Friendship for the ages

By Eric Seiverling

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

Mon Valley roots run deep, and for Allenport natives and lifelong friends William “Spike” Shannon and Chuck Colditz, their never-ending ties to each other have lasted 80 years and stayed strong even as Shannon’s career and sense of adventure took him around the world.

Currently a North Carolina resident with his wife Christy, Shannon returned home to participate in Monday’s annual Scott Smith Memorial Golf Tournament at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.

It’s a trip Shannon has made without fail for the past 28 years.

“No matter where he is in the world, he always comes out for this,” Colditz said as the two sat on the porch of Colditz’s Allenport home he shares with his wife Dolores.

The pair’s history together began when they were 2 years old and lived in the same neighborhood. Born only a month apart in 1940, their friendship grew as they played on baseball teams, spent time at Allenport Methodist Church, hung out at Chappy’s store and participated in Boy Scouts.

“They called us Spic and Span,” Colditz recalled. “It was a different time growing up. We would get up first thing in the morning and we’d ride our bikes with our baseball gloves on our handlebars.”

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