...when our family moved to california from michigan in 1984 i was a senior in high school ...actually it was the summer between my junior and senior year. I started practicing with the valley Christian football team planning on staying for my senior year. We also started attending Bethany CRC where my grandfather was a retired pastor (he came to bellflower in 1936 and co-founded Valley Christian Schools and pastored 1st CRC in bellflower...later returned and retired in bellflower). The templeman family was very nice to me and their son Kirk was my same age and also played football. At the time, their dad owned a radiator repair service on firestone ave in downey ( advanced radiator if i recall correctly) .
They invited me to work for them, along with Kirk and Phil (& I think Jim Tanis worked there too for a while) to make a few bucks and something to do to get to know the local community. I became friends with Kirk that summer and went to a few events with him and a few other valley Christian kids.
It was a great time, great experience, but I was lonely for my friends back in Grand Rapids and decided to finish my high school career back in Michigan ...where I lived with a friend and then a relative for a year. I didn't really return to california for long-term until much later in life...but my dad stays in touch with the local valley and bethany crc community and is in touch with the templemans. I didn't see this email until a month after this funeral. Condolences to the Templemans. Thoughts & prayers to you. & thanks for the kindness during the summer of '84.
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