Shelly Yankie is the Lion grandparent with the most, 11! Shelly’s grandchildren are Arhylah, Dolvrielie, Zaira, Tristen,
Aunavyn, Demarus, Safarah, Ottilie, Adelaide, Euridice and Kira. It’s a test of
memory to spell all their names correctly.
She started at Monongah High school
but, after her freshman year, Monongah joined Mannington, Fairview, Farmington
and Barrackville to form North Marion so she’s a 2002 North Marion graduate.
But once a Lion, always a Lion.
Shelly heads the Monongah PACE
project which does so much good work for those who need it. PACE vice president
is Chuck Tice, Teresa Palmer is treasurer and Janet Bailey was secretary when
she passed away.
Shelly also was vice president of
Susan Staron Sanders’ amazing Monongah Christmas lights committee which got so
many street lights up for the holidays that astronauts can see Monongah from
Mars before Shelly stepped aside for Carolyn Tice while Shelly took her of her
ill mother, Mary Myers Yankie, who later passed away.. Janet also was in that
group before she passed away.
Shelly’s siblings are Chris Toothman, David Yankie,
Sylvia Barr, Franklin Hammond, 1984 North Marion graduate Terry
Yankie, 1987 North Marion graduate Barbie Yankie and 1989 North Marion graduate
Kim Yankie Hawkins and the late Kenneth and Ronnie Yankie.
Shelly also helped organized my July 2021 J&J&Lions
get-together in the Monongah Town Hall attended by 40 Lions, family, friends
and former classmates. Along with Susan Staron Sanders, as usual, Jim Roy
Foster and Sue Ahouse Schrader. J&J stood for John (me) and Jackie (my
sister Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville.
Shelly held the bucket of raffle tickets while Susan drew
out the winning names for all the Alabama memorabilia that Nick “Brother”
Saban, Class of 1969, sent to me in a huge box when I told him about the event
for Lions and their friends.
In a remarkable twist of fate my cousin Cora Fazio drew
the ticket to get the football autographed by Brother and his wife, Miss Terry.
Cora’s husband, Dave Fazio, my cousin because his mother Frances Olesky Fazio
is a sister of my father, John W. Olesky, Sr., was treated to a visit with
Brother and New York Yankee manager Joe Girari when Dave journeyed to
Tuscaloosa.
Next in line by the number of grandchildren
is Shelia Mobley McCutcheon, Class of 1974,
widow of Dorsey McCutcheon, also Class of 1974, with 8. That would be
Emily, Maren, Brianna, Mia, Brenden, Eli, Caleb and Miles.
Sons
James with 3 and John with 5 provided all the grandchildren.
Shelia is recovering from a parking
lot auto crash last week. A 20-year-old idiot speeding between parked cars
T-boned her car. She spent two hours in the Emergency Room and doesn’t have
transportation till her auto gets repaired.
Sheila
lived in Worthington before residing in Morgantown for 41 years. Her
son, John, and his wife, Kimberly White
McCutcheon, bought the Morgantown home owned by Mike Oliverio, Class
of 1954, after Mike and his wife passed away.
Also in the 8 brigade are
Joyce Viney Ross, Class of 1968, and Marcia Michalski Westfall
and Dave Westfall, both Class of 1974.
The grandchildren of Joyce and 1973
Fairmont West grad Dan Ross are Conner, Emma, Molly, Elizabeth, Kelsey, Cooper,
Audrey and Ben.
Joyce, Dan, daughter Jennifer and son
Michael all live in Columbia, South Carolina.
As for Marcia and Dave, their
grandchildren are Ally, Brevon and Ethan, children of their daughter Amy
Westfall Raines, Lucy, daughter of son David and wife Nichelle Lake Westfall,
and Lucy’s brother, Forrest; and Caleb, Kiley and Aiden, children of Marcia and
Dave’s daughter Brandie and her husband Kiley Haney.
The grandchildren include 2
Pierploint graduates, a Fairmont State graduate, a Morgantown Cosmetology
School graduate, a Charleston Barber School student, an 8th grader,
a 2nd grader and a kindergartener.
Two of Marcia and Dave’s children
received Monongah High Alumni Association scholarships to attend college.
Marcia grew up in Monongah and her father was the late Frank Michalski, my
childhood protector on the Sts. Peter and Paul School playground. Dave grew up
in Kilarm. They spent a lot of time touring
America on their Harley motorcycle.
In 2015 they were
the Fairmont Times-West Virginian Marion County Family of the Year. Marcia’s
parents held that title in my heart about 70 years earlier. Marcia’s mom,
Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, is the hostest with the mostest. EVERY
Lions who visits Monongah, including me, includes a stop at Ramona’s home with
the swimming pool.
Lucky 7 is me – John
Olesky, Class of 1950 – born and reared in Monongah where the worst coal mining
tragedy in American history struck in 1907. 362 men died, 1,000 children lost
their fathers and the population was 3,000, never to be equaled (900+ today)
when two adjacent mines exploded and caught fire. My 3 children – LaQuita, John
Larry and Monnie Ann – gave My Mona Lisa and me the 7 grandchildren who
produced, so far, 6 great-grandchildren.
Grandson Dylan
slipped off to Wisconsin to be a pediatrician specializing in children’s
allergies with my grandchildren Eliza (front half of my late wife’s middle name
of Elizabeth) and Eloise. Granddaughter Monnie Lynn (Monnie was what I called
my Cinderella girl from the Cinderella coal mining camp adjacent to Williamson,
my first newspaper job after my graduation from WVU Journalism School) has
found her love in Boston where they both work with a 2022 wedding planned in
the Cleveland area.
Grandson John Richard
(there are 5 Johns in our family, starting with my father, John W. Olesky, Sr.,
married to Italy native Lena Futten Olesky, with John Richard’s son, Brett
John, what I call King John V, and his brother Bryce) live in Mogadore, Ohio.
John Richard’s sister, Abby, lives with husband Matt in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio,
which borders Tallmadge, where I live.
Dylan’s brother,
Devin, who oversees pharmacy marijuana dispensaries in several states, lives in
Aurora, as does his mom and my daughter, LaQuita. Devin and wife Courtney’s
children are Reyna and Dawson.
Monnie Lynn’s
brother Raymond married Kathleen and lives in Fairview Park, a Cleveland
suburb. Their sister, Beth, lives Seven Hills, another Cleveland suburb.
When I’m not
visiting grandchildren and great-grandchildren I made trips to 56 countries
(Thailand is my favorite), 44 states (West Virginia is my favorite) and spent
more than 30 winters in Florida of as long as 4 months at a time. I told you I
had more luck than a coal miner’s son deserves.
There’s a pair of
6’s in this grandchildren tale in Linda Nobel-Carr, Class of 1967, and John
Melton, Class of 1975.
Linda is the widow
of one-time Monongah Town Councilman and 1968 Fairmonot West graduate Sanford Austin Carr. They were married in
1969. Their grandchildren are Tyler, Teala, Peyton, Raquel, Patrick and
Gabriel. They also have 3 great-grandchildren – Roselin, Jolynn and Kallen.
Their children are
Tonia Poston, who works in the Monongah Water Department; and Bryan Carr, a
Morgantown Power Plant engineer. Both live in Monongah.
Linda worked at
Fairmont’s legendary Palace Restaurant before 22 years at Westinghouse till
health issues forced her 1991 retirement.
They had a rocky start in married life. As
Linda told me, “We had a bad car wreck, he was shipped off to Vietnam, and I
stayed at home and worked. I met him in Hawaii 6 months later on his R&R.
We visited many states in our 52 years of marriage.
“I have lots of good memories in Monongah
High. I still live just 50 yards from the building and keep in touch with a lot
of friends, on Facebook and phone – such as Belinda Sheppard and Sheila Haun
and too many others to mention.”
Linda and Sanford, who passed away 2 years
ago, “started dating at the age of 15. He is and will always be my only love!!”
John Melton, Barb
Melton Earl’s brother, has all 6 of his grandchildren courtesy of son Eric
Melton and Eric’s wife, Rebecca. John’s first great-grandchild is due to arrive
in October.
Jay Holman, Class of
1971, has 4 grandchildren – Joycelin, Austin, Elijah and Ava.
Mark Aldridge, Class
of 1973, and wife Donna have 2 grandchildren – granddaughters Taylor and
Isabella – courtesy of daughter Amber. Taylor is stationed in Kansas with the
Air Force. Everyone else lives in Monongah.
No wonder there’s
such a pride among this Pride of Lions Grandparents!
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