Jeannette Barr Baczuk, Class of 1940,
celebrated her 100th birthday Saturday, January 7 in the Belmont
Tower building of the immense Brethren Care Village in Ashland, Ohio.
Her 4 children were there. Jim Baczuk
organized the event. His sisters Lynne Beecham, Maribeth Mooore and Jan Penrose
were there to help Mom usher in one-oh-oh!!!
Lynne is a widow living
in Bellville, Ohio; Jim is married to Rachelle and they live in Thomas, West
Virginia, near the entrance to Blackwater Falls State Park; Maribeth is a widow
living in Ashland; and Jan Penrose lives with husband Rodney in Mansfield,
Ohio.
Jeannette’s
grandchildren are Brian Moore of Atlanta; Stephen Moore of Columbus,
Ohio; Jessica Baczuk of Thomas, West Virginia; and Adam and Rachel
Penrose of Mansfield, Ohio.
Jeannette grew up in Worthington where
father was the legendary Dr. James Monroe Barr, who delivered just about every
baby born in Worthington in those days. They are called the Barr babies.
Jennette’s mother was Eva Barr. Jeannette is the widow of Frank Baczuk.
Claire Suzanne Barr Loss, who went by Suzi
and lived on the Frank and Gezala Futten Loss 100-acre Mill Farm farm of my mother
Lena Futten Olesky’s sister, was Jeannette’s sister and passed away in 2016.
Suzi was Class of 1948. She was the widow of Arnold “JB” Loss, not to be
confused with Arnold’s father, J.B. Loss.
Jeannette’s brother is the late Harrelson Barr, Class of 1939,
whose daughter, Marcie Barr Marsh, is Class of 1966. Harrelson was a long-time
pilot and all-round daredevil, going back to his Worthington youth as the son
of the famous Dr. Barr of Worthington.
After
Monongah High, Jeannette graduated from Bowling Green Business University in
Kentucky and married Frank Baczuk, Class of 1943, in 1948.
Jeannette’s
first job after college was at Westinghouse in Fairmont. She started in the
purchasing department and later became secretary to the manager.
Jeannette
and Frank moved to Ohio in 1952. After her children were in school, she went
back to work as a legal secretary for more than 20 years.
Jeannette
is a member of the American Mensa Society.
After having her meal at a table with other
women friends Jeannette’s son, Jim, had her switch to the table where my son
and I were seated, putting her chair next to mine so that we could have a long
one-on-one conversation.
Jeannette recalled being part of the “four girls from Worthington” – her, Marlyn Schuttle, Elma Collins, Margaret Thompson -- and valedictorian of the Class of 1940. She was in the senior play cast.
Jeannette first lived in the Brethren Care
Village with her husband, Frank, who was dealing with Alzheimer’s. After he
passed away Jeannette moved into a condo elsewhere but it didn’t take her long,
living alone, to return back to Brethren and her friends there so she could
socialize again.
More than 20 attended Jeannette’s 100th
birthday in the amazing, huge Brethren Care Village which includes Bay Laurel
and Bloomfield Cottages for independent living, Belmont Towner and Brookwood
Place for assisted living, memory care at Bradford Houses, Brethren Care Health
Care Center for lifelong learning and short-term rehab at Wasen Rehabilitation
Center. It all started in 1972 and grew like Topsy.
Jeannette is the woman with a Monongah
connection that I was around for her 100th birthday. The other was
Amelia Shenasky Zentz, whose parents Pete and Nell Shenasky owned and operated
Shenasky General Store next door to Thoburn School for decades. Amelia married
Bruce Zentz and they opened the Dairy Kone that will exists on U.S. 19 after a
string of owners followed Amelia and Bruce as proprietors.
When I visited Amelia on Shenasky Lane she
would call me “my boyfriend.” I took that as a compliment. As for Jeannette, as
she chatted with others about our ages, she quipped about me: “He’s just a kid.”
Of 90!
Currently, the Shenasky buiding is owned by John Boggess, son
of the late Evelyn Kasper Boggess, Class of 1953, and former coal miner Okey
Boggess.
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