The legacy of Homer Delovich, Class of 1948, lives on long after his passing in 2000.

Homer once held a first-day lead in the West Virginia Open Golf over the legendary White Sulphur Springs pro Sam Snead.

In 1973 Homer was the first round leader in the West Virginia Open, but blew up to an 80 when he played the next day with the Snead, who won the state golf tourney 14 times. Homer settled down for a 75 in his final round for 224, good enough for fifth place.

Said Homer, a Monongah mine foreman, of his implosion while playing with Snead: "I was so scared I couldn't take the club back.''  

Homer, once quarterback on the Monongah High football team, and son Dewey Delovich, 1987 North Marion grad, won a state Father/Son Golf Tournament.

Homer’s brother, Mickey Delovich, obviously a pretty fair golfer, too, took his grandson, Loy Pepersack, under his wing and, as Loy’s mom, Dana Delovich Pepersack of Garrettsville, Maryland wrote, “made a golfer out of him.”

Boy, did he!

Loy, playing for Harford Tech, qualified for the Maryland state championship with a double eagle (THREE under par for a 2 on a par 5 hole!).

Dana says that Mickey “has been saying that he (Loy) has a swing like his brother, Homer, ever since he picked up a club.”

As Sam Snead would tell you if he were around today, that’s some great swing!

Dana is Mickey’s youngest daughter.

Homer’s widow is Annie Tarley Delovich, Class of 1952. Homer, who lived on Pike Street with Annie, is buried in Monongah’s Mohammedan Cemetery. Mary Ann Delovich Matheney, Class of 1976, is their daughter, thus Dewey’s sister.

Dewey, who won the West Virginia high school Class AAA golf championship in 1968, is assistant pro at the Kiawah Island, South Carolina Cassique Club. He lives on Johns Island, South Carolina.

Dewey met his wife, Adrianne Tetrick Delovich, at Green Hills when she was in college and working at the golf course’s restaurant and bar. The couple married in 2000 and are the parents of daughter Marley.  Adrianne’s father is Rocky Tetrick, Class of 1964.   

Homer’s brother, Ronnie “Coolie” Delovich, Class of 1952, passed away in 1969. Emma Develich is Class of 1955. Eva Marie Delovich is a 1982 North Marion  graduate.

Matt Delovich, 2004 North Marion grad, is Dave Delovich's son and the grandson of Homer and Anne Delovich. Matt and 2003 North Marion grad Brittany Noelle Jones' children are Rylee and Alexis, which makes them Homer and Anne's great-grandchildren. Rylee and Alexis attend Monongah Elementary.

And you can bet the Delovich family can put together a team of golfers that might rival any other amateur golf family in West Virginia and Maryland, maybe in America.