Highland High School
Class Of 1960
Gary L Bolte
| Residing In: | Ada, MI |
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| Spouse/Partner: | Wife: Adelaide "Kittie" Hartman Bolte |
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| Occupation: | Retired, but starting a new infomercial business. |
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| Children: | My Step Children: Jeri-Vanessa, Jeffery, Gregory, Jamie |
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| Military Service: | US Army  |
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Gary L's Latest Interactions
Happy Birthday my old friend. Let's hope we can keep getting older.
Posted on: Nov 10, 2017 at 4:33 AM
Happy Birthday Jim. Let's go for another 75.
Posted on: Jan 25, 2017 at 1:10 PM
Happy Birthday Merrily.
Happy Birthday Jim. Somehow I missed it on FaceBook.
Happy Birthday Ron.
Posted on: May 04, 2016 at 2:59 PM
Happy Birthday Bob.
Happy Birthday Bob. Glad to hear you are still rehabbing well. You'll be jumping out of airplanes before you know it.
A Tribute to my friend Pete Formaz
Someone once said: One of God’s greatest gifts is memories. They are photographs taken by the heart to make a moment in time last forever.
Pete and I first met as freshman at Highland High School. We were both in the band playing Trombones. We instantly bonded and built a lifetime of memories in just four years. I remember so vividly the fun we had at band practices, taking the band bus to and from football games, playing cards on the way and just goofing around. It was amazing how much we could laugh when there really wasn’t much to laugh about. I guess we were our own entertainment committee. Attending several classes with Pete, the fun continued, but not all our teachers appreciated us at times. I remember one time we were injecting some humor in Mr. Kahl’s class, along with the class clown Jerry Fox. Before long, Pete and I were walking down the hall towards the office to explain to Mr. Chaffee, our Principle, why we were excused from Sociology class that day. Mr. Kahl never did have much of a sense of humor.
During summer months, we would always find time for swimming and more fun. Pete loved guns and hunting as much as I did, so often, it was a year round activity. We probably walked enough miles hunting to have trekked across the country. A couple of stories Pete and I laughed about in later years was the time he and I (probably 15 years old) decided we wanted to smoke cigars. I can’t remember how we got them, but we did. Before long, we were sick, throwing up and probably turned green. I remember walking into the house and telling my Mom that Pete and I were sick, having caught the flu and couldn’t eat supper. Year right, she really believed that one. Our funniest story was late into the hours one morning hunting for raccoons, and not having any luck. Coming home, we spied a pond with a rowboat in it. Yes, that was our game and we sent it to the bottom of the pond. It was about 3 am, so when the lights came on in the farmer’s house, obviously from hearing all the gun shots, we found out we could run really fast and laugh at the same time. Ok, it wasn’t nice, but, teenage boys and all that stuff.
After graduation in 1960, Pete immediately joined the Marines and left for boot camp. When he came home for leave in September, we went to a high school football game and that was the last I had seen him. I tried to find him when I got out of the Army in 1967, but was unable. I did find out he was still in the Marines and probably in Vietnam. Too bad we didn’t have the Internet back then. Then a number of years ago, our good friend Judy Pay Whyde found out Pete had heart surgery and gave me his address and phone number. I called Pete and both of us really enjoyed talking. Pete’s dry sense of humor never changed. I asked him why he had heart trouble, and with a chuckle he said, “too many cheese burgers and French-fried onion rings. That began years of conversations, via email, talking about everything from religion, politics, history, family, guns and our dissatisfaction with how the country was being run. It’s amazing how we agreed on almost everything, especially how our wives were our pillar of strength and direction. Moreover, we knew our kids and grand kids are worth more to us than all the gold in Fort Knox. Pete was especially proud of his daughter Lauren. He would tell me about her academic and athletic accomplishments in high school and then on to Pepperdine University, competing in swimming on a national level. How well I understand the pride and special relationship a Father has with his daughter.
Pete shared many of his experiences with me during his tours in Vietnam and how it took a toll on him, leading to an addiction of alcohol. But unlike so many veterans, he met the enemy of addiction head on and used it as a springboard to help others, becoming a Licensed Addiction Counselor, helping save and improve many lives over the years. Some of the counseling experiences he told me about were not only daunting, but downright scary. But if you knew Pete, you know he is not one to be frightened or back down from a challenge. In fact, I am sure he used the Marine method in the face of problems and challenges: fix bayonets and charge.
Pete you are one of the best friends I have ever had and one of the best men I have ever known. You lived by the traditional code: God, Country and Family and never lost your belief in them or yourself. I will miss our conversations, but as I think about your life, this passage in the Holy Scriptures comes to mind: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. So no goodbyes for now, just Semper Fi and I will see you on the other side.
Friends for Ever
Gary L. Bolte
Gary L's Photo Gallery
Bottom: Jeri Vanessa with Kittie and I. Big brother Sharon.
Bottom, the Jesse James gang: Lauren, Alexa, Nick, Jeremy, Jared, Andy and Jacob.
