Is this the same Marvin Bratt who dumped me out of his airplane in the middle of a field just down from Cumberland Lake? As I remember the scenario we buzzed the motel to let my Uncle Red know I was there and because you only had a license to fly in the daylight, taxied down the corn field, stopped long enough to let me out along with my new Johnny Cash slalom and told me to start hiking down the road and somebody would be along to get me. It took a while as my Uncle Red was having dinner and wanted to finish. He had his priorities, probably a big thick steak! I have told that story many times over the years.

I am sorry to read about your sister. She was a beautiful teen and it was fun sharing the love of water back in those days of skiing.

Butch, (Earl Volpert from Schulte) and I dated all through college and married in '65 as soon as I got a teaching job in Clinton. Our daughter Beth was born 10 months later. Time frame was a relief to my mother! It was a different era. Our son Steve was born two years later. I never went back to full time teaching. I was a stay at home mom, again a different era. By that point we were living in Michigan City. Butch was with JC Penney. Skiing on Lake Michigan was a might different than Isaac Walton. We spent a couple of years on the other side of Chicago, then 21 years ago we came to the Atlanta metro area. I told him not to get transferred again as I thought south of the Mason Dixon Line was far superior to shoveling lake effect snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. I went to work when the kids were in junior high for a local optometrist. Spent 7 years with him then another 4 with Opti-world, since bought out by LensCrafters. By this point, Butch had his fill of retail. Might have had something to do with spending Christmas Day mopping up water from frozen pipes. He got his real estate license. Fortunately we live in Gwinnett County, Georgia; one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. Beth, our daughter, and I joined him a few years later forming THE VOLPERT FAMILY TEAM. Being self-employed allows me a great deal of needed flexibility as both Butch's mother and my aunt, Red's sister, lives here with us. They are both 82. The other most delightful reason for self-employment is the fact that 17 months ago we became grandparents for the first time. Andrew lives three blocks away and Butch and I are with him each day as his Momma, Beth, is our business partner. His Daddy, Alan, keeps a "real" job as a biologist with the county water treatment department. I adore my son-in-law as he is the one who convinced me that skiing was like riding a bike, a technique never to be forgotten. When he owned a boat a few years ago he encouraged me to give it a try after a 25 year dry spell. It hurt my pride that this 50 plus old broad had to do it with two skis but I DID GET UP and spent the next two seasons circling Lake Lanier. Our son, Steve, is in construction to pay for his real passion, music. He lives about 15 minutes away. Obviously our kids feel the same about Georgia as their mom does. Cold is great TO VISIT. I go back to Terre Haute about once a year. There is always a wedding or a funeral to go to. My brother, Phil, is there for a few months in the summer but spends most of the winter season in Fla. not far from Bette. Phil's son has taken over the Lough Bros. business as he did from Dad and Red. That in a bit more than a nut shell is how I have spent my life since that touch down in the cornfield. Do you still pilot something other than the new boat?

Marianne Lough Volpert

If you would like to add to this site, contact: Marvin Bratt

Last update:  02/28/2005