The changes of life make us invigorated again, occasionally guarding that eternal flame to keep us young ... or younger.
On the other hand, some changes have been met with surprise or sorrow … sometimes with indifference, but such is the society in which we live. This year has been difficult for the LVN family of writers, as we lose another columnist, BUT this time to retirement.
In today’s issue of the LVN, our readers will learn of Edna Van Leuven’s retirement as an LVN columnist. She had mentioned years ago that when I retire, she would do the same. She kept her word.
I have grown fond of Edna as a person and even more amazed at the columns she has put together for us over the years. As a 94-year-old columnist, Edna put poignant thoughts to paper and had something ready for her readers each week.
Every week we learned something new of Edna, her life growing up before, during and after World War II, life in Philadelphia, California and Fallon. Many of us could never relate to the Great Depression or the effects of war on the people who remained stateside. Our readers knew of her previous marriages, met her children from the time they were young boys to gown men.
Doug, who has looked after his mother in Fallon, became a household word with her readers.
I once had a few people ask me why I would feature such an “old person” as a columnist. The answer: She had a great following. When illness overtook her for a few weeks and she couldn’t write a column, I received many cards for her, callers asking for her phone number, emails. She had a loyal following.
For a lady who enjoys life, sewing and politics, she has also been an accomplished writer, having authored “Tombstones and Tumbleweeds” in 1994.
I will miss Edna from the LVN pages as I have with Orlis Trone and Kirk Robertson.
Earlier this year, Orlis, a self-made, self-taught man who squeezed every inch of meaning from his words in his columns died unexpectedly in early April.
Orlis began writing columns for us seven years ago and penned many articles supporting the Constitution and the American way of life. Known as the “Humble Pamphleteer,” he won first place in 2014 for Local Column Writing from the Nevada Press Association after being judged by his peers.
Within weeks, another friend died. Kirk Robertson was known as another master of words and an aficionado for the arts. After a celebration of Kirk’s life, I described him as a “a longtime and well-known prolific literary writer, poet, columnist and conversationalist.”
Likewise, Kirk, whose loves were the Churchill Arts Council and Valerie, had graced the LVN pages for years, and most recently had won an NPA first-place award for entertainment writing.
With all three of our columnists, our readers will be richer in many ways for being exposed to people like them who had an eye on the world and a zest for life.
Steve Ranson, who is retiring on Aug. 1, is editor of the LVN.