Local News
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Arcadia offering plates of support for one of its ownFEATURES WRITER
Like many small towns, the Arcadia community has a long memory and Joan Tesnow is one person they won't forget.
Community members have planned a memorial spaghetti dinner from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 18974 Ohio 12, Arcadia. All proceeds will benefit the family of Joan (Joann) Tesnow.
Eight months ago, Joan headed to the hospital with a pain she suspected was appendicitis. By the end of the day, doctors revealed she had a mass that was most likely cancer.
The next day, she was transported to Columbus for surgery and doctors removed a 10-pound tumor from her body. Joan was in stage IV cancer and returned to Arcadia to begin chemotherapy.
"She was handling the chemo quite well. She was doing so well, Dr. (Shirley) Cole ordered a body scan which showed some areas of cancer shrinking and no return to the area where the original mass had been located," wrote organizer Teresa Margraf in a release to the Review Times.
Unfortunately, there was bad news as well: There was a small tumor located near her spine. That tumor was too close to her spine to do surgery, so she began radiation treatments.
"Joan did not fair very well, the treatments were causing her lots of tiredness with additional pain and discomfort," Margraf said.
In the midst of her battle, Denny Tesnow, her husband of 35 years, was laid off from his job at Findlay Industries where he'd worked for more than 30 years.
"It took Denny a week before he gave Joan the news of his being laid off," Margraf said.
By February, Joan was in the hospital again and two weeks later, she entered hospice care. On Feb. 9, she returned home and five days later, at the age of 56, lost her battle against cancer.
After her loss, members of local churches, Arcadia United Methodist, Trinity Lutheran Church, Arcadia Church of God, West Independence United Methodist Church and Enon Valley Presbyterian, along with the Arcadia Lions Club and Washington Township Fire Department, have joined forces to host a benefit in her honor to help her family with the medical and other expenses accumulated during Joan's illness.
"Joan was a wonderful mother of five boys, Tony, Tom, Matt, Patrick and Chuck. ... This is a community effort and we are all working together to help," said Margraf.
Joan also worked for the Arcadia Local School as a cheerleading advisor, crossing guard, cook and monitor for more than 10 years. She was one of the first pre-school teachers at the Trinity Lutheran Church's Child Development Center and a Sunday school teacher at Trinity as well.
Cost for the event is $6 for adults and $3 for children age 12 and under. Dinner will include spaghetti, homemade meat sauce, salad, bread, dessert and a beverage. A vegetarian sauce will be available.
The spaghetti meat sauce is homemade and comes from a Trinity Lutheran member's personal collection.
The event will also feature a silent auction and a bake sale. The auction will include an autographed picture of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Palamalu; an autographed hat from NASCAR Bill Elliot and a collector's plate featuring him and a script from "All My Children" autographed by the cast; Tomhas Kincade collector's plates and lighted houses, theme baskets and a first edition print by artist Diane Greabner.
"Diane was so touched by hearing about the Tesnow family that she has actually renamed the original print 'A House for Denny' after Joan's husband Denny Tesnow," said Margraf.
Tickets are available at the door or at the Arcadia Superette Craft Gallery or Kathy's Korner.
For more information, call Rev. D.J. Dent at 419-894-6330 or Margraf at 419-894-6768 or 419-306-4269.
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Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
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