Names of Note: Stanislaus lauds 6 seniors who aid veterans, hunger and other causes
Six residents received Outstanding Senior Citizen awards from the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors.
The board presented the annual honors during its meeting Tuesday, May 18. The recipients have long records of service to causes such as veterans, historical preservation and feeding people in need.
The program is organized by the county Department of Aging & Veterans Services. It provided these profiles of the 2021 honorees:
District 1: Diane Talbert
Her service to veterans began in 1967, after she lost her two brothers during the Vietnam War. “She and her sister vowed to greet every plane arriving home to ensure the Vietnam soldiers received a proper welcome,” the agency said.
Talbert has organized a free Veterans Day lunch for the past 14 years, drawing up to 190 service members and their guests from all over the county.
In Oakdale and Riverbank, she helps veterans with rides to doctor appointments, shopping, house cleaning, yard work and home repairs.
Talbert has assisted with the Veterans Stand Down event in Stanislaus County for the past three years. She takes those with post-traumatic stress disorder to an annual event at Kennedy Meadows in upper Tuolumne County, where they enjoy camping and fishing.
Talbert serves on the Veterans Foundation Board and has helped with weekly senior brunches in Riverbank through a group called the Royal Neighbors.
She helps with Toys for Tots at Christmas and with the Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus. And she plays Mrs. Claus to her husband’s Santa Claus at Astoria Senior Living at Oakdale.
District 2: John and Michaeleen Klarich
The husband-and-wife team has volunteered for the United Samaritans Foundation for four years. They spend about 20 hours a week driving a food van to Grayson, Patterson, and Newman, where demand grew due to COVID-19.
“John and Michaeleen began serving approximately 804 meals in August of 2018,” the agency said. “By March of 2021, they were serving over 3,000 meals.”
The couple also helps distribute emergency food boxes in Turlock each month.
“Considered beacons of hope and working in tandem as a husband-wife team, they tenaciously offer their love, time and commitment to the food recipients they serve and those they encounter.”
District 3: Charles Holmberg
The Marine Corps veteran has been a state-certified ombudsman for Catholic Charities for eight years. He spends about 30 hours a month visiting residents of long-term care centers and initiates actions to deal with their concerns.
Holmberg recruits and trains other volunteers for the ombudsman program and educates the community through outreach events.
“Mr. Holmberg went above and beyond during COVID-19 to act and care for a resident of a long-care facility who was a victim of financial abuse. Mr. Holmberg met with the resident in-person (taking the appropriate pandemic precautions), coordinated an attorney to rescind a current power of attorney, and established a new one. This led to a successful outcome, avoiding financial disaster for the resident.”
Holmberg also has volunteered for 10 to 15 hours a month during the pandemic to help his church’s drive-thru grocery distribution.
District 4: Merlin ‘Mel’ Nomann
He was a decorated Navy corpsman during the Korean War, where he spent almost five days buried alive after a nearby mortar hit.
Nomann has served on the McHenry Mansion board more than 40 years and also has volunteered at the McHenry Museum. He has hosted seven foreign exchange students over the years and volunteered with the YMCA Boys & Girls Clubs and the Men’s Club.
“Mr. Nomann has served as a role model in the local gay community for nearly 60 years,” the organizers added. He traveled to San Francisco most weekends during the AIDS crisis to lend his health care expertise.
Nomann was a charter member of the local Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. He also was a founding father of the College Avenue United Church of Christ.
District 5: Ron Swift
He was scoutmaster for 31 years with the Boy Scouts of America Troops 81 and 82 in Patterson and received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. He has continued to serve as a local council commissioner.
Swift was instrumental in developing Troop 82, dedicated to boys with special needs. He led other adults to become troop leaders.
“Under Mr. Swift’s leadership, his troops contributed to numerous community service projects and events, including the annual Patterson Apricot Festival, of which he was a founding member,” the agency said.
He was president of the Patterson Lions Club, a member of the Masonic Lodge and president of the Patterson-Westley Chamber of Commerce.
Swift was a founding member and curator of the Patterson Township Historical Society museum from 2010 through 2016. “Mr. Swift continues as a treasured local historical resource.”
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
