Dear Trevor:

When you were born, I was still busy with my travel agency, Welcome Aboard. No matter what I was doing, the family continued to grow. You were the first child of my second son, Ken.

I am sure you don’t see your Aunts and Uncles as I do. Let me tell you a little about each one of my children. They were born in the following order: Patricia "Patty" Anne Dillon, (Nov. 24, 1940); Michael "Mike" Francis Dillon, (Jan. 20, 1942); your Dad, Kenneth "Ken" Price Dillon, Jr., (July 29, 1951): Thomas "Tom" Brown Dillon, (March 10, 1953); and Susan "Susie" Brown Dillon, (Sep. 9, 1959). I often use their childhood nicknames of Patty, Mike, Kenny, Tommy, and Susie in my letters.

Your Aunt Patty, a blue-eyed blond, is self motivated, and outspoken. She is shorter than my 5 feet 3 ½ inches. She and your Uncle Mike were inseparable growing up. She was only 14 months old when he was born.

She, Popper George (my husband), and I traveled the state often together campaigning, riding in parades, and attending political and community events. She was elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1980, Nevada State Treasurer in 1982, and District Attorney of Lander County in 1994. As you know she is now the District Attorney of Esmeralda County.

She has created a beautiful home for her husband, children and grand-children. She is a good mother, tolerant. She and her husband, Treat, were married in June 1961 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno, Nevada. They are the parents of your cousins, Elisa, Farrell, and Reynolds and grandparents of Brendan, Kelley, Morgan, Kenton, and Taylor and Henry.

Although he was fairly short, he became "Big Mike" after your cousin, Mike, Jr., was born. Your Uncle Mike was compact and small in stature, but strong and wiry. Of all my children, he looked the most like me with medium brown hair, and hazel eyes. He loved sports, especially baseball, golf and wrestling. He was athletic until he had his first heart attack when he was about 50 years old.

Mike strongly identified with my father, Tom, and my brothers, Tommy and Peter Farrell and their associations with the military. When he joined the Army, he became a member of the Green Berets. Mike served two tours in Vietnam. During his Vietnam duties, Mike and Mickey Arrington were married in Reno. They had one son, "Little" Mike, Jr., your cousin. "Big" Mike, Mickey and Mike, Jr., moved to Reno, when Mike retired from the Army. He opened a janitorial service business.

Later, Mike obtained his real estate license. Then, Mike worked for his brother, Kenny - your Dad - in his roofing business in Reno and in Las Vegas. Mike was self-employed in the roofing business for the rest of his life.

In October 1996 just before the general election, Mike had a heart attack and collapsed on a golf course and died before he reached the hospital in Sacramento, California. His death was a real blow to me; I never expected to bury one of my children.

I stopped working when your dad, Kenny, was born. I had morning sickness and was throwing up all the time. Nonetheless, I enjoyed having a new baby when he arrived. Kenny, was not as tall or as broad as his dad, Ken Dillon. When he was little he was a tow-head, very blond with greenish/blue eyes. A confident guy, very self sufficient and highly competitive. He made and kept friends. Some of the friends he still has today, he met at Helen Goodnight’s "Child Garden" Pre-School.

His father adored him - Kenny could get away with a lot of things, and did. Kenny strongly identified with his father and loved to do things with him like camping. Kenny was twelve when his father died.

Your father is a good communicator. I remember once when we were driving to Carson City together, he kept up a steady stream of conversation. Finally, he said, "I’m certainly awfully tired of talking." He was about ten at the time.

Of course you know, today, he owns D & D Roofing in Reno with Mike Dermody. He manages his money well and has provided nicely for his family. With his first wife, Judy Moffat, he had you and your sister Jennifer. Later, he and his wife Sandra Ward, had twin girls, Casey and Heather.

"Tommy," as your Uncle was called as a child, is over 6 feet tall with an average build. He has sandy brown hair and blue eyes. He and Susie look a lot alike and are buddies. To stay fit, he exercises regularly. He is generous, kind, tolerant, and a peace maker. As a kid, Tommy’s favorite activity was to fish on the Truckee by himself all summer long.

Tommy loves to travel. While in high school, he and his friend, Rich Hill, went to Europe one summer. Tommy, unfortunately, had his passport and his money stolen when he was in Paris. The U.S. Embassy assisted him in getting home. When he arrived in Reno, he didn’t even have the dime to call me to let me know he was at the airport. He was walking home with his knapsack and duffle bag, looking rather disheveled with unkempt long hair. The police stopped him. After they called me to verify who he was, I picked him up and drove him home.

He is an executive in the lumber business with Wickes Lumber in Chicago. For most of his married life he has lived in the Mid-West, returning to Reno with his family for holidays and special occasions. Tommy and his wife, Cathy DeTar, are the parents of Nora, Maggie, Patrick, and Katie and grandparents of Philomena, Nora’s daughter.

Susie has the same coloring as Tommy. She is pretty with big blue eyes, and is taller than I am. She is athletic and stays in good health. In school she did gymnastics and was a drill team member of the Reno High School’s Huskiettes.

Since she was the baby of the family, born six years after Tommy, she spent a lot of time with Papa George and me. Her friend was Monique, a black miniature French Poodle. They went together everywhere, including to bed. Monique was finally left behind with us when Susie went off to college.

Susie traveled to Europe, too. Twelve years old traveling with a teacher from Merry Berry Pre-School, they stayed in youth hostels in England and Scotland. They also took a Rhine River cruise and a horse drawn caravan tour of Ireland.

She is serious, hard-working. She spent several years working while studying for her CPA credentials. Susie currently works for Sierra Pacific Power in Reno using her CPA degree. She believes in women’s equality. She is an organized cook, a meticulous housekeeper, a typical woman of the 90's. She has time for her husband, Butch Anderson, and their sons, Scott and David, for her house, and for her business and personal activities.

All my children have turned out to be bright, capable, hardworking and successful, but there were many trying moments, too. None of them are saints. They are regular people each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Since my children were born over an 18-year time span, I spent more than forty years of my life raising children. I grew up with my kids. When Patty was born I was 19 years old and frankly did not know a lot. I was 38 years old when Susie was born. As the years went by I learned to be more flexible and understanding.

My children shape my life by exposing me to challenges, thanks to their activities. We spend most holidays together and skied, golfed, camped, traveled and did other things together. Some of our most memorable and laughable times were camping. I believe that I am closer to my children as they and I grow older. Next to my husbands, Ken and George, they have been my greatest cheerleaders and supporters.

Love,
Grandmommy
(Barbara F. Vucanovich)

© 1999 Patty Cafferata