Jun 6, 2026 By Katherine Mansfield 4 min read

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one in a daily monthlong series about the people who live in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, in recognition of America’s 250th anniversary.

You may not know her name, but if you’ve ever been to a Claysville Memorial Day parade, you certainly know her face.

“I think I’ve only missed, what, three, maybe, in 40 years,” said Terry (Miller) Domachowski, gazing down at the small town from her father’s gravestone inside the cemetery.

Domachowski was born and raised in Claysville when Minteer’s Market was the place to be and the Memorial Day parade was the premiere event and “everybody knew everybody’s business,” she laughed.

“We’d sit on the porch ’til 2 or 3 in the morning with the neighbors and it was safe. You can leave your keys in the car and … it’d still be there in the morning. It was just a nice, friendly town. Minteer’s Market was a big deal. They had penny candy, which is like unheard of now. You could get a big bag of candy for 25 cents. Every Memorial Day, it’s a real big deal, the parade,” she recalled.

She also recalled the pride her high school took in its wrestling program. McGuffey was regionally famous for its WPIAL teams and state champs, for its local rivalries (including against Wash High) and for the caliber of collegiate wrestlers and wrestling coaches the program produced.

“It’ll be our 50th class reunion this September, if you can believe it,” Domachowski marveled. “We graduated in ’76, that was the Bicentennial. That was a big deal.”

It’s been decades since Domachowski traded her 15323 zip code for a Southpointe address, but she remembers fondly growing up and starting her adult life in Claysville.

After graduating from McGuffey, Domachowski attended cosmetology school right in town.

“Then I got married, had four children,” she said. “I just stayed home and took care of them.”

The chaos of four wasn’t completely foreign to Domachowski, herself the oldest of four. But being a stay-at-home mom was at times challenging, mostly time-consuming – and, above all, a blessing. Domachowski enjoyed giving her all to motherhood, “imparting to them what I knew, and trying to raise them up the best you can, to guide them in the right way.”

The heavy lifting of SAHM life paid off in dividends: Domachowski and her husband are the proud grandparents to eight grandchildren.

“You think, how are you gonna – you loved your kids so much. And then each grandkid, same thing: You still have so much love in your heart for all them,” she said.

Domachowski has learned that she’s more lenient as a grandmother than she was as a mom, but one thing she is not: Willing to let her grandchildren beat her in a game of jacks.

“I’m not savvy with playing games, but I could beat them with jacks. I got a set of jacks and that’s the only thing I can beat them at. They don’t want to play with me,” she said.

Domachowski’s children and grandchildren know her as the reigning queen of jacks and as the family baker (“I come from a long line of good cooks and bakers. I can make a mean pie,” she said), and often request she arrive to an event with a Ho Ho Cake in hand.

Domachowski remembers her own mother as the woman who passed on those baking skills – and someone who could fix anything.

“She’s very strong and resilient. She and I can fix anything with a butter knife and duct tape. We broke a lot of butter knives, and we could fix a lot of things,” Domachowski laughed.

Five years ago, Domachowski’s husband, Ray, who retired from the business world, received a higher calling, and the couple opened the doors of their church, The Church at Southpointe. Much of the couple’s time is devoted to tending their flock.

“That’s happy for us. We’re getting some young people with little babies and kids, so that’s happy. It’s just a wonderful group of people,” Domachowski said, adding she grew up Presbyterian and faith has always played a role in her life. “I don’t know how people get through without it.”