Coach James Gene Spadaro Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

James Gene Spadaro, 90, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, March 19, 2019, at Bowers Hospice House. Gene, as he was called by everyone, was born in Mount Hope on July 6, 1928 to the late James and Eleanor (Miller) Spadaro. He has been reunited with his cherished wife, Camilla Fontana Spadaro who passed away in May 2000. He was also preceded in death by brothers, Jack, Benny, Bill and Buck and sisters Mary Patrick, Ruth Ann Bennett, and Honey Pyles. Gene was a member of Faith Baptist Church in Prosperity, WV. Survivors include two daughters, Gina Blankenship and her husband James of Mount Hope and Patricia Conelly and husband Todd, also of Mount Hope; sisters Rosie Stover, Josephine Robinson, Marie Bentley, Edith Bevins and brother Ted; six grand children, Jamie Ward and husband Kevin, Jeremy Blankenship and wife Jamie, Amanda Floyd and husband Jeffrey, Michael Conelly and wife Dominique, Chrissy Blankenship, and Michaela (Katie) Conelly; and 13 great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, and friends . Gene graduated from Mount Hope High School in 1948 then attended WV Wesleyan until 1951. Because Wesleyan dropped their football program, he transferred and graduated from Glenville State College in 1953 where he was selected to the first team All WV Conference in football. Upon graduating he was invited to the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, but instead went into the US Army, attaining the rank of corporal and serving in Korea. At the end of his service in the military, he returned home to the town he loved, Mount Hope, and began teaching in 1955. Gene also began his coaching career which included football, basketball, and track. As head football coach, his teams compiled a record of 55-27, including 1 playoff team in 1985. As head track coach, his team won four state championships in 1969, 1971, 1979, and 1980. Over the years, he coached thirty-one state champions. Twenty-three were individualists, and, of those, seventeen were in field events. He received numerous honors over the years, including the 1980 National High School Coaches Association District 2 Track Coach of the Year. His love for the students and athletes of Mount Hope High School kept him teaching and coaching until his retirement in 2008. He was a proud Mustang until the day he died. Services will be Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 1:00 PM at Tyree Funeral Home in Mount Hope with Pastor Larry Halsey officiating. Burial will be at Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Prosperity. Friends may call from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm. Donations of sympathy may be made to Mountain of Hope Organization, PO Box 323, Mount Hope, WV 25880 or Mount Hope Heritage and Hope, PO Box 230, Mount Hope, WV 25880. Online condolences may be sent to www.tyreefuneralhome.com

Coach James Gene Spadaro

July 6, 1928 - March 20, 2019

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