Bourne High School Alumni
Bourne, Massachusetts (MA)
Alumni Stories
Valerie Koskela Wed to Stephen A. Mathew
Class of 1953
Falmouth Enterprise, Tuesday, April 12, 1960, Page 9
Koskela-Mathew Wedding Event Of Year In Tanana
At the sound of the church bells, nearly the entire population of the remote interior Alaskan village of Tanana gathered at St. James Episcopal Mission Church to witness the social event of the year, the wedding of Miss Valerie Koskela to Stephen A. Mathew. The Rev. D. Curtis Edwards Jr. performed the beautiful candle light ceremony.
Miss Ann Bortel organist played tradition music. The bride wore an ivory brocaded satin ballerina length gown with a fingertip veil which fell from a crown of seed pearls and carried a bouquet of daffodils and ivy.
Mrs. Alfred Miller, matron of honor, wore a blue ballerina length gown and carried a bouquet of spring flowers, which were flown in from Fairbanks. Mr. Miller served as best man and William Diederick, friend of the family, gave the bride in marriage.
Following the wedding service a reception was held at the village community hall. Cake and coffee were served and the many lovely gifts the newlyweds received were opened and displayed.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Aarne E. Koskela of Old Bridge Road, Buzzards Bay.
She was graduated from the North Yarmouth Academy at Yarmouth, Maine where she was an honor student, a representative at Girls State and active in the drama club. She is a graduate of the New England Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing in Boston. She worked in a hospital in Seattle, Washington and is presently with the Alaska Native Health Service Hospital in Tanana.
Mr. Mathew, son of Mrs. Julius Mathew and the late Mr. Mathew, a native Alaskan, is also employed with the Alaska Native Health Service.
Mrs. Mathew's gown was made by Mrs. William Diederick and her veil and crown by her mother,
Mrs. Koskela, who sent it up air mail. Because of the very strong arctic wind and heavy snow which blew on her wedding day, March 9, the couple rode from the church to their reception and to their new home in Tanana in a large caterpillar tractor. They have now taken up residence at the hospital because of the difficulty of getting about in the snow.
Koskela-Mathew Wedding Event Of Year In Tanana
At the sound of the church bells, nearly the entire population of the remote interior Alaskan village of Tanana gathered at St. James Episcopal Mission Church to witness the social event of the year, the wedding of Miss Valerie Koskela to Stephen A. Mathew. The Rev. D. Curtis Edwards Jr. performed the beautiful candle light ceremony.
Miss Ann Bortel organist played tradition music. The bride wore an ivory brocaded satin ballerina length gown with a fingertip veil which fell from a crown of seed pearls and carried a bouquet of daffodils and ivy.
Mrs. Alfred Miller, matron of honor, wore a blue ballerina length gown and carried a bouquet of spring flowers, which were flown in from Fairbanks. Mr. Miller served as best man and William Diederick, friend of the family, gave the bride in marriage.
Following the wedding service a reception was held at the village community hall. Cake and coffee were served and the many lovely gifts the newlyweds received were opened and displayed.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Aarne E. Koskela of Old Bridge Road, Buzzards Bay.
She was graduated from the North Yarmouth Academy at Yarmouth, Maine where she was an honor student, a representative at Girls State and active in the drama club. She is a graduate of the New England Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing in Boston. She worked in a hospital in Seattle, Washington and is presently with the Alaska Native Health Service Hospital in Tanana.
Mr. Mathew, son of Mrs. Julius Mathew and the late Mr. Mathew, a native Alaskan, is also employed with the Alaska Native Health Service.
Mrs. Mathew's gown was made by Mrs. William Diederick and her veil and crown by her mother,
Mrs. Koskela, who sent it up air mail. Because of the very strong arctic wind and heavy snow which blew on her wedding day, March 9, the couple rode from the church to their reception and to their new home in Tanana in a large caterpillar tractor. They have now taken up residence at the hospital because of the difficulty of getting about in the snow.
Recent Members
| Andrea Andrea Llanes | 1971 |
| David Jackson | 1966 |
| Gary Nelson | 1966 |
| Janine Ward | 1992 |
| Jeffrey Burton Jeffrey Burton | 1971 |
| Karen Karen Marie Brown | 1972 |
| Kenneth Locher | 1968 |
| Marsha L. Brott Marsha L. Brott | 1966 |
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Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays!