If you are related to Renee via her father, Willard “Ike” Love, you might have heard talk of the Utterback Family. Ike’s grandmother was Margaret Leona Utterback (1867-1955), known as Leona. Leona is our most recent connection to the Utterback surname; she married James Guthrie Love in 1894. Our Utterback ancestors (known in Germany as…
Our Family’s Connection to the Alaska Highway
The United States and Canada began negotiations in 1920 to identify responsibilities and alternatives for a highway that would provide a land route into the US territory of Alaska. At that time, Alaska was largely wilderness populated by Alaska Natives, trappers, and miners. Getting to Alaska from the US was primarily by sea and air;…
My Cousin the Pop Star
Have you discovered the music of Chappell Roan? Chappell is a major pop star who won in two categories of the 2025 ASCAP Pop Music Awards. She was nominated for six categories for the Grammy Awards and seven categories in the American Music Awards. That’s a lot of honor and acclaim for a twenty-seven-year-old singer/songwriter!…
A Love Letter to My Grandmothers
Marie (Wenger) Schantz holding baby Renee
in 1962