Monday, October 23, 2017





Tom Colanero, Class of 1968, and Julie Khuri Colanero celebrated their 34th wedding anniversary Sunday, October 22.

Tom wrote:

“A shoutout to my lovely wife Julie for our 34th  wedding anniversary Sunday, Oct. 22. We spent the day in Oxford, Mississippi watching the LSU-Ole Miss game and had a blast. A lovely day with my lovely wife.”
Tom is a chemical engineer and new product manager at Pennakem after being a student at West Virginia Tech and lives in Memphis, Tennessee. He has 42 years in his career. Julie went to WV Tech 4 years after Tom did.
Their son Chris Colanero lives in Nashville and is a pharmacist at St. Thomas Hospital.
Julie’s father, Mose Khuri, passed away March 5. Tom’s dad passed away more than two decades ago.
Tom played both offense and defense for the Monongah High team that won the 1966 Mason-Dixon football championship. So did Danny Colanero. And Nick Saban, Alabama football coach, who quarterbacked the Lions to the 1968 state title.
Tom was so busy at Monongah High that I’m surprised he had time to go to class. He was on the Honor Society, attended Boys State, in the junior class play, a starter on the MHS basketball team with Brother, on the track team and on the golf team.
No wonder he blew through West Virginia Tech and became a chemical engineer for almost a half-century! Of course, having the amazing Sally Wood Tarley, “one of the best teachers I ever had,” helped.
Tom’s sister, Paulette Lynn Colanero O’Connor, Class of 1966, also was a Monongah sports champion. She was on Coach Gene Kendzior’s 1960 Monongah girls softball team that won the Marion County title.
Paulette is manager of the Prince William Hospital gift shop in Manassas, Virginia, where she lives with her husband, John O’Connor.
Tom and Paulette’s brother, Phil Colanero, Jr., Class of 1963, lives in Morgantown with wife Betty Hanlin Colanero.
Phil has 11 grandchildren; Betty has 4 grandchildren. Phil’s father, Phil, Sr., played on the 1940 Monongah High Marion County Champions football team so Tom and Paulette’s athletic prowess were just their DNA acting up.
Elizabeth Colanero was the mother of Tom, Paulette and Phil.

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