CATCHING UP WITH . . . DONALD 'JAKE' HALPENNY, CLASS OF 1950

 


                                 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, now Allegheny Power, after 40 years at the Rivesville power station.

 

Music was Don’s passion, too. He was in the West Virginia Air Reserve National Guard band for 31 years, till 1981, the  United Mine Workers band in Monongah till it disbanded, the Virgil Vingle Orchestra for 21 years and Fairmont and Clarksburg community bands.

 

While I was at the 100th Monongah High Alumni Banquet in Fairmont over Memorial Day Weekend Jake was attending his daughter’s wedding ceremony in Fairmont’s Morris Park.

 

If you want to phone Don/Jake, as I did, his phone number is (304) 363-5893. I’m sure he’d be glad to hear from other Lions.

 

He lives on Park Avenue in Fairmont.


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