three children: Bill, Sandy, and Kim. Sandy was employed at NAFB and is married to retired CMSgt Robert Renner (formerly stationed at NAFB). They reside in Yorktown, Virginia. Kim was also employed at NAFB and is married to Attorney Geoffrey Goll who was assigned to the JAG office at NAFB prior to his retirement from the Air Force Reserves. They live in Salem, Ohio. Son Bill and wife Ulla reside in Reno, Nevada. Yvonne loves to plan family functions to keep the family together as a close-knit group. In 1967 Yvonne married Russell Etzwiler who passed away in 1972 and in 1975 she married John Lorenz who passed away in 1996.
Yvonne has not found the time to be bored since her retirement. She still resides in Heath, Ohio and has remained very active. She has been able to combine a very busy personal and family life with community service, assisting other federal retirees through NARFE, and entertaining local seniors.
She is a member of Licking County Chapter 310 of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE). She joined the local chapter in 1985 and has always been active and demonstrated leadership. She has been a continuous member of the Chapter 310 Board of Directors since becoming a member, has served as Legislative Chairperson,  Publicity Chairperson, and is currently serving as Historian and Alzheimer's Research Chairperson. She is also the entertainment chairperson for the annual NARFE picnic. Under her leadership and guidance, Licking County Chapter 310 has become one of the largest contributors to Alzheimer's Research among Ohio NARFE chapters.
Yvonne has been a member of the Heath Lions Club since 1992. Prior to that, she had been a member of the Heath Lioness Club since 1985 where she served two terms as president. In the early nineties Lions Club International started a program to encourage female members to transfer their membership from Lioness clubs to the local Lions clubs which were formally all male organizations. In 1992, the Heath Lioness Club was disbanded and Yvonne transferred her membership to the Heath Lions Club where she has held various leadership positions including being a member of the board of directors and as club secretary. She has been active beyond the local level serving on the governor’s cabinet under eight different District Governors. She has received numerous awards for her community service work, which includes the prestigious “Melvin Jones Fellowship.” This is the highest award bestowed on an individual from Lions Club International in recognition of humanitarian services.  Since becoming a Lion, Yvonne has attended all District 13-K conventions, as well as numerous fall conferences and state conventions. She has also participated in several International Conventions and USA/Canada Forums.
Yvonne is also a member of the Heath Senior Citizens Group where she serves as secretary.  The group gets together twice a month for dinner meetings, card playing, and social activities. She is also a member and founder of the “Young at Heart Entertainers.” This is an entertainment group that entertains at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, etc. The group is devoted to having fun while bringing sunshine and laughter into the lives of others.
Yvonne is a member of the NAFB Reunion Committee and has held the position of Secretary/Treasurer ever since the first reunion was being planned in 1999. She has put a lot of effort into all three reunions that have been held to date and can always be counted on to get a job done. She has been involved in all preplanning, organizing events, publicity, setup and decorations, and anything else that is required.
In addition to her involvement locally, Yvonne loves to travel and visit with her three children and their spouses, as well as her nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren.  Yvonne is family oriented and recently returned from Reno where her nieces were gathered for a "cousins" reunion. Yvonne also likes to go on bus trips to various points of interest and also enjoys the various entertainment trips. Yvonne does not profess to be a "crafty" person, housekeeper, or cook. She loves to be on the go and figures the housekeeping; etc. will still be there to do when she gets back. If you want to see Yvonne, stop by anytime. If you want to see her house, call for an appointment. One of her main joys in life is dancing, but since John's death she has not found a steady dance partner with whom to "trip the light fantastic". She says that the older she gets the harder it is to find a dancing partner. She figures that the current odds for her age group are about ten women to every man.
So, if you are sitting around feeling bored, just give Yvonne a call and she will tell you how to have fun and live.

NAFB RETIREES IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS by Editor. Yvonne Lorenz, who retired from NAFB in 1985 after 23 years in Civil Engineering Division, is co-founder of a group in the Newark/Heath area called "The Young at Heart Performers". Her partner is Nancy Channel who retired from the Post Office. They are both members of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE). The gals saw a group of singers and dancers (age 50 plus) perform at a Council on Aging program in Columbus and thought it would be fun to be in such a group........so they formed one. They got the ball rolling by placing articles in the local papers and by word of mouth. They have 13 regular performers( including NAFB retirees Yvonne, Tim Gartner, Sandy Gartner, Marge Kinser, Velda Craft and Jim Grower. The group also includes two guest performers (Tony Skufka, accordion, and Bob Norman, keyboard) who are also NAFB retirees. Since their initial meeting on July 25th the Young at Heart Performers have entertained at two nursing homes, two assisted living facilities, one senior citizen complex, and three church gatherings , as well as entertaining at the NARFE meeting (doing a Salute to Veterans in November) at a Red Cross volunteer dinner meeting, and at the Christmas meeting of the Heath Lions Club. It is a fun group whose goal is to bring some laughter and sunshine into the lives of others. They especially like to visit the nursing homes and assisted living facilities to entertain those who may not be able to get out and about. They encourage folks in the local area who sing, dance, play an instrument, like to tell stories, etc. to join them. They meet at Zerger Hall in Newark on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. If you live in the Newark/Heath area......CHECK IT OUT....THEY ARE A FUN BUNCH. For information contact Yvonne at (740) 522-4325 or e-mail her at: yvonnel@alltel.net.