Mary Louise Baker Orsini, who began at Monongah High with the Class of 1948, passed away Sunday, June 3.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Tony Orsini, of the legendary Worthington athletic Orsini brothers at Monongah High. Mary Louise and Tony lived on Swisher Hill.

Mary Louise didn’t finish at Monongah because she took a job at Westinghouse to make money for the family.

Tony, Class of 1946, previously had dated Betty Hensley Lowther, Class of 1948, of Pompano Beach, Florida.

In 2015 Mary and Tony had a reunion with Bob Cottrill, Class of 1951, who lives in Melbourne, Florida. Bob trotted out his Monongah High Black Diamond yearbooks to share with the Orsinis.

Bob played football with Tony’s late brothers, Tom "Bum" Orsini, Class of 1950, whose widow, Peggy Rauer Orsini, lives in Titusville, Florida, where Tom was a teacher in that area for 30 years, and Bum’s brother, Junior “Cocoa” Orsini.

Tony was one of the six athletic Monongah High Orsini brothers: Tom “Bum”, Larry, Jimmy, Junior (Cocoa) and Bill. Jimmy lives in Virginia Beach, Va. Nick Orsini, Jr. (“Cocoa”), Class of 1949, had moved to Warren, Ohio. Larry was Class of 1945. He passed away, along with Tom, who passed away in 2005, Cocoa and Bill.

The Orsini family had a grocery store in Worthington run by their mom, Sylvia Orsini. 

Mary Louise and Tony’s daughter, Terri Orsini Saye, Class of 1972, lives in Durham, North Carolina and is the widow of Dr. Jerry D. Saye, who went from Fairmont State to be librarian with School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1985 till his 2012 passing.

Tony was a barber in Worthington for many years. Tony and Donald McDaniel, both in the Class of 1946, were best friends.

Mary Louise and Tony showed up at the Three Ways Inn in 2014 for a Monongah High alumni reunion that I orchestrated. 

I was on my way for my annual Florida winterizing and stopped in Marion County to visit with my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville before continuing to the auto/train in Lorton, Virginia and the journey to Orlando, Florida before settling in for several months in The Villages, Florida. 

There were 21 of us enjoying that gathering of a pride of Lions.

At that memorable reunion were Mary Louise and Tony, June Paxton Rogers, Class of 1948; Arlene Marteney Edgell, Class of 1951, and husband Okey Edgell, Class of 1944; Linda Tomlinson Stevenski, Class of 1955, who married Andy “Jiggs” Stevenski, a 1950 Grafton High grad; Rose Commodore Cain, Class of 1950; Donald Halpenny, Class of 1950; Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, her daughter Lea Ann & husband, Jackie's daughter Renee, Jackie's daughter Belinda & husband; Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, with daughters Marcia Michalski Westfall, Class of 1974, married to Dave Westfall, Class of 1948, and another Ramona Michalski;  Leatrice Yokay Greaser, Class of 1950; and John Olesky, Class of 1950.

Mary Louise’s obituary:

Mary Louise Orsini, 88, of Fairmont, died Sunday, June 3, 2018 at her residence. She was born September 7, 1929 in Marion County, a daughter of the late Fred Baker and Ruth Riley Baker Willis.

She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Tony Orsini, whom she married December 24, 1949; a daughter, Terry Orsini Saye, Durham, NC; and 2 brothers-in-law: James Orsini, Virginia Beach, VA, and Robert Murphy, Mims, Fl.

In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by a brother: Fred Baker.

There will be no public services. Cremation services were entrusted to the Hutson Funeral Home in Farmington. www.hutsonfuneralhomes.com  .