Andrew Fluharty, Class of 1948, who grew up in Worthington, passed away a few months ago.

I got the very belated word from Jim McDaniel, Class of 1960, who lives in Rehobothbeach, Delaware. He was informed by Andrew’s nephew, Barry McIntyre.

Andrew’s sister and Barry’s mother, Marjorie Fluharty Robinson, passed away in Lakeland, Florida in February 2019. Barry was her caretaker for years. Marjorie was 93.

Margie was preceded in death by her daughter, Linda L. Stone. Son Barry McIntire, Margie’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren all live in Lakeland, as Margie did for 45 years.

Majorie and Jim’s sister, Mary Jane, Class of 1942, were best friends.

Andrew was in the Monongah High band.

Class of 1948 was, well, great. As a sophomore, I looked up to them.  

Homer Delovich of Monongah and son Dewey Delovich finished high in the father/son West Virginia state amateur golf tournament. Homer all but owned the Everson Green Hills club championship. Dewey later won the Green Hills crown.

Homer passed away in 2000. He is buried in Monongah’s Mohammedan Cemetery. He married Anne Tarley Delovich, Class of 1955.

John Matkovich of Swisher Hill lives in Palm Harbor, Florida with wife Dolores Sweede Matkovich, Class of 1953. John and Homer were stars on Monongah High’s football teams. Both were good golfers, too.

John fondly recalls walking the halls of the former Monongah High building with his 1948 classmates for their 50^th anniversary reunion in 1998.

The Lions halfbacks were Pete Condo and Chester Vozniak of Monongah.

Also on the team was Louis DePond of Monongah, the punter, who became a dentist for decades in the Midwest before his passing.

Jimmy Jacobin of Monongah, another football player, lives in Bethesma, Maryland.

Mickey Demus of Worthington also played football for Monongah High. He had to. He was a Demus. Brothers Nick, Jim and Mickey Demus all played football for Monongah High.

There was Rose Demus, Class of 1939; Joan Demus, Class of 1941;  Rose Demus Argiro, Class of 1941, who married Larry Argiro, Class of 1948; Theresa Demus, Class of 1950; Jim Demus, Class of 1954; Ramona Rose Demus, Class of 1971, and Nick Demus III, Class of 1973.

John Mazza of Everson was an excellent infielder for the Monongah High baseball team.

Mary Jo Forte of Monongah, daughter of Monongah drugstore king Patsy Forte, was an excellent pianist who accompanied Leatrice Yokay Greaser, Class of 1950, when they had their own show on Fairmont radio station WMMN.

Edward Debalski of Monongah became a Marine war hero in Korea.

June Paxton of Carolina played softball under legendary Mannington High football coach Cassy Ryan and then bedazzled the crowd as a majorette for Monongah High.

Later, June golfed regularly at Everson’s Green Hills.

June’s sisters are the late Mary Jean Paxton Ryan, Class of 1946, and Lois Paxton Dufour, Class of 1944.

Marylee Hertzog Gwinn, another former Monongah majorette, lives in Rockville, Maryland. She married E.J.  Gwinn. Her father ran the Hertzog Drug Store in Worthington.

Suzanne Barr Loss, yet another Monongah High majorette from Worthington, married Arnold “J.B.” Loss, Class of 1947. Both are deceased.

Suzi was a daughter of the famous Dr. James Barr who handled the births of nearly every Worthington baby. They were called the Barr Babies.

Suzi’s sister, fiesty Jeannette Barr Baczuk, Class of 1940, lives in Ashland, Ohio.

Yet another Monongah High majorette was Jackie Godby of Monongah. Jackie’s brother, the late Lawrence “Sonny” Godby, was in my 1950 class. Their parents had a house next to our “baseball field,” which was between U.S. 19 and the garages and alley behind the Thomas Street homes.

 

Because left field was so close to U.S. 19, any “ball” (a rock inside a sock covered with miner’s electrician tape) hit onto it was an automatic out, to prevent any of us from running onto the road and getting squashed by passing traffic.

 

We learned to hit to right field.

Otis Shaver of Monongah, the primary organizer of Class of 1948 reunions, lives on Old Monongah Road. His siblings are Jim Shaver, Class of 1954, who resides at Old Monongah Road when he's not visiting his wife's native Peru, and their sister, the Rev. Elizabeth Ann “Betty” Shaver Wycoff, who lives on the Shaver Farm on Old Monongah Road.

Benn Morgan was a retired music teacher and organist/choir director of the Old Durham Church in Maryland before he passed away in Callaway, Maryland in 2016.