Monongah High Lions

    Ramona with late husband Frank Michalski Ramona Fullen Michalski has NINETY SECOND birthday party!   Ramona Fullen Michalski’s family threw her a 92 nd birthday party at 6 p.m. Friday, June 23.   Ramona’s daughter, Marcia Westfall, reports that 39 family and friends showed up for the covered dish with Say-Boy’s chicken, swimming and chatting into the late evening. Let’s wish remarkable Ramona, Class of 1949, a happy birthday, too. Mail her a birthday card to: Ramona Fullen Michalski 39 Bridge Street Extension Monongah, WV 26554 Or phone Ramona at (304) 534-3784 And wish her a happy birthday that way. She’s 92. Ramona is my “Monongah bureau chief” for this blog. I phone her often for guidance when I’m working on an article about Lions. She is the widow of Frank Michalski, a football player during his Monongah High days. They have 6 children. When Ramona and Frank Michalski’s oldest son was born, Ramona needed blood. Frank’s former Monongah High foot

                                    DONALD "JAKE" HALPENNY CATCHING UP WITH Donald “Jake” Halpenny, Class of 1950   Donald Halpenny, called “Jake” when he ran around with what I called faceitiously The Gang That Terrorized Marion County (we were harmless), still lives in Fairmont.   Fairmont State graduate Jake, Class of 1950, lives with his daughter Kathleen, a retired nurse. His late wife, Anita Rosalee Cremeans, had 5 children – Brian, Colin, Kathleen, Keith and Shawn – and 9 grandchildren.       When I saw the name Barbara Phillips Halpenny on Facebook I asked her if she was related to Don Halpenny. Turns out she is married to John Halpenny’s son, Randy. John and Don/Jake are brothers.   Barbara and Randy live in Monongah.   Jake ran into Tony Eates, Class of 1950, who also ran around Marion County with us in our teen years, at a grocery store a while back. Tony “wasn’t feeling good,” Jake said. Don/Jake retired from Monongahela Power Company,

  Ramona Fullen Michalski to have NINETY SECOND birthday!   Ramona Fullen Michalski’s family is throwing her a 92 nd birthday party at 6 p.m. Friday, June 23. Let’s wish remarkable Ramona, Class of 1949, a happy birthday, too. Mail her a birthday card to: Ramona Fullen Michalski 39 Bridge Street Extension Monongah, WV 26554 Or phone Ramona at (304) 534-3784 And wish her a happy birthday that way. She’ll be 92. I hope she gets 92 happy birthday greetings from Lions, wherever they are. I’ll be doing just that, too, of course. What about you? Ramona is my “Monongah bureau chief” for this blog. I phone her often for guidance when I’m working on an article about Lions. She is the widow of Frank Michalski, a football player during his Monongah High days. They have 6 children. When Ramona and Frank Michalski’s oldest son was born, Ramona needed blood. Frank’s former Monongah High football teammate, the late James Michael Commodore, Class of 1950, donated blood

  Help me track Class of 1950 members!   As most of you know I am diligent about trying to keep track of my fellow Class of 1950 members. Enough so that I have the names of the 35 who have passed away, out of the 45 who graduates. That leaves 10 other Class of 1950 members (including me). I have communicated in recent years with Tony Eates, Frank Franze, Don Halpenny, Mary Ann Puffenbarger Moore, Pat Urban Utz and Leatrice Yokay Greaser to know they still are alive. But I’m not sure any more if Bernice Grandstaff Maranville, Arnold Ray Morgan or Kathryn Toothman Crim are alive or waiting for me in the Great Beyond. If you have positive proof of dead or alive, let me know, and details about where they are living and what they are doing, or when and where they passed away. Email me at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com or Facebook PM me at John Olesky. Thank you.   John Olesky, Class of 1950         2023 Class of 1950 update   IN MEMORIAM (35) Barbara Jean Baczuk

  Lois Merico Joy passes away   Lois Elvira Merico Joy, Raymond Joy’s widow passed away Monday, May 29 in Monongah. Lois’ first husband, John “Fats” Belosky, Jr., also is deceased. Lois worked in the Marion County Courthouse, Marion County Assessor’s Office and Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Her siblings are Rose Yerace, Marie Burke, Clara Beccaloni, Eva Michael, Violet McCafferty, Edith Nowlen, Tony Merico, Jesse Merico, Larry “LaLa” Merico, Charlie Merico, Joe Merico and Tony Merico.  Their parents were Joseph Joy and Mary Falcone Joy. Raymond Joe’s siblings were Joe Joy, Class of 1957, who married Victoria Seccuro Joy; Bob Joy, Class of 1956, on the 1955 Monongah High football team that won the state championship; John Joy, Class of 1960; and Bill Joy, Class of 1964, all deceased. Lois’ obituary: Lois Elvira Joy, 90, of Monongah passed away Monday, May 29, 2023 at St. Barbara’s Memorial Nursing Home in Monongah. She was born in Fairmont on April 30, 1933 daughter

      John and Joan at 100th Monongah High Alumni Banquet    Joan laughing & dancing at Stonewall Jackson Resort      Watching fireworks at Stonewall Jackson State resort      Joan and Pam Corey, of Chloe, West Virginia, laughing              during their first reunion in 15 years       John and Joan on bench with words:      West Virginia  . . . Wild and Wonderful     Joan at Oglebay Park fountain in Wheeling           John and Joan enjoying dancing, music and fireworks at Stonewall Jackson State Resort  Almost Heaven? It WAS Heaven!   John Olesky, Class of 1950, and companion Joan Salisbury of Maryland took a 5-day trip through Almost Heaven that DID become Heaven!   As Joan said, “There are SO many friendly people in West Virginia.”   Wrong turns in the road that took us to 2-way rural roads with only room for approaching cars if both got 2 tires off the road . . . carefully. And no ability to get GPS reception so we had to wing it! Wi-Fi was unavailable in some