billy zanieski
Billy J. Zanieski, 69, of Weirton, passed away Wednesday, June 22, 2016 in the Weirton Medical Center. He was born October 16, 1946 in Steubenville, OH, a son of the late Stanley and Stella Sudol Zanieski. A teacher for 39 years, Mr. Zanieski served 32 years for the Hancock County School System and seven years at Madonna High School. He was a member of Sacred Heart of Mary Church and the Holy Name Society. He had a passion for sports, having played football for Syracuse University and was a long time football coach for both Weir High and Madonna. He was also an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He served as Chairman of the Human Rights Commission and was a member of the Democratic Executive Committee and the Syracuse Football Letterman's Club. Mr. Zanieski was a former member of the Weirton City Council and served in the United States Marine Corps. Billy is survived by his sons David and Steven Zanieski; brother Stanley (Rose Mary) Zanieski all of Weirton; sister Victoria (James) Kamppi of Lady's Island, SC and several nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held Friday 2-4 and 6-8PM at the Greco-Hertnick Funeral Home, 3219 Main Street, Weirton. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10am Saturday at Sacred Heart of Mary Church with the Reverend Father Anthony G. Thurston officiating. Interment will follow in Highland Hills Memorial Gardens, Follansbee where Military Services will be conducted by the American Legion Honor Guard. Memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart of Mary Church, Post Office Box 2247, Weirton, WV 26062 Funeral Home: Greco Hertnick Funeral Home 3219 Main Street Weirton, WV US 26062

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  1. I have lost a truly great classmate and friend but you have lost more. I am very sorry for your loss. Rest in peace dear friend,

  2. Very sorry to hear of the passing of Bill Zanieski. He was a classmate of mine, Class of 1964, Madonna High School, and he was one of our best and brightest.

  3. My heart goes out to all of Bill’s family. God bless you all. Bill was always a lot of fun to be around. May he rest in peace.

  4. Condolences to the family. Growing up on Weircrest as a young boy I episodically ran into Bill and he was always smiling and friendly. Same for high school. Rest in peace Bill

  5. Billy, you were a great classmate, dear friend and Weircrest buddy. I will miss you.

  6. Stunned to learn of Bill’s passing…we had been classmates since First grade at Sacred Heart and then Madonna High. I also worked for him when he was part owner of Pat’s Place in Weirton years ago… My prayers go out to his family.

  7. a great lose to the Madonna family of friends, Bill be miss a good friend, Condolences to the family

  8. Stunned & saddened! Bill was a classmate from 1st grade to 12th. With both our last names beginning with Z, we were always seated by each other. God’s peace to his sons, sister, brother & families & all who knew & loved him. We will all miss you!

  9. David ,Steven,and the Zanieski Family I am so shocked and saddened to hear the news about Bill I have been very close to him for so many years and have been his barber up until now he was one of my favorite people a wonderfull teacher and a very good friend to me I will miss him dearly please except my condolences and May God give you peace and strength to get threw such a Horrible time in your life…

  10. Dear Zanieski Family, Bill was one of my high school teachers and later a colleague of mine. I always enjoyed his stories while he was teaching and later as we spoke of students together. He will be missed by all. Always had a way to make people laugh. RIP Bill

  11. My deepest sympathy to the entire Zanieski family. Having played and coached with Bill we shared many fond memories of Madonna football. I will miss reliving those memories with him. His smile and humor will be missed by all of the members of the Madonna Class of 1964.

  12. My deepest condolences to the Zanieski family. Talking about class – Bill was a special individual and a very proud Weirtonian. It was a honor to know him and always a pleasure listening to his stories. He will be missed.

  13. My sympathy to the Zaniesky family. We have lost a classmate since grade school. We will miss him greatly.

  14. Condolences to the Zanieski family.Bill made an outstanding contribution to the education and athletic programs of the city,as well as the community and it’s government.

  15. MY CONDOLENCES TO THE ZANESKI FAMILY. HEWAS OUR HEARTS ARE HEAVY, BUT WILL WILL MAKE YOUR BURDENS LIGHT. A CANDLE WAS WAS LOT FOR HIM AT SACRED HEART OF MARY. MAY IT SHINE FOREVER IN YOUR HEARTS. RITA R. RUSZKOWSKI(MHS’72)

  16. So sorry to hear! Your memorie will forever remain in my heart! God bless your family, prayers for you to get through such a horrific time.

  17. We are shocked and devestated by the sad news of Bill’s passing. Please accept our condolences. My husband, Bob, was a friend for many years. I remember meeting Z so many years ago when my husband and I were dating. My first impression was how good looking he was. In later years, he and I saw each other at social studies workshops. We were both teachers although I taught at Follansbee Middle School. We will miss him.

  18. Zanieski family, Bill was a great guy and a wonderful teacher and coach. He was loved tremendously by the Madonna class of 1972.

  19. The Madonna family will surely miss Bill. He was a teacher when I was at Madonna. He never changed…forever the nice, friendly, funny person from the first day you met him. Prayers for all of the Zanieski family.

  20. We have lost a very dedicated member of our Sacred Heart of Mary parish. He will be missed by all that knew him. “Eternal rest grant unto Bill ,O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him May the soul of the faithful departed servant, Bill, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”

  21. Our deepest sympathy to the Zanieski Family. Bill was a wonderful and kind man. He was generous with his time, insights, and talents. May he rest in the Peace of Christ.

  22. We have such fond memories of Bill. Through the school system and in the community. Sending our deepest sympathies during this difficult time. Praying for family and friends through this sad time.

  23. Words are hard to find to express how sad we are to lose such a wonderful friend & classmate, Bill was friendly , caring , had a smile for everyone and a loving wonderful father to his sons. So many fond memories we hold in our hearts. Bill will be missed and will never be forgotten.

  24. Shocked & saddened to learn of Bill’s passing. So many fond memories of Bill during our high school years together. And, always so good to see him whenever our paths crossed after that. Sending condolences to his family.

  25. Stunned and saddened to hear of your loss. The world has lost a wonderful man. I was so happy to see him at our class reuniMon joking as always.

  26. Truly a loss to all who knew “Bobo”. Condolences to friends and family. You were a great friend and team-mate during our years at Syracuse. You will be missed. Rest in peace, my friend.

  27. Sad to hear of Bill’s passing. As first a student, and then a lifelong friend, I will miss his humor and good nature. He was always fun to be around. May God be with his family and bless them in this time of sadness.

  28. Dear zanieski Family, I am sending my deepest sympathy for our dear friend, Bill. I knew him as a classmate at Madonna and I am so sad to learn of his untimely passing. Take good care of each other at this sensitive time and keep his memory close to your hearts. He was one terrific man!

  29. You were much too young to leave us Billy but you are truly at peace now. I so much enjoyed our football years at Syracuse and the memories we take from them. My prayers today are for your family and friends. Semper Fi brother. Rest in peace and we’ll see you on the other side.

  30. We are so sorry to hear of the passing of Mr. Z. The McDaniel family (Cindy Chiodo McDaniel MHS ’74 and Lisa Chiodo (MHS ’75) had the opportunity to spend time last summer at our home with Mr. Z, M/M Bill Barrett, M/M Mel Coleman, Mike Delre, Sister Gail DeMaria, M/M Jim O’Brien. Good people, good times, fond memories. Rest in peace Mr. Z.

  31. Shocked just shocked is the only words that come to mind right now. Bill you left us way too soon. Prayers to your family and RIP.

  32. My deepest sympathy to the Zanieski family. May God watch over all of you in this time of sorrow. The world has lost a good teacher, coach and more importantly person. Rest in peace “Z”.

  33. I’m so very sad to learn that my dear friend has passed away. He was a good, kind person who loved God and his family. We played Words With Friends many times, and he usually beat me!! I will never forget our conversations and his funny stories. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him. Rest in peace, Z.

  34. I was deeply saddened to hear that Mr. Zanieski has passed away. He was one of my 7th grade teachers at Weir Middle School and he was my grandparents’ neighbor. He was an extremely nice person and he will be missed. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

  35. It’s a sad day for the SU football family…we knew Billy as Bobo and will always remember his humor and dedication on the practice field…we’ve lost a special teammate and friend who was so proud to be from West Virginia…may his faith bring comfort to his loving family..you will be in our thoughts and prayers

  36. I am so sorry for all your sorrow tight now. I have a good idea what you are going through. I will be praying for you all.

  37. My sympathies to the family. I really enjoyed how Z always got on me about being a Penn Stater. It was always fun talking with him about our old football days. Take Care

  38. Rest in Peace Coach Z!!! It was an honor having you as a coach and then coaching with you. You will be missed by all that you coached, taught, and coached with. Weir High will miss you! My sympathies to the Zanieski family! God Bless!!

  39. Dear Zanieski Family, I had the privilege of working with Bill on the Fair Housing Committee for a short while.and the last city election process. He was a man who was committed to any project he was involved with. He cared deeply and gave his best. May God comfort you and hold you in the palm of His hands. Rest in peace Bill.

  40. Steven & David, I’m truly sorry to hear about your dad. Your dad was a great person and always friendly. He truely talked about my daughter Paige to everyone I know. It was so shocking to hear this happened and we are all very saddened by this sudden tragedy. I hope that you boys can find peace that he didn’t have to suffer. Our deepest sympathy to you and your family, Chrissy & David Dalrymple

  41. It is my wish to express my sincere condolences to the children, family and friends of Mr Zanieski, who was and will forever be known to those about the hallowed halls of Madonna High School as Z. I had the privilege to be acquainted with this man as a teacher, coach and friend from September 1972 to June 1976. Z was just one of the nicest people you ever could find and he treated us with so much respect. We were not just students to him and he talked to us like we mattered. He had a great laugh, a huge smile, and I still remember how he would perch himself on one of the desk tops in the lecture room and make jokes as he taught us in Problems Of Democracy class. I got to reconnect with him after thirty plus years via Facebook and Weirton/Madonna pages and found he was still the same, our beloved Z. He made us feel special, cheered us on, helped us bury and grieve the loss of a classmate, sat beside us at pep rallies and church services in the gym, and I cannot recall one time that he raised his voice. I hope it helps to ease the sadness of your loss knowing he made the lives of so many better and that he is remembered fondly by me. He was a one of a kind person who will be missed tremendously the world over because he was a teacher and we carry him in our hearts and memories. God bless you and comfort you as you send him off to heaven. Rest In Peace, Z, and, if you see any of my ancient ancestors up there, ask them what they actually did for a living. LOL I wish my own kids had been blessed with a wonderful teacher like you.

  42. I had the pleasure of knowing Bill as a classmate at Madonna High – Class of ’64. A great guy. He has left an indelible mark on the community and will be sorely missed but never forgotten. My condolences to his family. Les Halapy

  43. As has been so extensively and resoundingly attested by all of his classmates, Bill was truly one of the most memorable! Our next reunion will not be the same. Thankfully, the fond memories he left with all of us will help to fill that void. My deepest sympathy to his entire family.

  44. My deepest sympathy to the Zanieski family. I had the pleasure of teaching with Bill at Weir Middle School. He always had the students first and foremost as he taught. He will never be forgotten by anyone who knew him. Rest in peace!

  45. I am so sorry to hear the passing of Bill’ s death he was good man and and always had a great story to tell. Bill was a friend of mine and he will be sadly missed by all who new him.

  46. Our deepest sympathy to your family. Mr. Z was an entertaining teacher throughout my high school days at Madonna and our children had the pleasure of being his students at Weir Middle school. He will be missed. Our prayers are with you. Michael and Toni (Orlando) Gurskey and family

  47. Sincere sympathy to all the Zanieski family. Was so happy to see Bill when I was in Weirton recently and the Chiodo’s threw a barbeque. I have many fond memories of our times on the MHS faculty. And, if memory serves me correctly he never went Christmas shopping till Christmas Eve….(I couldn’t even imagine it!!!). A great guy, a great teacher, a great coach and a wonderful husband and father I am sure. Many blessings to all Gail DeMaria, CSJP

  48. To the family of Bill God took him too soon. he did a lot for the city of Weirton May he rest in peace with the angels.

  49. My deepest sympathies to the family. One of my favorite memories was when you got that Ford Mustang and me and your sister and Linda Kolosky wanted you to take us for a drive. You said, OK if we paid you. And we did! We thought we were so cool riding in the back of your car waving to everyone in the neighborhood. Rest in peace.

  50. To Bill’s family, friends, students, and classmates I am so sorry that Bill was called home. I was shaken to read of his passing. We just had dinner together a long with a few classmates in February. Bill was always there for me when I came home. Semper Fi brother. Christ Pace to you and yours Bill.

  51. To Bill’s family, friends, students, and classmates I am so sorry that Bill was called home. I was shaken to read of his passing. We just had dinner together a long with a few classmates in February. Bill was always there for me when I came home. Semper Fi brother. Christ Pace to you and yours Bill.

  52. To Bill’s family, friends, students, and classmates I am so sorry that Bill was called home. I was shaken to read of his passing. We just had dinner together a long with a few classmates in February. Bill was always there for me when I came home. Semper Fi brother. Christ Pace to you and yours Bill.

  53. This probably will not be seen since time has passed by, but I just watched this video and it brought tears to my eyes. Billy was a special friend, teacher and policyholder of mine…I wrote some of my favorite memories on FB already…but I was thinking about him and I truly miss him. I am so sorry for your loss, Steven, David and family. He was a funny, sweet and generous man. God gained an angel that day. Many blessings to all of you as you continue without your dad.


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