Monday, August 31, 2015


Bill Woods, Class of 1952, passed away Thursday, Aug. 27 at his Fort Wayne, Indiana home. His widow is Dorothy Browning Woods, Class of 1955, who is a Registered Nurse.

Bill was the 1952 Monongah High Black Diamond yearbook editor and in the senior class play, “My Cousin From Texas.”

Bill’s siblings are John Woods, Class of 1957, of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Shirley Woods DeMarco Merchant, Class of 1953, a schoolteacher in Akron, Ohio. Another sibling, Harriet Jane Woods, Class of 1949, predeceased Bill.

Bob Jones University graduate John is an IBM retiree living in Raleigh, North Carolina. His wife, Ardyss, who was from Maine, passed away last November. John was on the 1955 Mononongah High state champions football team.

John and Bill Meredith, Class of 1955, were teammates, classmates and good friends from first grade at East Monongah Grade School through Monongah High School. Their families attended Monongah Baptist Church.

Bill’s obituary:
Clarence William “Bill” Woods Jr., 81, passed away Thursday, August 27, 2015 at his home in Fort Wayne.

Born in Monongah, WV, Clarence was a veteran of the U.S. Army and a graduate of West Virginia University. He was a Manufacturing Manager with General Electric until his retirement in 1995. He was a regular attendee of The Chapel and was a Talking Book Repair Volunteer from 1998 to 2014.

Surviving are his wife, Dorothy J. Woods of Fort Wayne; son, William B (Kate) Woods of Grayslake, IL; son, Robert L. (Chris) Woods of Lebanon, OH; daughter, Sharon D. Ringenberg of Fort Wayne; 13 grandchildren; 2 great grandchildren; brother, John Woods of Raleigh, NC; and sister, Shirley (Fred) Merchant of Akron, OH.

Clarence was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence Sr., and Helen Woods.

Funeral Service is at 6:00 pm, Saturday, August 29, 2015 at D.O. McComb & Sons Covington Knolls Funeral Home, 8325 Covington Road with calling from 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm prior. Memorials may be made to the Community Harvest Food Bank.

To sign the online guest book, click on www.domccombandsons.com



 


 






Another Lion gets the Furfari fanfare
 
Mickey Furfari is getting into a Monongah High alumni rut.

Dennis Jones, Sam Huff
at 2008 Fiesta Bowl
Last week he wrote a column about me – John Olesky, Class of 1954 – and my 43-year newspaper career that included 13 years as a sportswriter.

The Tuesday, Sept. 1 column will be about Dennis Jones, a retired Army major general who had a key role in bringing Monongah High its first of five state football titles in 1952 before playing on the WVU football team for three seasons. Dennis lives in Brentwood, Tennessee. Dennis caught a pass from Julie Angelucci that he lateraled to Larry Rankin for the game-winning touchdown.

Dennis’ parents were Clifford and Georgia Jones, who operated Jones Grocery Store in Worthington for many years.  His brother, David Jones, is deceased.
Dennis and I had a reunion in Mountaineer Field in 2011, before the Pitt game. I had to walk around to the West stands, where Dennis and his wife were sitting, from our East stands seats in Section 107. This year, my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, and I are moving to Section 105, on the 50-yard-line, still in the East stands. Jackie’s daughter, Renee, a pharmacist at WVU’s Ruby Memorial Hospital, handles the season tickets purchases and I bring Paula or other family members of 77-year friend Bob Kasper with me to each game.

Mickey’s latest story about a Monongah High grad:

= = = = = = = = = = = =

WVU end Dennis Jones attained top Army ranking

By MICKEY FURFARI

      MORGANTOWN – Dennis Jones grew up in Monongah, Marion County (W.Va.), where he played football at Monogah High School (now closed) as an offensive end, earning All-State status as an offensive end. And that’s what he played at West Virginia University from 19454 to 1958.

      He’s now 79, retired, and a veteran of 37 years of military service in the U.S. Army. Jones has been retired since 2001.

      In the Army, he was a special engineer for electrical matters and he magnificently rose to the rank of major general. He actively served in that rank for six years before retiring.

      That was in Tennessee, where Dennis has resided with his wife Trudy, for 22 years. They have two grown daughters and two grandchildren.

       It’s something to be proud of for a graduate of the WVU College of Engineering, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1958.

      While he was a student-athlete as a Mountaineer from 1954, he said he lettered as a player in 1957. He proudly wore the number 89, the highest on the team at that time.

      He did not have to red-shirt at all, but he did play on a freshman team in 1954. Dennis played the end position on both offense and defense at times.

      WVU statistics show he stood 6-foot-2 and had a playing weight of 205 pounds. He is credited with six receptions for 99 yards in five games. In his sophomore year, he recorded a 33-yard reception against Wake Forest and a 13-yard reception against Richmond.

      Jones remembers that West Virginia knocked off Penn State for the third time in a row. That remains an all-time record for the Mountaineers. He played in the 21-7 win in 1955 which rounded out that memorable circle.

      He noted that the biggest loss in 1955 was to Pitt, 26-7, in front of a crowd of 57,966 fans.

      “Quarterback Fred Wyant got hurt in the first half, and that really hurt us,” he recalled. “We lost some other key players in that 1955 game in Pittsburgh, too.”

      Jones said that loss cost WVU a return to the Sugar Bowl in 1955. Sugar Bowl officials came expecting to take WVU, but ended up giving Pitt the spot instead. WVU, ranked 6th nationally before the Pitt game, ended the year ranked 19th in the nation.

      “That was really a big disappointment to everyone,” he said.

      “I really enjoyed my years at the university,” he said. “It was great playing football for ‘Pappy’ Lewis. And I got a wonderful education.”

      He submitted some memories of what things were like for WVU football 60 years ago:

      WVU started the 1955 season with 89 players reporting for practice at Jacksons Mill. Head coach Art Lewis had three special coaches, an assistant coach, a freshman team coach, a trainer and team doctor.       Lewis earned a salary in then $30,000 range.

      Old Mountaineer Field seated 38,000 with temporary bleachers in the end zone area. There was a locker room with showers, whirlpool tubs and just a few weight and conditioning facilities.

      The 1955 traveling squad contained 35-40 players. Travel mostly was by bus in the Southern Conference area, with long distance game travel by plane.

      The 1955 scholarships for football players provided tuition, books, room and board, and $15 per month for laundry.

      Game play involved very limited substitution, with one in and out in each quarter, requiring players to play both offense and defense.

 


More proof that Monongah = quality teaching

Monongah and quality teaching are synonymous.

This goes back to the incredible Mary Turkovich, who taught math, algebra and geometry to hundreds of miners’ children in the 1940s and for several decades after that.

Joyce Lipinski Evans, Class of 1969, is following in the hallowed footsteps of Miss Turkovich.

She was named for the Fairmont State Professional Development School Partnership’s Excellence in Teaching Awards.

Joyce is a super teacher at Jayenne Elementary School on Country Club Road in Fairmont. It is among 17 elementary schools in Marion County. Joyce is married to Donnie Evans, Class of 1969.

Joyce’s presenter was Dr. Carolyn Crislip-Tacy, dean of Fairmont State’s School of Education, Health and Human Performance. While Dr. Crislip-Tacy is a Fairmont West grad, she has Monongah High in his DNA, too. She’s a daughter of Doris Fox Crislip, Class of 1946, and the late Carroll Crislip, Class of 1941.

Joyce is a daughter of Goldie DeFazio Lipinski, Class of 1937. Goldie’s other daughters are Judy Lipinski Cook, Class of 1958; Henrietta Lipinski Hawkins, Class of 1959; and Sandra Lipinski Hawkins, Class of 1962. Judy, a former Maid of Marion chosen from among Marion County high schools yearly and Monongah High prom queen, lives on Pike Street in Monongah, within a block of where I was born in my grandparents' home on Walnut Street (at the Pike intersection). Judy Blocker Kincaid, Class of 1965, and Sandra Ann Tetrick Loretta, Class of 1966, also were chosen Maid of Marion.

Goldie’s sister is Loraine DeFazio Barth, Class of 1951.

Another DeFazio, Johnnie (1924-1975) once owned and operated DeFazio Esso Station, at Bridge and Lyndon streets in Monongah.

The Fairmont Times clipping was mailed to me by my “Monongah Bureau Chief,” Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, who lives in Monongah.

Ramona knows something about quality teaching.

Her daughter, Marcia Michalski Westfall, Class of 1974, of Kilarm, is a super elementary schoolteacher in Marion County when she’s isn’t gallivanting off with her husband, Dave Westfall, Class of 1948, on their Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide motorcyle.

Another daughter, the late Mary Frances Michalski Gapen, Class of 1968, who married Rick Gapen, was a teacher at Barrackville Middle School and Monongah Elementary. Hundreds paid their respects to Mary Frances at the funeral home.

Marcia and Dave’s daughter, Amy Westfall Raines, North Marion grad and former Fairmont State cheerleader, is the North Marion cheerleading coach.

Sunday, August 30, 2015



 

Life is about births and deaths.

 

Mary Louise Orsini, who started with the Class of 1948 before dropping out to work at Westinghouse and marrying Tony Orsini, Class of 1946, will have her birthday Sept. 7. The next day, so will my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville as is known as the person who picks a peck of peppers personally from her garden.

 

Suzanne Barr Loss, Class of 1948, widow of Arnold “J.B.” Loss, who lives in Mill Fall, shares the same birthday (Sept. 14th) with Jim Shaver, Class of 1954, who lives on the family farm on Old Monongah Road when he’s not in his wife’s native Peru.

 

Greg Patrick, Class of 1970, the leader of the Jenna Won’t Sing Band, Monongah’s best, will celebrate Sept. 20, probably by breaking out in song.

 

Appropriately, while celebrating the birthdays of September Lions, Sept. 10 will be the first anniversary of the passing of Nick Domico, Jr. – Junior Domico when he was growing up in the green house in Monongah next to Our Lady of Pompeii Church, a building that was razed a few years back to end the Italian-America era in the town. Junior founded and ran the Domico Funeral Home on Gaston Avenue for more than a half-century, in 1987 adding a second funeral chapel in Fairview.

 

Sept. 30th will be first anniversary of the passing Mary Ann Bienkoski Domico, Class of 1950, daughter of the late Matthew and Stella Bienkoski of Worthington. Mary Ann was the widow of Louie “Scoogum” Domico. They lived in Monongah for 54 years where they raised 4 children.

 

Here are the 179 Monongah High birthdays listed.

 

 

If your name is not on this list, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com  with your full name, including maiden name, your birthday date, your graduation year and your current hometown.


 

September


 

1 – Claude Domico, Jr., Class of 1959

6 – Dave Domico of Monongah, Fairmont West grad married to Andrea Justice Domico

7 – Mary Louise Orsini, Class of 1948 (honorary)

7 – Phillis Tarley, North Marion grad from Idamay living in Fairmont

8 – Fred Moorehead, Class of 1964 

8 – Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955

13 – Karen Manzo, Class of 1974

14 – Suzanne Barr Loss, Class of 1948

14 – Jim Shaver, Class of 1954

15 – Bettie Hensley Lowther, Class of 1948

17 – Patti DeMary Evans, Class of 1972

20 – Greg Patrick, Class of 1970

23 – Sally Wood Tarley, Class of 1959

24 – Joe Fazio, Class of 1974

25 – Marylee Hertzog Gwinn, Class of 1948

25 – Jim Davis, Class of 1964

26 – Nathaleen Cameon Oliverio, Class of 1948

27 -- Bonita Lavencheck Waybright, Class of 1968

29 – Dietta Harden Goush, Class of 1959

 

October


 

2 – Stanley H. Vance, Class of 1964

7 – Sherry McIntire, Class of 1975

8 – Valerie Vandetta Aldridge, Class of 1973

9 – Mary Frances Miller Myers, Class of 1951

11 – Felix Colisino, Class of 1947

11 – Jay Holman, Class of 1971

12 – Brenda Manzo, wife of Danny Manzo, Class of 1957

20 – Leona “Duckles” Davis Schooley, Class of 1953

21 – Dorman Keith Beckner, Class of 1942

21 – Ken Slovekosky, Gilmer County High Class of 1976.

26 – Lori Hawkins Ice, Fairmont East graduate living in Carolina

29 – Robert Boydoh, Class of 1956

31 – Patty Steele McCombs, Fairmont East graduate who lives in Monongah

 


November


1 – Tom Dean, Class of 1949

5 – John Olesky, Class of 1950

8 – Diana Pishner Walker

10 – Tony Orsini, Class of 1946

14 – Ann Marie Mascak Davis, Class of 1955

17 – John Todd Moats, North Marion Class of 1985

20—Hellen Snider Carpenter, Class of 1950               

20 – Kathryn Toothman Crim, Class of 1950

22 – Mike Ahouse, Class of 1968

23 -- Antheai Justice Turner, North Marion 1982

25 – Gerald Nelson Hartley, Class of 1955

27 – Roy Foster, Class of 1945

28 – Danny Fullen, Class of 1961

29 – Dave Westfall, Marcia Westfall Michalski’s son

 

December


2 – Adam Michna, 1980 North Marion graduate

2 -- Mareia Wilmouth McDougal, Class of 1964

4 – Ronald Pearse, Class of 1961

4 – Jay Michalski, 1980 North Marion graduate

5 – Duane Harbert, Class of 1951

8 – Brenda Urban, Class of 1971

11 – Paulette Colanero O’Connor, Class of 1966

13 – Otis “Sarge” Shaver, Class of 1948

14 – Bev Morgan Colisino, Class of 1974

16 – Barbara Sweede, Class of 1956

16 – Shelvy Maze Cunningham, Class of 1964

16 – Henry Moore, husband of Beth Pritchard Moore, Class of 1975

18 – Bill Cameon, Class of 1960

20 – Mike Hess, Class of 1975

22 – Frances Wimer Miller, Class of 1951

23 – Jim Fullen

25 – Chris Shamrock Henning

27 – John Yokay III, son of John Yokay, Class of 1953

 

January


6 – Jeanette Barr Baczuk, Class of 1940

13 – Beatrice Salisbury Mills, Class of 1951

17 – Susan Colaneri Monell, Class of 1949

18 – Arlene Marteney Decker Edgell, Class of 1951

?? – Marie Bee Zwiegel, Class of 1951

18 – Bertha Pazdric Sullivan, Class of 1954

18 – Greg Vandetta, Monongah mayor, husband of Debbie Manzo Vandetta, Class of 1973

19 – Joe Martin, Class of 1957

19 – Joann Thompson, Class of 1962  

22 – Jo-Jo DeMary of Monongah, who lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is married to Yvonne King DeMary

24 – Marcia Michalski Westfall, Class of 1974

24 – Mark “Hooch” Aldridge, Class of 1973

29 – Kitty Ahouse Morrison, Class of 1968

 

February


1 – Debra Manzo Vandetta, Class of 1973

2 – Sylvia Edwards, Monongah grad living in Idamay

3 – Debbie Weaver Hurley, Monongah grad living in Monongah with husband Milton Hurley

3 – Rebecca Urish Anderson, Class of 1971

8 – Tom Fleming, Monongah grad living in Bridgeport

9 – Bob Nichols, Class of 1964

10 – Bonnie Nicholson Moats, Class of 1960

11—Linda Renay Hess Postlethwait, Class of 1968

15 – Jerry Koloskie, Class of 1975

17 – Larry “Danny” Eates, Class of 1970

18 – Mark Tarley, North Marion grad

20 – Harold Dean Kniceley, Class of 1960

21 – Eva Huey Jarvis, Class of 1975

24 – Mary Kelly, Monongah & North Marion

29 – Betty Sikinow Cunningham, Class of 1954

 


March


5 – Phil Colanero, Jr., Class of 1963

5 -- Doris Carpenter Rogers, Class of 1971

6 – Karen Fitzwater Pausch, Class of 1961

9 – Richie Basagic, Class of 1975 

9 – Brian Evans, Monongah graduate married to Patty DeMary Evans

11 – Benny C. Morgan, Class of 1948

15 – Donna Colvert Davis, Class of 1961, married to 1958 MHS grad Bill Davis

15 – Clarence William “Bill” Woods, Class of 1952

22 – David Haines, Class of 1964

25 – Sandy Cook, Class of 1959

25 – Richard Fitzwater, Monongah graduate

28 – Josephine Popovich Jones, Class of 1952

 


April


 

4 – Charlotte Walker Cahill, Class of 1954

5 – Bernie Fullen, Class of 1963

9 – Paula “P.J.” Hickman, North Marion 1983

11 – Leo Kubiet, Class of 1942

12 – Linda Sawyer Duckworth, Class of 1966

14 – Lyla Cosner Howell, Class of 1958

16 – Becky Shelosky Carvillano, Class of 1961  

30 – Shirley Knight Ritterhouse, Class of 1954

 

May


4 – Freddie Jane Colosino Villers, Class of 1964

5 – Frank Franze, Class of 1950

6 – Jerry Loss, Class of 1956

12 – Arlene Kitchin, main squeeze of Joe Martin, Class of 1957

14 – Donna Post Swiger, Class of 1955

14 – Mike Jurasko, Class of 1957

14 – Virginia Belle Littleton Curtis, Class of 1957

17 – Colette Stanley Melton, Class of 1970

20 – Linda Tomlinson Stevenski, Class of 1955

21 – June Paxton Rogers, Class of 1948

27 – Ed Graffius, Class of 1971

28 – Terri Orsini Saye, Class of 1972

29 – John Woods, Class of 1957

30 – Dave Westfall, Class of 1948  

 

June


1 – Parma Kay Fetty, Class of 1973

3 – Jim Birdsell, North Marion grad from Monongah; married to Angela

5 – Ann “Peaches” DeMary

7 – Kenneth Kincaid, Class of 1968

8 – John Koloskie, Jr., Class of 1944

8 – Pat Slovekosky Morris, Class of 1970

13 – C.L. “Roy” Parker II, North Marion Class of 1982

13 – Rick Morrison, son of Kitty Ahouse Morrison, Class of 1968  

14 – Pamela Morrison Bombardiere, Class of 1967

14 – Regina Levelle Humphrey, Class of 1973

14 – Regina McCoy Murphy, Class of 1973

17 – Delmas Gene Hartley, Class of 1979

17 – Dennis Jones, Class of 1954

20 – Shirley Ann Woods Merchant, Class of 1953

23 – Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949

23 – Kathryn Manuel Marshall, Class of 1960

23 – Ron Manzo, Monongah grad

23 – Frankie Vandetta, North Marion grad

 

July


3 – Susan Ahouse Schrader, Class of 1971

4 – Barbara Fleming Marsh, Class of 1947

5 – David Gowers, Class of 1971

5 – Bill Meredith, Class of 1957

7 – Alex Fazio Huff, North Marion 2005 grad

10 – Mary Fleming Toothman, Class of 1960

14 – Ted Nagel, Class of 1954

14 – Bentley Evans, Class of 1978

18 – Larry Zickefoose, Class of 1968

20 – Catherine Reckart Boyce, Class of 1973

21 – Robin Huffman Satterfield, Class of 1973  

16 – Jean Nagel Viglianco, Class of 1949

19 – Jane Pritchard Moore, Class of 1975

29 – Pete Basagic, Class of 1972

 

August


1 – Kim DeMary Clowers, Class of 1979

3 – (Agnes) Jean Larry DiLaura, Class of 1950

5 – Robert Tennant, Class of 1971

6 – Wauneda Evans, Patty DeMary Evans’ mother-in-law

7 – Dorie Mike Whetsell, Monongah graduate

8 – Sandra Ashcraft, Class of 1964

9 – Paula Kerns Fazio, Class of 1979

12 – Angelo Catania, Class of 1943

16 – Debby Morrison Harden, Class of 1966

17 – Twins Earnest Hayes & Chester Hayes, both Class of 1965

18 – Jim McDaniel, Class of 1960

18 – John Fazio, Class of 1970

19 – Greg Postlethwait, Class of 1964

19 – Barbra Eller-Hanning, Monongah grad

20 – Irene Fazio Preolitti, Class of 1966

20 – Connie Warash, Class of 1975

29– Pat Meredith Wills, Class of 1950

30 – Beth Pritchard Brooks, Class of 1978

30 – David Harbert of Idamay, Farmington grad

 

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Pacemaker for Dolores Edwards

Dolores Edwards, Class of 1955, Monongah High Alumni Association vice president, has a new Pacemaker, as I do.

Dolores Edwards
Reports Dolores:

Want to thank everyone for all the prayers during my hospital stay at both Fairmont General and Mon General. Pacemaker and stent working well. God is good.”

Dolores has plenty of company. Worldwide, three million people have the heart-regulating devices, starting in 1958. 500,000 Americans have implanted Pacemakers.

There’s a slight bulge in your chest where the Pacemaker is implanted. Mine makes sure my heart rate doesn’t drop below 60 beats per minute. Before the Pacemaker, my heart race in Australia and Montreal dropped into the 40s, which mean I dropped – woozily to the nearest chair or couch before I hit the floor. No more.

Dolores lives in Four States and is in the same graduation class as my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, who is a widow living in Rivesville.

Dolores’ father, Bob Edwards, 92, of Monongah passed away March 19.

You can send Dolores your best wishes via her Facebook page.

Or phone her at (304) 287-2988.        

Or drop her a card at:

Dolores Edwards

P.O. Box 31

Four States, WV  26572