West Virginia Reunion in Florida

Paula and I went to the West Virginia Reunion in The Villages, Florida today (Sunday, March 26) and came across familiar faces and an interesting shoulder among the 300 who attended the event in the Savannah Center.

At one table was Jean Piggott, widow of World War II flight instructor George Piggott, who with former Monongah High teacher Mary Weis' husband trained U.S. and European pilots how to fly near and over Germany. Jean lives in the On Top of the World seniors community near Ocala, Florida.



John Olesky, Jean Piggott

We also got together at last year’s West Virginia Reunion in The Villages.



Sisters Doris Lyon & Mary Ann with John

At another table was Doris Lyon and her sister, Mary Ann, who lives in The Villages, who are the nieces of Roxie and Paul Sayre and a cousin of Mary Margaret Sayre Lewis.

The Sayre family lived next door to the Olesky family on Church Street during my childhood.

We first met Doris the day before, at the West Virginia Social in Lake Miona Recreation Center for those who traveled from out of town and would enjoy a get-together better than sitting in their hotel rooms waiting for Sunday to show up.



Our East Fairmont guests at table 14

Doris, who lives in a Seattle suburb, came with Mary Ann to Sunday’s affair.

 

The sister of my best friend since first grade at Sts. Peter and Paul School, Bob Kasper, Class of 1950, who lives in South Lyon and Presque Isle, Michigan, also is a Sayre.

Mark Stewart, "WV" tattoo

Her name was Helen and her son was Bernie Sayre.

Bernie, Bob and I ran around Marion County when Bernie came on vacation from Detroit to Monongah.

There's also a Donna Sayre Barfield, Class of 1970.

I don't know if any of those Sayres are related to Paul and Roxie and Mary Margaret.

The shoulder?

Mark Stewart frontal view

That belonged to Mark Stewart of Morgantown and Keyser, who got one of the prizes for having a “WV” tattoo on his left shoulder, a 60th birthday present.

Marion County had the most butts in the seats.

Kanawha County was next.

And, of course, there were plenty of photos taken of friends from our high school days