Every year, on the second weekend of July, St. Michael’s Church on National Road puts together The St. Mike’s Festival. This is a yearly fundraiser for the local catholic schools. The event has been going on since 1982, and ever since 1984 the same woman has been there at the ticket booth. If you have ever purchased tickets for the games at The Saint Mike’s Fest, it has been 75 year old Donna Marazita Clark that has rang you up.
A lot of things in the world have changed since 1984, but in many ways Donna has stayed the same, working the ticket booth, on the second weekend of July, from open till close,
“At first I was working on the side steps of the church, at some annoying game where I ended up having to chase a ball … and I said, no I’m not doing this next year,” said Donna,
“So the next year they decided they were going to sell tickets for the children’s game, and I said, I will chair that!”
And she did, and she’s continued to do so for over 40 years. Undoubtedly, if you have been to the Saint Mike’s Fest, you have exchanged words with Donna, even if just for an exchange of tickets. Behind the ticket booth though, Donna has had a long turbulent life, having deep ties to the state of West Virginia and the City of Wheeling.
Donna Marazita was surprisingly not born with that name, in fact she was born on July 10th, 1951 as Jacquline Bifano and spent the first months of her life inside an adoption orphanage in Manhattan, New York City,
“I was adopted when I was about 6 months old by Nicolas and Winnifred Marazita … an Italian-American couple,” Donna said, “We lived on Hobart Avenue in the Bronx.”
Her father Nick, was a long time employee of the world famous New York City Macy’s store on 34th street. Even retaining his position after returning from his service in WW2,
“He sold men’s shoes, then he got a promotion and sold men’s suits,” she said.
Donna grew up experiencing all the Bronx and New York City had to offer, visiting the Statue of Liberty with her girl scout group, and watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade with her father.
In the fall of 1963, at the age of 12, Donna and her family relocated to Tappan, New York – a suburb of New York City. It was here that Donna discovered her first true love. The Beatles, “Of course I watched The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, we all did,” she said, “We used to ride around in the car and sing Beatles songs … My aunt had a colored TV, and we would go there and watch.”
In 1969, Donna graduated from Tappan Zee High School, and by that same time next year, a move would happen that would change the course of her life.
In 1970, Donna’s parents would divorce. Her mother, Winnifred, quickly began a new relationship with an old friend, Charles Jones – a Wheeling Native and post office worker whom she knew from his time stationed in New York City in WW2. It was decided that Donna, her sister, and her mother would relocate to Wheeling to live with Charles.
“We originally lived out in Limestone, past Sherrard … for one thing I was very lonely when we moved, all my friends were in New York, and it was a lot slower paced here.” Donna said.
Very soon after moving to West Virginia, a chartered plane carrying The Marshall University football team crashed near Kenova, West Virginia, killing all 75 on board. Donna reflects that this event made a lasting effect on her,
“I became a West Virginian at that point, because I was just drawn into the grief of it all.” Donna said.
Whether you know it as a halloween horror walk-through or as a museum, The Moundsville State Penitentiary was once an operating prison, and this was where Donna got her first job in West Virginia. She worked in the administrative offices of the prison,
“At the time it was very loosey-goosey, they wouldn’t do this now, but they had these bingo games where the employees and the prisoners would mingle.” said Donna.
It was there that Donna met her ex husband, “Gene” Blake – the notorious Wayne County serial killer, who at the time had tricked everyone into thinking that he was an “upstanding” prisoner, who was ready for release – which he eventually did get. Donna and Gene would marry in 1978.
Together, Donna had her only child, Julie Blake.
Eventually Gene would go back to prison for good, leaving Donna and Julie together.
“It was just me and her..” says Julie Blake on her mother, “We did a lot of things through the church … I have always worked the festival with my mom, and now I bring my kids to the festival every summer.”
Donna has always been deeply involved with Saint Michael’s Church, going hand in hand with her job at The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Through this, the once lonely outsider from New York City, truly found a home for herself in Wheeling- eventually marrying the love of her life, John Clark, in 2001.
Although Donna has worked many jobs in her life, from prisons, to WVU, to insurance agents – Donna has always put her catholic beliefs first, and her work at the saint mikes festival ticket booth will always be her favorite.
Donna sums it up by saying: “my catholic faith is extremely important to me, and I thank god for it everyday … that’s what I want to be remembered for.”
