Mary Harbert passes away

Mary Donham Harbert, wife of Duane Harbert, Class of 1951, passed away Tuesday, March 19. They live in Marlton, New Jersey.

Duane said an October urinary tract infection was the final problem leading to her passing away.

Mary Donham Harbert

Duane – who goes by his first name, Donald, when he’s not around former Lions – and Mary’s son Tom Harbert passed away in 2014.

Duane’s mother, Goldie, Tom’s taught at Worthington Grade School. His father, Frank Harbert, was principal of Thoburn Elementary in Monongah.

Duane’s brother, John Harbert, Class of 1955, and his wife, Karen Colvin, also class of 1955, are deceased.

Siblings Ted, Farrell, Bill, Gerald, Paul, Phil and Eva Harbert are Duane's cousins. The children of Agnes Wood and Griff Harbert, who was Duane's dad's brother, were Monongah High graduates in the 1940s and 1950s.

Duane was part of another family during his Monongah High days, when he lived in Worthington. I facetiously called us The Gang That Terrorized Marion County. We would gather nightly, either at the bus stop between the Tropea Grocery and Carlot’s Grill, or jumping into a car driven by Frank Franze, Class of 1950, who today lives in Slidell, Louisiana, which was owned by Frank’s father.

Others in the gang were the late Lawrence “Sonny” Godby, Lawrence and Regina Boone Godby’s son and the late Jackie Godby Lusczynski’s brother; Steven “Bucky” Satterfield, who lives in St. Albans after retiring from a long career as a West Virginia Highway Patrolman; Anthony “Tony” Eates, who is retired and living in Fairmont with wife Lucy; Robert “Satch” Kasper, who had a successful career sitting at the bargaining table for Ford Motor Company before retiring to his homes in South Lyon and Grand Lake (Presque Isle), Michigan; Donald “Jake” Halpenny, clarinetist supreme for United Mine Workers and Vingle bands, living in Fairmont; the late Joe Manzo, who survived the Korean war; the late Tom “Judge” Starcher, who began his prowling in Carolina; and me, the runt of the litter, who was the last one to jump into the Franze vehicles when it barely stopped moving as it went by our Church Street home and onto the latest adventures, which included Coal Hole swimming, skinny-dipping in the river with a gallon jug of draft beer and stolen watermelons and sneaking all but two of us into the drive-ins so that we’d have more money for beer.

 

 

And swimming at Fairmont Field Club at 3 a.m., until the cops showed up and we wound up in the Consol Coal office in Fairmont for a Getting Straight lecture in front of our parents.

If you want to mail condolences to Duane, his address is

 

Donald D. Harbert
222 Mill Road
Marlton, NJ 08053

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Elizabeth Harbert (nee Donham), age 83, of Marlton, NJ, passed away on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.  Beloved wife of Donald Harbert.  Loving mother of James Harbert (Diane), David Harbert (Margie), and the late Tom Harbert (Cindy).  Proud grandmother of Megan, Evan, Rebecca, Ashley, and Adam.  Sister of the late James Donald Donham.  She is also survived and will be sadly missed by her dear friend Sandy Piontkowski.

 

Mary was born in Fairmont, WV and resided in Western Pennsylvania before moving to Marlton, NJ in 1984.  She worked as a dental hygienist for several different dental offices over the years.  Mary was a dedicated member of the Atco United Presbyterian Church, where she was a Deacon and part of the Women’s Association.  In her free time, she loved being outside camping, hiking, cross-country skiing, and playing tennis with her husband.  She also enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren, as well as working with stained glass.

 

A visitation will be held on Saturday April 6, 2019 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm at the Atco United Presbyterian Church, 2259 Atco Ave., Atco, NJ, where a memorial service will begin at 2:30 pm.  Cremation will be held privately.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary’s name may be made to the Atco Presbyterian Church at the above address.  Condolences may be shared at www.lpwoosterfuneralhome.com .