Kathren Herndon Loss, Class of 1942, with John Olesky, Class of 1950

Judy Rhoades McCoy, John Larry, Linda Moorehead Larry

Trudy and Charlie Anderson

Barbara Shelosky, Trudy Damico Anderson

Vicki and Tom Nottingham

Louanna Felton Raddish, Becky Shelosky Carvalanno

Charles Chefren, Curtis Lee, Sam Thompson

Linda Moorehead Larry, Linda K. Moorehead Pruitte, Linda Savereno Moorehead

Phyllis Shelosky, Tom Shelosky, Sharon Garrett Sokolosky

Kitty Morrison, Ina Kincaid Fullen, Brenda Manzo and (standing) Donna Davis

John Baransky, Susan Staron Sanders

Joyce and Donnie Evans

Pam Kincaid West and Joe

Bonita Lavenchek Waybright

Tom Dean in background, Jackie Olesky Straight in foreground at Three Ways Inn Restaurant on Friday

SEATED
Charlotte Fullen Loyd, Barbara Shelosky, Trudy Damico Anderson
MIDDLE ROW
Kitty Ahouse Morrison, Debbie DeFazio Zickafoose, Linda Moorehead Pruitte, Pam Kincaid West, Phyllis Hayes, Linda Savereno Moorehead, Bonnie Lavenchek
BACK ROW
Tom Nottingham, Tom Colanero, Donnie Evans, Larry Zickefoose

JoAnn Chipps, Tom Colanero and Kathren Loss

Linda Tomlinson Stevenski in green top

Don Commodore, John Olesky

Paula Rossi Wiley, John Olesky

Donna McGinnis Suppa-Fullen, Bernie Fullen, John Olesky

Phil Colanero with Brenda Manzo

Tom Colanero with John Olesky

Brenda and Dan Manzo

Ramona Fullen Michalski in the money

Bonnie Lavenchek, Harold Maze

Jackie's daughter, Belinda, enjoys a good laugh at Three Ways Inn

Jackie Olesky Straight (R), LaQuita Olesky Timberlake, Jackie's rhododendron

Kitty Ahouse Morrison, Class of 1968

Judy McCoy, Linda Moorehead Larry

Colette Stanley Melton and Sam Thompson

Sue Ahouse Schrader, Class of 1971, Larry Konzelman

Flowers, well wishes for Sue Schrader from her 1971 class

Kitty Morrison, Sue Schrader, John Olesky at 2015 MHS Reunion

The 2018 Monongah High Alumni Reunion was an enjoyable, amazing gathering of Lions, as usual.

But the amazing attendee, for me, among the 146 who attende was Kathren Herndon Loss, Class of 1942. She’s a lively, aware 93.

Kathren is the widow of Bernard Loss, whose  siblings were Lucille Loss Blocker, wife of Richard Blocker; Rosemary Loss Hartman of Phoenix, Arizona; Mildred “Jean” Loss Carlot, who with husband Julie ran Carlot’s Grill across the street from Monongah High for decades; and Don Loss.

Barbara Shelosky, Class of 1968, came from San Diego, California to join her honor class, which was a large and lively group. Andrea Shelosky also moved to California.

Also at the Class of 1968 table was Trudy Damico Anderson, married to Charles Anderson.

And Linda Savereno Moorehead, whose husband, Fred Moorehead, Class of 1964, passed away in 2016. They lived in Carolina. Fred was a Fairmont State graduate from Helens Run, West Virginia.

With another honor class, the Class of 1958, was Don Commodore, who lives in Rock Creek, Ohio. His siblings are Jim Commodore, Class of 1950, who passed away in 2014; Rose Commodore Cain, also Class of 1950, who lives in Fairmont; Joe Commodore, who also lives in Fairmont; and Tom Commodari, Class of 1958, who lives in Monongah.

With the third honor class, the Class of 1978, was Donnie Wells, Jr.. It was Donnie’s father, Don Wells, Sr., Class of 1955, who set up a blind date for his Fairmont Westinghouse co-worker, David Straight, with another 1955 graduate, Jacqueline Olesky, who was in teacher Mildred Berry’s home room at Monongah High with Donnie. Jackie became Mrs. David Straight and they had four children and four grandchildren. Dave passed away in 1998. Jackie still lives in their family home in Rivesville.

Donnie, Sr. married Lucy Barta Wells of Idamay and Farmington High School. They had five children, including Donnie, Jr.

Donnie, Sr.’s siblings are Lyndon Wells, Class of 1955; Joe Wells, who married Peggy Clayton, Class of 1951; Mary Alice Wells, who  became Mrs. Emerson; and Pauline Wells, who  became Mrs. Huffman.

Also at the MHS Reunion was Paula Rossi Wiley, married to Rick Wiley and living in Fairmont. Paula, after Fairmont State and WVU, embarked on a career as a Marion County Schools media specialist, teaching in Barrackville.

Paula’s parents are James and Virginia DeMary Rossi, Class of 1953, who was Tina Tartell’s life-long friend.

The Class of 1963 was well-represented by Donna McGinnis Suppa-Fullen and husband Bernie Fullen. They married after Donna’s husband, Jack Lee Suppa, and Bernie’s wife, Chloe Anne of Webster Springs, passed away.

Bernie and Jack were best friends while growing up in Carolina.

Susan Staron Sanders, Class of 1971, the driving force behind raising money for 26 Christmas street lights in Monongah, was there. She lives  with husband Ron Sanders on Thomas Street, one door down from where the Olesky family resided before moving to Church Street.

You can find their son, Tom, at the Family Dollar Store, where he's in management. 

Also in the 1958 honor class was Rosemary Raymond Pagliaro, married to Carmen Pagliaro. Rosemary is the only daughter of Mary Dudiak Raymond and Angelo Raymond and the only sibling of Bob Raymond, Class of 1951, whose widow, Susan Russell Raymond, lives in White Hall.  

Rosemary and Carmen’s children are Melanie Ann Pagliaro, policy analyst for the Majority Leader in the West Virginia House of Delegates, who lives in Charleston, and C.J. Pagliaro.

Tom Dean, Class of 1949, widower of Rosemarie Dean, was there, too. He lives in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

Tom has three sons in Goldsboro and brother Jim, Class of 1945, not that far away in LePlace, Louisiana.

Tom was there with his daughter, retired Army Colonel Pam Dean Mitchell, who lives in Arlington, Virginia. 

Another Tom, Tom Shelosky, showed up with

wife Phyllis. They live in Monongah.

Tom’s parents were Julia Lazorick Shelosky and Stanley “Strob” Shelosky.  George Shelosky was Strob’s brother.

Harold Maze, Class of 1961, who lives near Worthington, also was there. His siblings are Shelvy Maze Cunningham, and Sandra Maze Freeman, Class of 1956.

Harold is married to Kathy Lindsay Maze, Class of 1968 (she went to Monongah High her senior year after previously attending Shinnston High).

Kitty Ahouse Morrison was with the honor Class of 1968. 

Usually her sister, Sue Ahouse Schrader, Class of 1971, is right alongside Kitty at the MHS Reunions.

But Sue is battling medical problems in Piscataway, New Jersey, where she lives with Larry Konzelman when she isn't in Stoney Lonesome.

Sue’s 1971 classmates sent her flowers and good wishes to  “the heart and soul of the Class of 1971.”

Kitty reports that Sue “is feeling better. She was sent hoe with pills. She really appreciates all the thoughts and prayers.”

Sue’s response: “Thank you, Class of 1971. You are the best!!!  What a nice surprise. Beautiful.”

If you check out the photos you will find:

Judy Rhoades McCoy, Class of 1968.

John Larry, Class of 1967, and Linda McCoy Larry.

Louanna Felton Raddish, Class of 1961.

Rebecca “Becky” Shelosky Carvillano, Class of 1961.

Linda Moorehead Larry, Class of 1968.

Linda K. Moorehead Pruitte.

Sharon Garrett Sokolsky.

Bonita Lavenchek Waybright, Class of 1968.

John Baransky, Class of 1971, who lives in Worthington.

Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, was at Friday’s gathering at the Three Ways Inn Restaurant with her daughters, Renee, Lea Ann and Belinda, and her brother, John Olesky, Class of 1955, publisher of this blog.

John also attended the Saturday reunion, sitting at the same table with Otis “Sarge” Shaver and June Paxton Rogers, both Class of 1948, which means this was their SEVENTIETH anniversary celebration.

Also at the same table, next to the Stepping Stones Band that provided the music for the dancing, were Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, who lives in Monongah, with son Mike Michalski, who lives next door to Ramona; and Tom Dean, Class of 1949, accompanied by his daughter, Pamela; and John Olesky, Class of 1950, with his daughter, LaQuita Olesky Timberlake, a teacher in Aurora, Ohio.

I call LaQuita “the Mary Turkovich of Aurora schools” because I can’t think of a higher compliment to give any teacher in America.

Olesky petting uncaged tiger in Thailand

Olesky leads an interesting life

By John Veasey, Times West Virginian

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Olesky leads an interesting lifehttp://www.timeswv.com/news/olesky-leads-an-interesting-life/article_042839c8-ee6a-11e5-b36f-83John Olesky grew up in Monongah and attended the old Monongah High School.

It’s after he left Monongah, however, that his life became interesting. And after he retired from newspaper work, it became very interesting.

John with late wife
Monnie Turkette Olesky

Olesky graduated from Monongah High School and then attended West Virginia University. During his final semester at WVU in 1953-54, he worked at the Morgantown Dominion-News under sports editor Mickey Furfari.

This started him out on a newspaper career that lasted until he retired from the Akron Beacon Journal in 1996.

From Morgantown, Olesky went to the Williamson Daily News where he founded one of the all-state sports teams, for baseball. After doing that alone for two years, he was appointed chairman and it was brought under the auspices of the West Virginia Sportswriters Association.

John with current mate
Paula Tucker

Olesky moved from Williamson to Charleston in 1955 under the late Dick Hudson, who recently passed away at the age of 100.

 

Not too long after that, Olesky moved to the Dayton Daily News sports department under Si Burick, who was the Ohio Sportswriter of the Year for seven different years.

 

The Monongah native then branches out — traveling to St. Petersburg, Florida. to join the sports department there.

John & Monongah/WVU
football player Dennis Jones

Olesky returned to the Dayton Daily News again in 1967 and in 1969 he joined the Akron Beacon Journal staff where he would stay until 1996 when he retired. At the Beacon Journal he was an assistant State Desk editor, then newsroom electronics coordinator and then television editor.

He keeps in touch with most things still going on in Monongah and he enjoys coming back to Morgantown for every football game in Mountaineer Field.



John with WVU basketball
coach Bob Huggins

Olesky could be called Monongah School’s official secretary as he keeps the Times West Virginian alert to every death, marriage and other thing going on in his hometown.

 

He was married to Monnie Turkette Olesky for many years until her passing. For more than 11 years, his mate has been Paula Tucker.

 

He has traveled to many countries. His favorite of them all? How about Thailand? He says in Thailand that he got to pet uncaged tigers not restrained in any way, rode elephants and saw fantastic Buddha statues, including the Reclining Buddha, which is solid gold and 100 feet long, and an 8-foot solid emerald Buddha.

“We also visited Anghor Wat in Cambodia,” he says — a place not familiar to many Americans but Olesky can tell you all about it.

“We visited Egypt,” he says, “Cruising down the Nile, two weeks before the Arab Spring revolution.”

He says another memorable trip was to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, where he had to flatten himself against the merchandise to avoid a burro loaded with goods lumbering through the narrow outdoor passageway.

“We also visited Italy and I went to the house in Mione, where I walked through my grandmother’s 1848 stone house, and Pellizzano.“

That must have been quite a thrill.

“Don’t forget the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City,” Olesky says, “and the Pitti Palace built by the Medici family” that houses hundreds of art masterpieces.

There are numerous other countries on his list as well.

Other countries include China, to Beijing and Shanghai; New Zealand and Australia, including walking the steepest resident street in the world, 1,200 feet up Baldwin Street in Dunedin, New Zealand; and Greece. Others include the Danube River from Budapest to Nuremberg; France; Germany; Austria; Panama Canal; Costa Rica; Columbia; England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland; and most of the Caribbean nations.

Olesky has a home in Ohio but he spends part of the year now at The Villages, a community of 114,000 residents 55 and older down in Central Florida.

“Those are off the top of my head,” he says. ”My full list is in Ohio. But I know it’s 53 countries and 43 states. I missed a few states in the Midwest.”

Here is story Ripley would not believe. Let Olesky tell it:

This definitely comes under the “small world” department.

I attended the monthly West Virginia Club gathering Tuesday night at the Paradise Recreation Center in The Villages, Florida. Because nearly all of the 400 club members were there, I had trouble finding available seats for myself and Paula.

So I plopped down in one of the only two chairs available. I turned to the woman across the table from me and, as usual, asked: “Where are you from?”

Her reply: “Clarksburg. Where are you from?”

My response: “Monongah.”

Her incredulous reaction: “Monongah! My grandfather and grandmother were from Monongah.”

Me: “What were their names?”

She: “Mitch and Ann Pavlick.”

An even more incredulous Me: “My father dated your grandmother after my mother and your grandfather both had passed away.”

Mitch and Ann’s son, Junior Pavlick, a Fairmont St. Peter’s High School graduate who moved to Arizona where he passed away at age 65, was Michele Pavlick Todd’s father.

So there we were, two people who had never met each other, seated across the table 864 miles from Monongah in The Villages, Florida — joined together by being related to long-ago lovers.

What are the odds of that?

(The story above is typical of the kind that John Olesky submits to the Times West Virginian.)

 

John & Monnie with grandchildren on Christmas Eve, 2003