Bob, thank you for writing this. I sure remember Missy from high school and also wondered about her life. I will look for her art work as well. See you at the next reunion.
Another beauty inside and out from our class! Class of 1965 was blessed by many who benefited society with their different gifts. I always renembered her birthday was the day before mine! Missy - you will beissed! Oscar
I remember Missy as a very strong woman. We lost contact after high school. There were times that we swam together but she didn't continue to compete as I did. I had no idea she became an artist. She was always fun to be around I wish I would have known her better. I hope you are at peace now.
I am Jean-Michel Laplanche the foreign exchange student year 1963-64 at CHS living with the Zetterberg family.During that unforgettable year which changed my life, I was in Jack Knapp's American History class from 8am to 9am,sitting in the back ,surrounded by cute girls...the one sitting in front of me was Missy. Since I could not drive cars for insurance reasons, Missy drove me around in her red VW at the end of our school year.I don't have time now to tell you more but I will come back and tell you how I got in touch with her in 2021 until 2022.
When this CHS Alumni site was opened I saw that Missy Rait was now Helene Wilder and found some of her art work in the web.I sent a message to one of the galleries and she quickly responded ...this was 2021. Since then, we communicated regularly until early 2022 when she moved to GA ,near Atlanta , to be close to her family. She therafter remained silent ,a couple of my messages remained unanswered.
Without betraying a secret ,she often said that her secret passion was art.After having worked as a flight attendant she eventually went to Washington University and got several diplomas in painting and other art skills. She then decided to live of her art... after also having two beautiful children,son and daughter.After moving to New Mexico ,where she had a cute little "casita" ,she also planted a vineyard ...lots of work for little success.
Her works are very beautiful,coloured, rather large,often inspired by religious references even if she did not have any particular belief . Her messages were always short but full of meaning , often mentioning that having pleasure to receive good friends she quickly needed to return to her work... her passion. I would tell her that this was her great achievement in life(after her children) to tentatively fulfill her passion, a pure luxery.
I just read the post about Missy Rait. I did not know she had died until I looked closely at the photos from the recent reunion and her name was on the "In Memorium" list. It shocked me as I had re-connected with Missy just a few years ago. She and I had been very close during high school - played lots of sports together and got into a fair amount of trouble together. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding to David Wilder in about 1968, and she was a bridesmaid in my 1968 wedding as well. David was an Alaska Airlines pilot and they lived in Puyallup, WA for several years and I think that's where she had her two children. I'm not sure when they split up, but I know her kids meant the world to her. She lived for several years on Bainbridge Island, which coincidentally is where my younger brother lives with his wife and two children. In researching online it looks like in about 2022, she got some kind of "terminal cancer", as her daughter Libby called it and she died two years later, but she did not identify the type of cancer. When I was in touch with her at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, we had a lot of fun reminiscing about the things we did. She was a great free spirit that I loved dearly.
I'll add a little more about Missy, as I've been emailing with her daughter, Zibby. Missy was diagnosed with lung cancer in March 2022. They gave her 6 months to live if she did nothing and something like 8-15 months if she had treatment. She did have part of her lung removed, and eventually died in April of 2024. As Jean-Pierre said, she did move to Georgia, along with her daughter, to be closer to her son Nat and family in 2022, as there were more people to help her there. Her daughter and son, Nat, gifted me a beautiful print Helene had made when she was teaching at the Univ. of Hawii several years ago. I've had wonderful correspondence with them and they loved her as much as all of us seem to have, as well.
Anita Alice "Nita" Norris (Sell) (1965)
Bob, thank you for writing this. I sure remember Missy from high school and also wondered about her life. I will look for her art work as well. See you at the next reunion.
Nita Norris Sell
Oscar Srader (Pearson) (1965)
Another beauty inside and out from our class! Class of 1965 was blessed by many who benefited society with their different gifts.I always renembered her birthday was the day before mine!
Missy - you will beissed!
Oscar
Lyn Chambers (Bienvenue) (1965)
I remember Missy as a very strong woman. We lost contact after high school. There were times that we swam together but she didn't continue to compete as I did. I had no idea she became an artist. She was always fun to be around I wish I would have known her better. I hope you are at peace now.
Jean-Michel LaPlanche (1964)
Hello Bob ...and others,
I am Jean-Michel Laplanche the foreign exchange student year 1963-64 at CHS living with the Zetterberg family.During that unforgettable year which changed my life, I was in Jack Knapp's American History class from 8am to 9am,sitting in the back ,surrounded by cute girls...the one sitting in front of me was Missy. Since I could not drive cars for insurance reasons, Missy drove me around in her red VW at the end of our school year.I don't have time now to tell you more but I will come back and tell you how I got in touch with her in 2021 until 2022.
I am very,very sad to know that she passed away.
Jean-Michel LaPlanche (1964)
When this CHS Alumni site was opened I saw that Missy Rait was now Helene Wilder and found some of her art work in the web.I sent a message to one of the galleries and she quickly responded ...this was 2021. Since then, we communicated regularly until early 2022 when she moved to GA ,near Atlanta , to be close to her family. She therafter remained silent ,a couple of my messages remained unanswered.
Without betraying a secret ,she often said that her secret passion was art.After having worked as a flight attendant she eventually went to Washington University and got several diplomas in painting and other art skills. She then decided to live of her art... after also having two beautiful children,son and daughter.After moving to New Mexico ,where she had a cute little "casita" ,she also planted a vineyard ...lots of work for little success.
Her works are very beautiful,coloured, rather large,often inspired by religious references even if she did not have any particular belief . Her messages were always short but full of meaning , often mentioning that having pleasure to receive good friends she quickly needed to return to her work... her passion. I would tell her that this was her great achievement in life(after her children) to tentatively fulfill her passion, a pure luxery.
Requiescat in Pace
Bob Ruh (1965)
Jean-Michel....thank you for filling in some of missing information on Missy, as I had hoped someone would.
Jean-Michel LaPlanche (1964)
Jean-Michel LaPlanche (1964)
Kathleen McGrath (Crabbe) (1965)
I just read the post about Missy Rait. I did not know she had died until I looked closely at the photos from the recent reunion and her name was on the "In Memorium" list. It shocked me as I had re-connected with Missy just a few years ago. She and I had been very close during high school - played lots of sports together and got into a fair amount of trouble together. I was a bridesmaid in her wedding to David Wilder in about 1968, and she was a bridesmaid in my 1968 wedding as well. David was an Alaska Airlines pilot and they lived in Puyallup, WA for several years and I think that's where she had her two children. I'm not sure when they split up, but I know her kids meant the world to her. She lived for several years on Bainbridge Island, which coincidentally is where my younger brother lives with his wife and two children. In researching online it looks like in about 2022, she got some kind of "terminal cancer", as her daughter Libby called it and she died two years later, but she did not identify the type of cancer. When I was in touch with her at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, we had a lot of fun reminiscing about the things we did. She was a great free spirit that I loved dearly.
Kathleen McGrath (Crabbe) (1965)
I'll add a little more about Missy, as I've been emailing with her daughter, Zibby. Missy was diagnosed with lung cancer in March 2022. They gave her 6 months to live if she did nothing and something like 8-15 months if she had treatment. She did have part of her lung removed, and eventually died in April of 2024. As Jean-Pierre said, she did move to Georgia, along with her daughter, to be closer to her son Nat and family in 2022, as there were more people to help her there. Her daughter and son, Nat, gifted me a beautiful print Helene had made when she was teaching at the Univ. of Hawii several years ago. I've had wonderful correspondence with them and they loved her as much as all of us seem to have, as well.