Introduction

     This is the life story of my parents, Richard John Decho [Dad] and Marie Margaret (Cristofaro) Decho [Mom].  I am their only child, Steven Richard Decho.  I began writing this in the summer of 2016, over 22 years after Dad’s passing and 5 years after Mom’s passing.  Mom and Dad were not famous, nor were their accomplishments anything that would be noted by historians – sadly, I am their only unredoubtable legacy.  They did, however, exemplify those members of the Greatest Generation: honest, loyal, hard-working salt-of-the-earth working-class folks who survived the Great Depression as children and World War II as young adults. They struggled and overcame adversities throughout their entire lives and succeeded in building a secure a loving home for us.  They are surely worthy of this humble tribute.

     Their story is not unique, dramatic, or intriguing, and would probably not be of interest to anyone beyond a very small circle of family members.  It is with profound love and respect that I write this biography, my meager attempt to honor their memory, even as I had hoped to honor them while they were still here.  My deepest regret is that I know so little about their childhood.  I could have easily asked – it’s not like I had to compete for attention with siblings.  Perhaps as a child, I would not have had a level of curiosity or consciousness to wonder what my parents’ early life was like.  But that excuse became invalid as I grew older. By then, my education, my career, and my family all took center stage.  Even after Dad’s passing, I still had almost 18 years to learn more from Mom, but I squandered that opportunity.  Now it is sadly too late.   I have pieced together as much of their life as I could from old documents, hundreds of ancient photographs, my own recollections and those of some surviving relatives, but there are many voids that will never be filled.  So, here’s your story, Mom and Dad – I pray I got it right.  I will love you forever...