Belleville, Van Buren, Sumpter host this year’s Senior Olympics party

A crowd of senior citizens had lunch at Belleville High School’s new Commons area on Friday when Belleville, Van Buren, and Sumpter hosted the ninth-annual Western Wayne County Senior Olympics Awards Banquet.
The event started off with presentation of the colors by Van Buren Township’s Honor Guard, which included VBT Public Safety Director Gregory Laurain.
The Sumpter Township Senior Choir and Kenneth Stewart sang with gusto the National Anthem and several hymns.
Belleville City Manager Diana Kollmeyer welcomed the crowd and Van Buren Township Senior Director Lynette Jordan introduced the dignitaries. Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano was late and arrived in the middle of lunch.
Deacon Pete Cornell of St. Anthony Catholic Church, next door to the school, gave the invocation announcing that his daughter had her second baby an hour and a half earlier. And, then it was time to eat.
After lunch Jakleen Ochalek, aide to Ficano, saluted the sponsors and then Sumpter Senior Director Mary Ann Watson presented the medals.
There were 655 participants this year and 444 medal winners.
Medals for seniors in the tri-community went to the following winners.
City of Belleville (8 participants, 7 medals):
• Steve Paulson, Bronze, Art-Mixed Media
• Ralph Chamberlain, Bronze, Golf
• Harold Ochalek, Bronze, Golf
• Saundra L. Parsons, Gold, Golf
• Dave Turner, Bronze, Golf
• Kenneth R. York, Bronze, Golf
• Harold Persinger, Gold, Horseshoes
Sumpter Township (42 participants, 18 medals):
• Juanita Johnson-Owens, Bronze, Art – Drawing; Bronze, Art-Water Color; Silver, Baking-Pies
• Connie Folks, Silver, Baking Bread; Bronze, Baking-Cakes; Bronze, Baking – Cookies; Silver, Baking-Pies
• Bertha Payne, Bronze, Baking-Cakes
• Pauline Armatis, Silver, Baking-Cookies; Bronze, Bean Bag Toss
• Kit Dewyer, Gold, Baking-Cookies
• Velma Justice, Bronze, Baking-Pies
• Frances Quiney, Bronze, Basketball Shoot
• Amanda Massey, Bronze, Bocce Ball
• Donna Stewart, Bronze, Bocce Ball
• Marvell Brown, Silver, Bowling
• Velma Justice, Gold, Pinochle
• Kenneth Stewart, Silver, Wii Bowling
Van Buren Township (47 participants, 34 medals):
• Marian Caldwell, Silver, Art-Drawing; Silver, Art-Water Color
• Dewey Faulkner, Gold, Art-Drawing; Silver, Art-Painting-Oil/Acrylic; Gold, Art-Water Color
• Howard Puchalsky, Gold, Art-Woodwork
• Henry Browner, Gold, Basketball Shoot
• Dave Merry, Bronze, Basketball Shoot; Silver, Marksmanship
• Henry Brown, Gold, Bean Bag Toss
• Gerald Clarke, Gold, Ben Bag Toss; Gold, Bowling; Gold, Marksmanship
• Sharon Beals, Gold, Bowling
• Robert Bowen, Silver, Bowling; Gold, Golf
• Brenda Clarke, Bronze, Bowling; Silver, Marksmanship
• Bryan Walters, Silver, Bowling
• Don Bagical, Gold, Golf
• Agnes Cook, Bronze, Golf
• John A. Landoski, Gold, Golf
• Terry Landoski, Gold, Golf
• Phyllis McClendon, Bronze, Golf
• Mary McLaughlin, Bronze, Golf
• Howard Puchalsky, Bronze, Golf
• Carole Shauan, Bronze, Golf
• Melvin Timmons, Gold, Golf
• Bonnie Prendergast, Gold, Golf – Closest to the Pin
• Mickey Durham, Gold, Horseshoes
• Bryan Walter, Gold, Horseshoes
• John Zaroff, Silver, Horseshoes
• Georgia Gramlich, Silver, Marksmanship
• Gary Slaughter, Gold, Photo-Scenery
Taking part in the competitions in locations throughout Western Wayne County, besides Belleville, Van Buren, and Sumpter, were Canton, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Garden City, Inkster, Livonia, Northville/Northville Township, Plymouth/Plymouth Township, Redford Township, Wayne, and Westland.
This year, the City of Belleville sponsored the Biking contest at Nankin Mills Field and Billiards at the Wayne Bowl.
Van Buren Township sponsored the Shuffleboard contest at Quirk Park.
Sumpter sponsored, with Canton, the Frisbee Toss at Nankin Mills Field, and the Baking Contest Drop-Off at Sumpter Senior Center.
This year’s judges for the Baking Contest were David Woodington, Tory Douglas, Frankie Middleton, and Greg Sanders.