COPY, PASTE REGISTRATION FORM ON 8X10 SHEET. MUST BE IN JOHN OLESKY'S HANDS BY JUNE 26

 

MISS KITTY WILL BE AT JULY 17 J&J&LIONS GET-TOGETHER FOR A SHOUTOUT INSTEAD OF SHOOTOUT

 

Well, Marshal Matt Dillon won’t be at the J&J&Lions Get-Together on Saturday, July 17 in the Monongah Town Hall, but Miss Kitty will be there.

That would be Mary “Kitty” Ahouse Morrison, Class of 1968, who helps so many people in Monongah, often quietly and without seeking applause for it.

I received her Reservation in the mail today. Along with that of her sister, Susan Ahouse Schrader, Class of 1971, a Piscatway, New Jersey resident for years and years before moving to Pittsburgh, and Jay Holman, Class of 1971, who organizes reunions at the drop of a hat.

Jay resides in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina with wife Margaret, a Fairmont West graduate. He lived in Carolina during his Monongah High days. Jay is a professional photographer, often providing me with photos of the Class of 1971 reunions, the annual all-class versions or just a roundup of the 1971 gadabouts.

Jay and Margaret have three sons: Jay Holman III, a Chicago banker; Robert Holman, who works for the federal government out of Clarksburg; and Fairmont State grad Michael Holman, a North Carolina Teacher of the Year.  

First Kathren Herndon Loss, Class of 1942, who will be either 95 or 96 at the gathering. And now four of my favorite Monongah High Lions will be there!

So will Monongah Councilwoman Susan Staron Sanders, Class of 1971, who with Shellie Yankie are doing a bangup job of helping me plan for the July 17 celebration of the closest thing to normal we’ve had since the pandemic began. Everyone there will have their required COVID vaccine shots. No one is allowed to be in the building July 17 without being vaccinated, even the music-makers.

Jay and Susan both were born in October.

Dinner at 6 p.m. supplied by Say-Boy Restaurant where my father introduced me to my first glorious ribeye steak when I was a teenager. Till then, at our Church Street home, I thought pork chops were “steak,” because that’s closest I got to biting into “steak.”

A lot of people in Monongah don’t go hungry because Kitty makes sure a couple of food pantries are stocked with starvation-preventers.

Kitty and Sue also travel around America and other parts of the world, just as I have with my visits to 56 countries and 44 states and 30 winters in Florida of up to 4 months each time. Brother Mike Ahouse, a North Marion graduate and Monongah mailman,  accompanies them sometimes, too.

 

Kitty has partied it up with a limousine loaded with ladies of similar bent on their way to New York City, lived it up in Key West, soaked up sun and fun in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and run a half-marathon in Chicago.

Here traveling companions at times included the late Bertha Jones Wilson, Class of 1972. Kitty, Sue and Bertha also were joined at the hip at Monongah High Alumni Banquets over the years.

Kitty won’t have to travel far for the J&J&Lions Get-Together: From her Lyndon Avenue home to the Town Hall. Now she’s retired from Wal-Mart, Kitty has even more time for her gallivanting and helping others.

North Marion graduate Rick Morrison is Kitty’s son.

Monongah High's Miss Kitty is more famous in Marion County than the one on TV in "Gunsmoke."

Another of my favorite Monongah High graduates will be there, too – Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville and is helping me brainstorm how to make July 17 safe and memorable. After all, the J&J in the event stands for John Jr. and Jackie.

Jackie is a widow but some of her family will be with her in the Monongah Town Hall. I’m 88 years old so she’ll never catch up to me in longevity as long as God keeps me above ground. Our paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather put in a lot of miles before they left for Heaven so I think their DNA is helping Jackie and me to keep enjoying life.

What about YOU? Are you going to be a stick-in-the-mud and miss out on all the fun and nostalgia? Or are you going to print up the Reservation form at the top of this blog, fill it out, confirm that you’ve had your COVID vaccines and mail the Reservation form and your check ($20 per person) to:

John Olesky

217 N Thomas Road

Tallmadge, OH 44278-1776

The deadline for the check being IN MY HANDS is June 26 so that I can tell Say-Boy how many are coming to the dinner they will be catering and what types of dinner they prefer.

Kitty, Sue, Jay, Kathren, Jackie and I will be there waiting for you. Dinner at 6 p.m., music from 7 to 9 p.m. Fun every second of the night.

This is NOT the annual Monongah High Alumni banquet but a John Olesky attempt to get family and classmates together during the summer as a break from the COVID restrictions.iHH

The annual Monongah High Alumni Banquet will be September 4 on Labor Day weekend at the Knights of Columbus in Fairmont. If you have any questions call Donna Davis at 304-534-5636.

IDA AMELIA YANERO PASSES AWAY. DOZENS OF YANEROS GRADUATED FROM MONONGAH HIGH

 

Ida Amelia Yanero passes away

 

I learned belatedly that Ida Amelia Yanero, mother of Paula Bowers Yanero, Class of 1969, and Diane Yanero, Class of 1977, passed away March 30.

Paula lives in Franklin, West Virginia.

There are so many Yaneros that everyone who attended Monongah High met one. I met a cluster of Yaneros.

There are:

Danny Yanero, Class of 1939, who died in 1977.

 Fred Yanero, Class of 1957

Roselyn Yanero, Class of 1959.

Sandy Yanero Hatley, Class of 1960.

Danny Joe Yanero, Class of 1961.

Thomas Yanero, Class of 1963.

Marcia Bradley Yanero, Class of 1963.

Susan Yanero Fried, Class of 1965.

Alfred Yanero, Class of 1967.

Pamela Yanero, Class of 1969.

Marcia Bradley Yanero, Class of 1963.

Alfred Yanero, Class of 1967.

Sarah Bright Yanero, Class of 1969.

Sandy Yanero Hatley, Class of 1970.

Jennifer Sabo Yanero, Class of 1970.

 

Richard Yanero, Class of 1971.

Jennifer Sabo Yanero, Class of 1971

Richard Yanero, Class of 1971.

Linda Philips Yanero, Class of 1972.

Linda Phillips Yanero, Class of 1977.

 

Kim Yanero, 1970 Mannington graduate, lives in Monongah.

Sarah B. Yanero is a 1992 North Marion graduate living in Monongah.

There are TWO Sara B. Yaneros. Sara Bright Yanero is Class of 1969 and Sara B. Yanero is a 1992 North Marion graduate.

Obituary for Ida Emilia Yanero:

Ida Emilia Yanero

April 10, 1940 - March 30, 2021

 

Ida Emilia Yanero, of Fairmont, passed away Tuesday, March 30, 2021 in Melbourne, FL. Ida was born in Clarksburg, WV on April 10, 1940, a daughter of the late John Steffich and Ina Emilia West Steffich.

Ida attended Washington Irving High School in Clarksburg, WV and played clarinet in the band. She earned her Associates degree from West Virginia Business College. She was employed by Creative Label/A&P Printing Plant in Fairmont, WV. Ida designed floral bouquets for Weber’s Flowers and retired as a lab tech at Mine Health and Safety in 2014. While she lived in Austin, TX, she was employed by Bell South as President Lyndon Johnson’s private operator.

Ida was a member of St. Peter the Fishman Catholic Church. She volunteered with Hope. She was also a member of the Fairmont Moose Lodge, American Legion, Elks, a VFW. Ida was a sponsor of the WVU Marching Band and was a fan of WVU football and basketball, as well as Pittsburgh Steelers football. She donated to animal rescue projects and had many dogs; she loved Scottish Terriers. She was a great baker of Norwegian sweets. Ida enjoyed growing flowers and designing floral bouquets, crafts, reading, and traveling, especially to the Caribbean.

Ida is survived by her daughters, Diana Yanero-Albert and Paula Bowers Yanero; son-in-laws that she loved; grandchildren, Dr. Joshua Albert and fiancée Jessica Nolte, Trista (Westfall) Kremer and husband Michael, Paul Shipco and his wife Andrea, and Frank Shipco; great grandchildren, Savanah, Mikayla, Justin, Konnor, Katin, and Lauren; six great great grandchildren, a brother, Richard Steffich and his wife Denise; a brother-in-law, Michael “Mike” Lucas II; an uncle, Jimmy Steffich; and several nieces and nephews and great nieces and great nephews.

In addition to her parents, Ida was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Yanero; a sister, Margaret Lucas; a brother, Charles “Charlie” Steffich; and a son who passed away at birth.

The family will receive friends at Domico Funeral Home, 414 Gaston Avenue in Fairmont, on Friday, May 7, 2021 from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Vigil rites will be Friday, May 7, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Catholic Funeral Liturgy will be on Saturday, May 8, 2021 at St. Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church in Fairmont at 10:00 a.m. with Father Joseph Konikattil as celebrant. Entombment will follow at Grandview Memorial Park & Mausoleum. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.domicofh.com .

COPY, PASTE REGISTRATION FORM ON 8X10 SHEET AND MAIL IT IN

 

JAY & KITTY ROUNDING UP FRIENDS AGAIN

A pride of Lions

SEATED Jay Holman, Sue Schrader, Joann Cameon Reeves, J.B. Baransky

STANDING Kip Riley, Kitty Morrison 

The Class of 1971 probably gets together more than any other Monongah High graduation class.

They did it again but threw in non-1971 graduates.

Jayfus “Jay” Holman, usually the wrangler for the Class of 1971 reunions, came from his Atlantic Beach, North Carolina home, where he wounded up after spending his Monongah High days in Carolina. Jay was a ground mechanic for the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

Jay’s children are Michael Holman, North Carolina’s Career and Technical Educations Teacher of the Year for 2017; Jay Holman III, a Chicago banker, and Robert Holman, who works for the federal government out of Clarksburg.

Mary “Kitty” Ahouse Morrison, Class of 1968, who alternates between rounding up friends for reunions and traveling together and helping friends and others, also was there along with her sister, Sue Ahouse Schrader, Class of 1971, who moved from Piscataway, New Jersey to Pittsburgh several months ago.

Others there were Robert “Kip” Riley, Class of 1949; Joann Cameon Reeves, Class of 1971, and J.B. Baransky, Class of 1971.

Kip’s father is Robert Eugene “Gene” Riley, Class of 1949, whose other children are Cheryl Diane “Cherie” Riley Cottrill, Class of 1968; Rhonda Kaye Riley Wilson, Class of 1975; and Vicki Riley DeWitt, Class of 1979.

Joann is married to Adam Reeves. J.B. (John's his first name) lives in Monongah and is a regular at Monongah High Alumni Reunions. 

John J.B. is also a regular at MHS Alumni reunions. He lives in Worthington.

DUANE HARBERT WILL BE VISITING FAMILY & FRIENDS IN WEST VIRGINIA IN JUNE

 

Duane Harbert, Class of 1951, will be making a nostalgia trip to West Virginia in June from his Marlon, New Jersey home.

He will be attending a belated graveside memorial service in Parsons on Sunday, June 27 for Duane’s wife, Mary, followed by a catered barbeque at a local city park.

Duane’s immediate family and friends will be there.

The next day Duane and “some of my New Jersey friends” and maybe some grandchildren will take a memory tour that will including Harbert’s Fort outside of Lumberport, Worthington (where Duane grew up), Monongah and places in Fairmont where his late wife Mary lived before she married Duane.

Duane will be staying in Fairmont the next night and plans a reunion with wife and husband Arlene and Okey Edgell for dinner at Say-Boy, where my father, John W. Olesky, Sr., introduced me to my first ribeye steak, which became a lifetime obsession for me. Say-Boy will provide the catered dinner for the J&J&Lions Get-Together July 17 in the Monongah Town Hall – dinner at 6 p.m., music from 7 to 9 p.m. The J&J stands for John Olesky (that’s me) and Jackie Olesky Straight, my sister who lives in Rivesville.

 

If you want to attend, check and print up and fill out the Registration form on this blog and mail it to me so that it is in my hands by June 26 because I have to let Say-Boy, through intermediary Monongah Councilwoman Susan Sanders, know how many will be attending and what meals they prefer.

 

If you do decide to show up Duane has advice for you:

 

“Enjoy the party on the 17th and tell any of our friends that happen to be there to be careful.  In today's society they might end up in jail for doing some of the ‘Fun’ stuff we did back in the day.”

 

Duane is referring to the gang we ran around with during our Monongah High days which I facietiously call The Gang That Terrorized Marion County (we didn’t, really, but we were stupid and got into trouble). Our most legendary prank was swimming in the Fairmont Field Club pool at 2 a.m. Police showed up. We all ran but, since Duane’s father’s car (owned by Thoburn principal Frank Harbert), was still parked on the road nearby the police knew who we were.

 

I walked home barefoot from Country Club to my Monongah home, about 3 miles. But the next morning when I woke up my father was standing over me with a scowl and my shoes that I had abandoned at Fairmont Field Club and that Marion County Deputy Sheriff Koloskie, father of the late Lorraine Koloskie, my sister Jackie Olesky Straight’s best friend at Monongah High, had returned to our house. They gathered all of us together in Fairmont at a Consolidation Coal Company office and the police did a Scared Straight routine with us.

 

The Gang That Terrorized Marion County included Duane, me, Bob Kasper (my friend for 83 years who lives in South Lyon, Michigan), Ronnie “Coolie” Delovich (who got us into more trouble than anyone else in the gang), Anthony “Plumber” DeMary, Jr., Tony Eates (who still lives in Fairmont with wife Lucy Cann Eates), Frank “Bruno” Franze who lives in Slidell, Louisiana after out-living 2 wives, the late Lawrencen “Sonny” Godby, Donald “Jake” Halpenny who lives in Fairmont, the late Joe Manzo, Steven “Bucky” Satterfield who is a retired West Virginia Highway Patrolman who lives in St. Albans and the late Jim “Judge” Starcher.

 

Okey Edgell is Class of 1944 and Arlene Marteney Edgell is Class of 1951, which means she graduated from Monongah High a year after I did. Just a kid.

BERTHA KENNEDY WILSON PASSES AWAY

Bertha Marie Kennedy Wilson, Class of 1971, passed away.

 

Her parents were Mary Jane Masters Kennedy and William Jones, both deceased.

 

Sandy Kennedy Booth, her sister, posted:

 

“My sweet friend earned her angel wings this morning. She is now free from the pain and suffering. Love you Bertha Wilson. I will miss your beautiful smile.”

 

Sandy is a 1986 Fairmont State graduate who lives in Worthington with her husband, Marshall Booth. Both attended Monongah High but graduated from North Marion after MHS merged with other Marion County schools in September 1979.

 

Their children Danny and Hannah attended Monongah Middle School. Hannah is a Registered Nurse in Charleston, South Carolina, and Danny is in pre-law in college.

 

Bertha and William Kennedy’s children are North Marion graduate Amanda Wilson of Katy, mother of Emberly, 13, and Mark Jones of Worthington who passed away in November 2020. “This left her broken-hearted till her death,” Sandy texted to me. Another granddaughter is Marie Jones Stemple of Boothsville.

 

Bertha’s siblings are Sandy and Bill Kennedy, who both live in Worthington. A brother, Larry Robert “Bob” Dixon, is deceased.

 

Bertha was part of the Fantastic Four Lions who traveled together to frolic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Sedona, Arizona, Key West, Cabo San Lucas, New York City and Ohio’s Amish country.

The others were Mary “Kitty” Ahouse Morrison, Class of 1968, who lives on Lyndon Avenue in Monongah; Susan Ahouse Schrader, Class of 1971, who lives in Pittsburgh and Stoney Lonesome;  and Doris Carpenter Rogers, Class of 1971,  who lives in Charleston, West Virginia with husband Scott Rogers.

Bertha’s obituary:

Bertha Marie Wilson, 68, Monongah, passed away at her residence on Saturday, May 8, 2021.  She was born September 25, 1953 in Fairmont, a daughter of the late William Jones and Mary Jane Masters Kennedy.

 

Bertha loved her Celtic and Folk Lore music, crafts, painting on anything she could write her thoughts, prayers, poems on, rocks, slate, or paper, actually anything that didn’t move. She was so creative with everything she could use her imagination to create.  Only the people who loved her can understand this.  She loved playing the Dulcimer.  She was taught by the best….Patty Looman, having been a member of the group “The Dulcimer Dames.”  She loved people and could find the “good” in everyone she knew.  She especially loved Jesus, whom she became very close with over the last several months.

 

Bertha is survived by a daughter, Amanda Lee Wilson of Katy, 2 granddaughters, Marie Jones Stemple of Boothsville and Emberly Paige Coffman of Katy, a sister, Sandy Kennedy Booth (Bucky), and one brother, William J. Kennedy, (Bill) both of Worthington, several nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, 2 sister-in-laws, Charlene and Debbie, and a special friend, Luther Michael of Mannington.

 

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her beloved son, Mark W. Jones (“Markie”) and her big brother, Larry Robert (Bob) Dixon.

 

The family would like to thank all the family and friends who came and sat with her and loved on her the last week on earth and the Hospice nurses and staff (her little angels)  who lovingly cared for her in her last days on earth, Courtnie, Corina, Katrina, Brenda, along with the extras

 

A celebration of life may be held at a later date. Cremation services have been entrusted to Hutson Funeral Home, Farmington. www.hutsonfuneralhomes.com