Echlin Cottage Celebrates Memory of BVU Housemate at Wedding
Eight years after her death, Shelly (Pomerenke) Bedier remains in hearts and minds of BVU family
One of the biggest BVU weddings in recent history took place in Storm Lake on Sept. 24 as Jasmine Demers, a 2018 and 2019 master’s graduate, wed 2022 grad Devon Van Houten.
Even Buford T. Beaver made an appearance during a reception that likely featured 100 BVU graduates.
Special guests were the housemates of Patti (Kuhl) Demers, a 1990 graduate and mother of the bride. She and husband, Jim, a 1991 grad, welcomed the following Echlin House alumnae to share in the special day: Barb (Buckwalter) Lange, Kathy (Grice) Habben, Ginny (Christensen) Gunderson, Mindy (McLaughlin) Gunderson, Jonda (Black) Berg, Karla (Riedesel) Hobart, and Carol (Wiebers) Von Tersch.
Only Shelly (Pomerenke) Bedier, an Echlin Cottage resident and friend, was missing. Shelly died of breast cancer in 2014.
But, oh, she was still very much in the minds and hearts of all those who gathered. Tanner Bedier, son of Jeff and the late Shelly Bedier, was a groomsman, a childhood friend and baseball teammate of the groom.
“The first time Jasmine brought Devon home to meet our family was four years ago,” Patti remembers. “I noticed Devon had a tattoo with a pink ribbon and a Bible verse on one of his arms, so I asked him about it.”
Devon, who grew up in Des Moines, explained he’d gotten the tattoo in memory of a childhood friend’s mother, as she’d died of breast cancer. Her name, he said, was Michelle. She had taught at nearby Bondurant-Farrar for 20 years and was a friend of the Van Houtens.
Patti asked, “Was her last name Bedier?”
Devon replied, “Yes. How do you know her?”
Patti explained that “Shelly”–as she was known to friends at BVU—lived in Echlin Cottage with Patti and their group friends. Shelly and Patti played basketball together at BVU on a team that reached the NCAA Division III Elite 8 in 1990.
The Echlin Cottage friends have gotten together consistently since their days as students. They’ve gathered to shop for Christmas toys when their children were young. They and their husbands went on a cruise 22 years ago to celebrate the new century. They’ve attended graduation receptions, weddings, and some are now celebrating the addition of grandchildren.
Jonda, Carol, Karla, Mindy, and Patti graduated in 1990. Shelly graduated in 1991. Barb and Kathy graduated in 1992, while Ginny graduated from UNI in 1992.
As Shelly’s death occurred eight years—to the day—from the rehearsal dinner, Devon and Jasmine presented Tanner a card in memory of his mother. The Echlin Cottage housemates posed for a photo with Tanner on the day of the wedding, letting him and his family know how Shelly remains in their hearts and memories.
“Shelly and Jeff married in 1998 and we were all there,” Patti says of her Echlin friends. “I have a photo of Shelly holding Jasmine at the wedding 24 years ago. Jasmine gave the picture to Tanner, another way to let him know Shelly is still very connected to all of us. We are one big BVU family!”