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Paronish left long legacy in short life
GIRARD
There’s a plaque in the trophy case at the new Girard High School dedicated to the memory of the late Gary Paronish, a former high school football player who graduated in June, 1979, then died about five months later at age 19.
Terry Paronish, an older sister, says it was a sudden cardiac event.
“It wasn’t a heart attack, but an irregularity of the heart,” said Terry Paronish, who now lives back in the home of her parents in Girard. “At that time, it happened to every 1-in-200,000 people,” she said of the Oct. 13, 1979 death.
At the time, Terry Paronish was 25.
“He was our baby until my parents adopted Jenny,” Terry said of another sister, now Jenny Beede, whom Gary Paronish wouldn’t have known.
Gary, a 6-3, 225-pound lineman, was first-team All-Mahoning Valley Conference three times, first-team All-Trumbull County and second-team All-NEO. He also excelled in wrestling.
He was a favorite of former Girard High principal Joe Cochran, who was instrumental in having the plaque displayed. Cochran, now deceased, was also supportive of Gary Paronish’s parents, who presented an award given in their late son’s honor.
“It was given to an outstanding football player at Girard, who also exhibited Gary’s traits of being a good person,” Terry Paronish said of the award given following a season.
As her parents, Paul and Angeline (Foty) Paronish, grew old, presentation of the award ceased.
Although Terry still has a shelf of trophies her brother received, the one at Girard High came from Gary’s cousins, who were on the Centeral Spanglar High football team in central Pennsylvania.
Five Paronish cousins played for Spanglar in the fall of 1979.
“They looked up to him, so they dedicated the season to him,” Terry Paronish said of the plaque that was brought here by the players. An autographed football was also presented to Gary’s parents.
After consolidation, the school’s name became Northern Cambria High.
Gary was also inducted into the Girard Hall of Fame in 2004.
“When they told my dad that Gary would be inducted, he cried,” Terry said of the moment back when her parents were still alive. “My dad accepted it for him.”
Terry said that Gary, who would have been 50 now, got started in football through area punt, pass and kick competition at age 9. “That instilled his love for football.”
Because her brother was dyslexic, Terry Paronish said, he had difficulty in school.
“In those days, it went undiagnosed, so he had difficulty learning,” she said. “Comprehension was hard for him because he had trouble reading. Gary didn’t have the best grades, but he developed self esteem because of the encouragement from football and the people around it.”
Although he was popular in school for his athletics, he was highly regarded in the community.
“He was one who always thought about volunteering his time or doing extra,” said Terry. “He did the right thing.”
She’ll bump into people today and hear stories about her brother.
“They’ll say how considerate he was for a 19-year-old,” Terry said. “I’m honored by what I’m told. I went to pick up a cake at a Dairy Queen and I was asked if I’m Gary’s sister. The guy was an altar boy in our church and he remembered what a nice guy my brother was.”
Terry’s older sister, Karen Barela, ran into someone at work who told her about the respect they had for Gary.
“They said, ‘We looked up to him.’ My sister said that brought tears to her eyes,” she said.
After the funeral, the Paronishes had 475 guests at their house for a mercy lunch.
“That was in October, but it was an honor for my parents to have that many people,” she said.
Joe Cochran continued to visit to offer solace and reflect on their son’s achievements and contributions.
“He said that Gary was not only a good player, but an all-around gentleman, which is really an honor for our family,” Terry said of sentiments expressed by Cochran.
Gary’s friends still stop over to talk.
“One guy from Kentucky called to tell me to put the spaghetti on for him,” Terry said. “Gary left an honest-to-goodness impression on people.”
Terry expounded on some of her brother’s qualities.
“He stuck up for the underdog and never felt he was better than anyone,” she said. “I think adversities make you a better person. I don’t think he saw that as a handicap. It was just the way it was for him.”
Terry said her brother didn’t go to college, but worked at the EASCO aluminum plant in Girard at the time.
“He had opportunities to play for teams, but school was too hard for him. He was a hard worker, but I don’t think he wanted to go to school,” she said.
Terry and Karen occasionally speculate what kind of life their brother would have had.
“He would have been a good family man, a hard-working guy who was a survivor,” she said. “He would have been an average guy.”
Terry said that Gary didn’t cause grief for the parents.
“He never caused them a minute of worry,” she said. “Friends say they hung out and didn’t get in trouble. For a boy, that’s saying something.”
Her voice weakened when she recalled Gary as a good brother and a good son.
“My mom was told that God takes your rosebud when it’s beautiful before the petals open,” she said. “That kind of consoled her. The reality is that you lose things in this world that are precious to you.”