Family Photo Archive

My Mom was a model, actress and singer in Pittsburgh during the late 30s and 40s. She had a chance to go to Hollywood, but her Dad was a police detective and said he would drag her back!

Mom as a little girl

Mom at HS Graduation

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Mom as teenager

Newspaper article with Mom

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Mom and me

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Mom and aunt Ruthie

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Mom and Kim Van Pelt

Mom and Billy

Mom and uncle Howard. My 4" newtonian scope behind them

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Kids and grandkids came up to visit Mom before she passed.

On her last birthday, I hired a barbershop quartet to come and sing for her.

Dad

Dad entered the Navy at age 16 — he lied. For a man who never graduated high school, he was the wisest man I ever knew, and a great father!

Dad and Frankie

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Dad was an aviation mechanic on the USS Reynolds

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fishing in Canada

Me and Dad in Canada

Dads business

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Dad and Billy. Dad became Billys step dad at age 10. dad gave Billy his love of hunting and fishing.

Dads convertible. The car I learned to drive on.

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Dad and Chi playing chess

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Dad meeting one of his heroes, Pavoratti

Dad at Travis's graduation

Travis visiting Dad at Elmcroft.

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Billy and his kids came up to visit Dad.

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When Dad was in Elmcroft, I would take a laptop and modem, and let him zoom with his grandkids and great grandkids. He cried.

Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad were married in 1952. They met at Dinty Moores Bar. Mom already had a 10-year-old son, Billy. I was born the year after. When they moved to Penn State in 1999 Mom started going into dementia. Dad took perfect care of her until her death in 2006. Then Dad got severe dementia and lived in a nice assisted living home where I, Suzi and the kids could visit him daily!

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They held poker games with friends in the N Suburban Homebuilders assoc. Typically, people would bring their kids, and we would all fall asleep watching TV.

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I bought them a brick in front of the State Theater in State College

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Their grave. Mom was cremated, but said it was OK for Dad to keep her ashes to put in his grave with him.

Billy

Billy is my older, and only, brother. He was always very good to me, although we had arguments, as brothers do. He graduated with an EE degree from Penn State. He became a salesman for tech companies and his job was to take big customers hunting or fishing. He was a genuine expert at both. He retired in the 90s and spends his life happy on his Texas ranch or Colorado cabin.