Take me home, country roads!
Finally !!!
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
All my memories gather 'round her
Miner's lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
I hear her voice in the mornin' hour, she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
Drivin' down the road, I get a feelin'
That I should've been home yesterday, yesterday
Well, I am packing stuff into my maroon 2012 Honda
Accord with the JO 4 WVU Ohio license plate on it for Friday’s much-anticipated
journey to Almost Heaven.
I’ll spend Friday with my sister, Jackie Olesky
Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville, and visiting dear friends in
Monongah, including Ann DeMary Eates, my son John Larry’s godmother, who lives
on Bridge Street.
And the grave of Mary Turkovich, who taught me math,
algebra, geometry, the value of numbers in making your life a financial success
and, most of all, discipline, which I was seriously lacking during my Monongah
High days. As usual I will place a rose on Miss Turkovich’s grave and say two
words: “Thank you.”
Miss Turkovich and Sister Agnes, who taught me at
Sts. Peter and Paul School in Monongah to love words and grammar, which led to
my 43-year newspaper career that financed my travels to 56 countries, 44 states
and more than 30 winters in Florida for up to 4 months.
I owe those 2 women a debt that I can never repay.
But I try, by helping others less fortunate than me when I can, thanks to a
third woman who affected me forever, my mother. She showed Jackie and me, by
example, not words, to care for those less fortunate than us. Mom never turned
away anyone who showed up at our Church Street door hungry. She either cooked a
meal for them and gave them a bagful of sandwiches.
Jackie took Mom’s role model to even greater heights,
spearheading church food, clothing and toy drives for decade after decade and
earning the North Central West Virginia Catholic Charities Salt & Light
Award for her efforts.
I tip my cap to Mary Turkovich, Sister Agnes and
Lena Futten Olesky, who boarded a boat in Genoa, Italy in 1920 at the age of 9
with her mother, sister and brother. They landed on Ellis Island (I’ve been
there, and walked her steps to freedom with tears in my eyes), took a train
from New York City to Clarksburg, then a bus to Swisher Hill, where my
Granddaddy Futten awaited them. He left Italy to avoid being slaughtered in
World War I, later sent tickets and the Swisher Hill address for his family to
join him.
It’s a story told many times by descendants of many
families who did the same thing. We were not unique. America is, as the Melting
Pot of the World. Every pigmentation on earth is in America from every
continent in the world. That makes it truly America the Beautiful.
I hope I see you during my weekend in wonderland.
Check out my itinerary:
Monongah itinerary for Friday July 16
Before noon
Pick up 36 roses
(6 bunches of 3 red and 3 yellow each) at
Kime Floral
600 Fairmont Ave, Fairmont, WV 26554
John Larry & I will pick them up on our way to Jackie’s
house.
Noon
Lunch at home of
Jackie Olesky Straight
2979 Paw Paw Creek
Road
Rivesville, WV
26588
1 p.m.
Visit Fairmont cemetery
of Mom, Dad, Dave, Curt David
2 p.m.
Visit Mount
Calvary Cemetery in Monongah.
& Mary
Turkovich’s grave
2:30 p.m.
Amelia Shenasky Zentz
1 Shenasky Lane
Monongah, WV 26554
3:30 p.m. (maybe little earlier,
depending on Amelia situation)
Go to Town Hall and son John Larry and I will help
Susan Sanders finish decorations, moving tables, etc.
Susan Sanders
713 Thomas Street
Monongah, WV 26554
4:30 p.m.
Ann DeMary Eates
105 Bridge Street
Monongah, WV 26554
5 p.m.
Ramona Fullen
Michalski
39 Bridge Street Extension
Monongah, WV 26554
6:30 p.m.
Dinner at Say-Boy
Restaurant in Fairmont with son John Larry, sister Jackie, her daughter Renee
and me.
My lodging will be
at Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Fairmont for Friday and Saturday
nights.
Fairfield
Inn & Suites by Marriott
27 Southland Dr, Fairmont, WV 26554
Saturday, July 17
May Brothers
142 Terrace Manor
Pick up yellow and blue West Virginia stone in the
morning, take it to Monongah Town Hall along with the Lions print that I
ordered online and the 15 x 20 foot quilt-like WVU cloth.
6 p.m.
Dinner in the Monongah Town Hall with family,
cousins, friends, Monongah High graduates and Monongah residents who did not
graduate from Monongah High. Raffle drawing for items that Alabama coach Nick
Saban sent to me at about 7 p.m. Music till 9 p.m.
No comments:
Post a Comment