OLDEST LIVING MONONGAH HIGH ALUMNI. DID I MISS ANY?

The oldest living Monongah High alumni that I can find is Amelia Shenasky Zentz, Class of 1938, who will lives in Monongah.

Next, as far as I can determine, is Jeanette Barr Baczuk, Class of 1940, living in Ohio.

And John Koloskie, Jr., Class of 1944, known as Junior Koloskie.

The oldest graduate who shows up at the Monongah High Alumni Banquets is Kathren Herndon Loss, Class of 1942.

If I missed anyone who graduated in 1945 or earlier (that you can document), email me at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com or on the John Olesky Facebook page. I’ve been wrong before and I can easily add an older living Lion to this article.

Most lions in the jungle or zoos rarely live to be 30 years old. Our Monongah Lions easily out-do the jungle lions.

I think the 2022 annual Monongah High Alumni Banquet, a century after the first reunion that Greta Martin Mike put together, would be an appropriate time to honor the oldest living Lions, even if they can’t attend the Banquet itself.

Maybe we can have Kathren accept the applause for all the oldest living Lions since she usually shows up at recent MHS Banquets

 

OLDEST LIVING MONONGAH HIGH ALUMNI

 

CLASS OF 1938

Amelia Shenasky Zentz

She lives in Monongah on, appropriately, 1 Shenask Lane. Her parents were Pete and Nell Shenasky who ran the P.P. Shenasky Grocery on U.S. 19 in the building now owned by Boggess, son on the late Evelyn Kasper Boggess and Okey Boggess.

 

 

CLASS OF 1940

Jeanette Barr Baczuk

She lives in Ashland, Ohio, 55 miles south of Tallmadge, Ohio, where I live.

Jeanette’s children (and spouses):  Jim (Rachelle), who lives in Thomas near Blackwater Falls where the annual Baczuk family reunions take place; Lynne (Randy) Beecham, who lives in Bellville, Ohio; Maribeth Moore, who married Skyway chef Bill Moore and, like Jeanette, lives in Ashland; and Jan (Rodney) Penrose, who lives in Mansfield, Ohio.  Grandchildren are Brian Moore, in Atlanta; Stephen (Kirstin) Moore, in Columbus; Adam and Rachel Penrose, in Mansfield, and Jessica Baczuk, in Davis.

Jeanette’s father was the legendary Dr. James Monroe Barr, who delivered nearly the entire population of Worthington. They are known as the Barr Babies.

 

Jeannette’s siblings:

 

Suzanne Barr Loss, Class of 1948, who married Arnold “J.B.” Loss, Class of 1947.

 

Harrelson Barr, Class of 1939, whose daughter, Marcie Barr Marsh, is Class of 1966.

 

After Monongah High, Jeanette graduated from Bowling Green University and married Frank Baczuk.

 CLASS OF 1942

Kathren Herndon Loss, widow of Bernard Loss, whose  siblings were Lucille Loss Blocker, wife of Richard Blocker; Rosemary Loss Hartman of Phoenix, Arizona; Mildred “Jean” Loss Carlot, who with husband Julie ran Carlot’s Grill across the street from Monongah High for decades; and Don Loss.

CLASS OF 1944

John Koloskie, Jr.  Passed away in October 2022, after this article was published. 

The oldest June birthday Lion is John Koloskie, Jr., Class of 1944, born June 8, in Fazio Eldercare in Stoney Lonesome, where wife Julia Monell Koloskie resided till she passed away in 2013. He is better known as Junior Koloskie.

 

Junior’s son is Jerry Koloskie, high in the Albany (New York) University department after a similar, long reign at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas during Jerry Tarkanian’s amazing basketball reign at UNLV.

 

 

CLASS OF 1945

Mary Catania Heywood lives in Covina, California.

Mary is married to Arthur Heywood.

When Mary’s brother, Angelo Catania, Class of 1945, went into the Army’s Coast Artillery during World War II, “He really liked this part of the country and convinced the rest of us that we also would like it.”

At the time, Alex was teaching school in Perry, Ohio.  Josephine was working for the government in Washington, D.C. Angelo was working in Clarksburg. Mary was working in Fairmont. 

 

Angelo married Pauline Layne Catania, who passed away in 2001. 

Carmella Catania Allard, Class of 1947, didn’t move to Covina because her husband, Omer Allard, was still in the service. They settled in San Antonio, Texas.

 

 

Ann DeMary Eates lives in Monongah. Widow of Joe Eates, also Class of 1945.

Ann is the godmother of my son, John Larry Olesky, and probably a dozen others in Monongah.

 

CLASS OF 1946

Tony Orsini

He married the late Mary Louise Baker Orsini, who began at Monongah High with the Class of 1948.

Tony was one of the six athletic Monongah High Orsini brothers: Tom “Bum”, Larry, Jimmy, Junior (Cocoa) and Bill.

 

CLASS OF 1948

Bettie Hensley Lowther

Marylee Hertzog Gwinn lives in Rockville, Maryland and is from Worthington.

Nathaleen Cameon Oliverio

John Matkovich

Otis “Sarge” Shaver

June Paxton Rogers

 

Dave Westfall

 

 

CLASS OF 1949

John Prunty

 

Tom Dean

 

Susan Colaneri Monell

Ramona Fullen Michalski

Jean Nagel Viglianco