Stoli Antoanetova Lende and Nels Wolf Lynch were married Friday afternoon at the Chilkat Center, surrounded by family and friends. Don Nash served as marriage minister. Scott Pierce and Julia Scott performed “Swept Me Away,” a song by the Avett Brothers, and Stoli’s mom, Heather Lende, read a poem she composed for the couple. Stoli’s other family members in attendance included dad Chip Lende, brother Christian Lende, and sisters Eliza and J.J. Lende and Sarah Elliott. Sarah’s husband, Brian Elliott, was wedding photographer, and her daughter, Caroline Elliott, was ring-bearer. Nels’ family at the ceremony included parents Ted Lynch and Holly Irwin, sisters Darlin Bugni, Summer Lynch, and TeoLani Lynch and brothers Steve “Joncy” Bugni and Keanu Lynch. Darlin and Steve traveled from Yuba City, Calif. A reception dinner at Chip and Heather’s house following the ceremony included a three-tiered wedding cake made by Lilly Boron. Nels and Stoli are planning a larger reception for extended friends this coming summer.

Matt Hawthorne and Emily Brockman were wed on Dec. 28 in St. Louis, Mo. at the home of Emily’s parents, Roger and Marcia Brockman. Parents, siblings and several aunts and uncles attended the ceremony, including Matt’s parents Jeff and Beth Hawthorne, his sister Carrie Hawthorne and her husband Tom Neill. Emily’s family included siblings Brent Brockman and Liz Baisch, Justin and Ricki Brockman, Tara and Jason Brockman Hicks.

The wedding date coincided with Matt’s parents’ 42nd anniversary. The ceremony was highlighted by seven blessings by family members, a song performed by Matt on his mandolin, and the couple exchanging vows under a chuppa held by the siblings. A larger, public celebration will be held in the future, although the expecting couple isn’t sure when. Emily and Matt are in Bellingham, Wash. for the winter, where Emily has started an education firm specializing in consulting, tutoring and advocacy. Matt is writing for the Alaska Channel and working on freelance articles.

Lisa Sele and Kevin Shove welcomed their son four weeks early on Monday. George Scott Shove was born Jan. 16 at 7:07 a.m. Although premature, he was healthy at 6 pounds, 1 oz and 19 inches long. The night before Lisa and Kevin went to the Haines clinic after Lisa’s water broke and she wasn’t feeling well. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from Sitka arrived later that night to medevac her to Bartlett Hospital in Juneau. Kevin said after the crew loaded Lisa in the helicopter, the captain told him there wasn’t room onboard for Kevin to come with them. But a family friend in Juneau was able to meet Lisa at the hospital and was with her during delivery the next morning. Kevin joined them over the phone. He and Lisa’s sister, Lori Sele, flew to Juneau on the first available flight and arrived at the hospital around 10 a.m. and finally met George. “He’s tiny and cute,” Kevin said. “My fist is as big as his head.” Kevin said doctors want George to remain at the hospital until the weekend. Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley with the Coast Guard said Kevin wasn’t able to ride along with Lisa because the helicopter was carrying a six-man crew. The crew flies with a minimum of four members, but added two medical personnel because of Lisa’s condition. “In the case of a premature birth, the last thing we want is a birth in-flight so we put extra crew members on for that,” Mosley said. One of the crewmembers was filming the medevac with a camera, but Mosley said it was for training purposes only.

Jessica Plachta said she’s introducing her infant son Zorza to books but he really likes jumping around in the bathtub. Zorza was born in Anchorage Sept. 24 to Jessica and dad Nicholas Szatkowski. He weighed 7 pounds, 15 ounces and measured 21 inches. Zorza is Polish for “aurora.” Jessica’s mom, Cathy Rice, of Spokane, Wash., made the trip to visit her fourth grandchild.

The congregation at Haines Presbyterian Church sang “Happy Birthday” to Bob Henderson Sunday, Bob’s 92nd. The former science teacher and Haines Borough Mayor didn’t get a cake, but someone made him a loaf of bread. Bob still splits wood every day, checks his stocks in the Wall Street Journal and, when needed, feeds horses stabled at his place. He’s reading three or four books on his Kindle he recommends for its bright screen and print magnification. “I like it very much because my eyes aren’t what they used to be.” He starts every day with a glass of orange juice, some prunes, a dish of granola with goat’s milk, and a cup of coffee. He’s working on a book about farms that dominated the town’s west end a century ago. If anyone wants to make Bob a cake, he’s not picky. “Any flavor will do,” he said.

Maggie Stern and Sean Bryant are back from a three-month visit to her family’s farm in Ogdensburg, Wis., population 196. They enjoyed time with Maggie’s mom and dad, Pat and Cliff Stern, and grandpa Don Stern. They shared Christmas with Sean’s dad, Doug Bryant, in Timmins, Ontario and visited brother Chris Bryant in Niles, Mich. Chris works for telecommunications giant Ameritech. Their return road trip north under a full moon included a visit in Red Deer, Alberta, with former business partners Steve and Janine Pavlik, who operate a beauty supply business.

Erik Stevens reminds skiers and snowmachiners of his local website that tracks current avalanche conditions on local peaks, including Mount Ripinsky, 7 Mile and Chilkat Pass. The best way to find the site is to google “Haines avalanche,” Erik said.

Nelle Jurgeleit-Greene saw daughter Ellis off for a semester at Minzu University in Beijing, China, during a recent trip down south. Ellis, a junior at Smith College in Massachusetts, is taking an immersion program in Chinese. Ellis reports the air pollution is bad in China, but the local food is good and inexpensive. Nelle rode inside a pod to the top of the Gateway Arch during a Christmas visit to St. Louis, home of brother Bo Proffitt and wife Lori. Nelle’s sisters Betty Salwak of Indianapolis, Ind., and Douglass Greene of Sarasota, Fla., also were there, with many nieces and nephews. Nelle also took a side trip to Sarasota to visit parents Anne and Waldo Proffitt.

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