Just like Holgorsen, Susan Sanders rebuilding her lights team

Just like West Virginia University football coach Dana Holgorsen, Monongah’s angel of the Christmas street lights, Susan Staron Sanders, Class of 1971, is bringing in backups for starters who had to drop out for understandable reasons.

Connie Warash and Valerie Vandetta Aldridge, Class of 1973, have been replaced with Linda McCauley, Sheila Mills, Mary Kitty Ahouse Morrison, Class of 1968, and Shelly Yankie.

Mareca Savonarola, Tina Stevens and Monongah’s premier photographer, Chris Martin, Class of 1970, remain on the first team for the fundraising to add more Christmas street lights in Monongah.

Susan will be attending the Whitehall Town Council meeting Monday, September 12 to see if they will give Monongah more lights that White Hall is replacing. It was no longer needed lights from White Hall that got Monongah started lighting up its town.

But Susan isn’t stopping for a breather. She writes:

“I will be having a meeting soon with my girls to discuss another huge fundraiser in November, so please keep the donations coming. They can be made to MVB Bank Christmas Light Fund. I also am going to check into opening a Post Office Box in Monongah that you can send them, too. Will let you know about that also. Or they can be picked up. Make sure you write on back of your check For Deposit Only.

“I am so excited with the new girls coming on board. I also have some more great ideas to make our town shine. We have six poles marked and I would like to add two more, one for Warren Sloan & Ameila Shenasky Zintz, who have given so much to our town.

“Any questions, feel free to call or email me at any time.”

That phone number would be (304) 365-2074. If a man answers, tell Ron to hand the phone to Susan. He’s her proud husband.

No wonder. This Christmas elf has brought in $2,300 to light up her town.

Ron is a Vietnam veteran. Susan’s brother, Bob Staron, Class of 1967 (deceased), fought in Vietnam.

Susan grew up with Becky Urish Anderson, who today lives in Clarksburg, and went to Monongah High with Becky. They are both Class of 1971.

Susan is an administrative assistant at Personnel. Susan and Ron live on Thomas Street, where the Mangino family lived when the Olesky family was in the last Thomas Street rental before the Church Street intersection till my parents bought the Church Street home that Angelo and Mary Dudash Raymond were renting in the mid 1940s.

On the other side of the Sanders house is the former Catania house, before Angela Catania convinced his siblings to move to Covina, California, where the surviving members still live.

I know that Mayor Greg Vandetta and his wife, Janice Manzo Vandetta, live next door to Susan, but I’m not sure whether they are in the former Olesky residence or the former Catania residence.

Other Starons and Sanders at Monongah High and near Monongah include Diane Minardi Staron, Class of 1967; Dorothy Staron Saunders, Class of 1971; Thomas Staron, Class of 1965; Zana Kay Sanders Nesselrotte, widow of Roger Lee “Butch” Nesselrotte, who lives on Swisher Hill; Timothy “Tim” Sanders and wife Janet, who live on Plum Run; Shirley Sanders, who lives in Farmington’s Number Nine; and the late Harold Eugene “Gene” Sanders, Sr., Ann Christie “Chris” Harley Sanders, Elva Ann Sanders Cox and Harold Eugene “Skip” Sanders, Jr.