Eric married Wendy Parker [Group Sheet]

John married Sandra Marlene Sisco [Group Sheet]

William married Irene Mary Moore. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Leon Arthur Sisco was the second child born to Olin Reece Sisco and Ethel Mae (Banker) Sisco on Monday, April 9, 1923 at the Wilson Memorial hospital in Johnson City, NY. Leon was a twin to Leo Howard, who was born with a spinal defect that took his life at nine months of age. At the time of Leons birth, father Olin was twenty-six and mother Ethel was twenty-three.

Leon spent his formative years growing up at 6 Theron Street, Johnson City, New York. He attended elementary school in Johnson City.

His grandparents owned a small family farm located on Bogart Street, Hallstead, PA and as the country was at the end of the Great Depression, they were having difficulty maintaining the farm financially. So, in early 1935, Leon´s father Olin made the decision to move the family from Johnson City to the Hallstead farmstead to assist. Leon's parents waited until June when school was out for the summer before making the move.

His sister Dorotha Sisco Thomas, relates a couple of stories that she remembers. In Hallstead, Leon and his grandfather Luther Sisco tended to chores on the family farm while Olin Sisco sold Prudential Insurance during the day. Olin never had more than three or four cows at a time. Leon and his grandfather had completed milking the cows and they had put the milk into the separator located in the basement of the home. At one point Leon did something that didn't suit his grandfather and Luther kicked Leon down the cellar steps with a pail of milk. Olin scolded his father for disciplining Leon saying that if there was any disciplining to do of his son that he would be the one to do it.

Soon after moving to Hallstead, Pa, Leon got a dog and named him King. King would follow Leon everywhere he went. Leon told his mother that if he were ever sick and not able to do chores, just follow King because he knew where to go. The milk man that drove the delivery truck would intentionally get King to chase him. One day the driver deliberately ran over King. Leon found his best friend dead. Dorotha Sisco Thomas remembers Leon leaning against the kitchen counter crying saying that "My King is gone." He was very distraught at losing his best friend.

While attending Hallstead High School, Leon met and fell in love with one of his classmates, Esther Louise Bailer. After school he would walk her from the school, located on Franklin Avenue, near the First Baptist Church to the DuBois farm on Harmony Road in Hallstead, Pennsylvania where her parents were the caretakers and the family lived.

On December 7, 1941, Leon was milking the cows in the family barn. While milking, he had the Emerson box radio tuned to a music station when the news reports of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor were announced. After graduating from high school, Leon felt compelled to join the cause and on December 12, 1942 enlisted in the United States Navy. The day that he left from the Binghamton, NY train station bound for basic training in Albany, NY, he had left his dirty clothes on the bathroom floor having just taken a bath. Upon seeing his clothes his mother broke down and cried.

While in the Navy, Leon was the signalman on supply ships and held the ratings of AS, Signalman Third Class (SM3c), Signalman Second Class (S2c), and Signalman First Class (S1c). He attended service schools at the US Naval Training Center in both Newport, RI and Noroton Heights, CT, SERVsch in Newport, RI, USN ACG Brooklyn, NY, USN ACG Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA and served on the ships USS Yucca and USS Thorn. He was honorably discharged in December 1945. Most of his travels were throughout South America and the South Pacific.

When on leave, Esther would meet Leon in New York City. It was while on leave that on July 27, 1943, he and Esther were married at the First Baptist Church, Hallstead, Pennsylvania by Reverend Joseph B. Harrison. Leons son Terry Sisco has a notebook that contains the love letters that they exchanged throughout the war.

After the war, they both worked in the Hershey Chocolate factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Leon had heard during the war that working for a utility provided consistent, secure work at good pay so he applied at the New York State Electric & Gas Company in Westover, New York. He started in 1946 as a laborer at the Goudy Station in Johnson City, New York, working on the coal piles moving the coal to the coal burning turbines. He advanced to pump operator in 1950, to turbine operator in 1951, to switchboard operator in 1955 and to unit boiler operator in 1968. He worked his way up through the ranks eventually becoming the foreman of the Goudy steam plant.

Leon worked three jobs to support his family while the children were young. In addition to the electric company he also worked for the Pepsi-Cola company delivering soft drinks and then in evenings he would collect money that people owed for magazine subscriptions. Even though he worked long hours, he always spent time with the family on special outings such as visiting the Ross Park Zoo or weekends at the Chidesters cottage in Pennsylvania.

On November 4, 1955, Leon and Esther signed a mortgage of $12,250 to purchase and build a home at 806 Douglas Drive, in the new and expanding suburbs of Endwell, New York. Both Leon and Esther were very active at the Berean Baptist Church in Endwell, New York. Leon helped to build the current structure on Farm-To-Market Road across from the Maine-Endwell High School. They enjoyed traveling and camping with other families of the church spending summers at the Chenango Valley State Park and Sherkston Shores in Canada.

They purchased a mobile home at the Colony Park in St. Petersburg, Florida after retirement where they would spend the winter months near their son, Terry Sisco who lives in Tampa, FL. During summers, they spent time at Lake Timberline in St. Joseph, Pennsylvania where they permanently park their camper. In their retirement, Leon and Esther enjoyed traveling the country.

In the late 1990's it was discovered that Leon had hepatitis C. Through the spring of 2000, Leon grew progressively weaker. He began kidney dialysis as his kidneys had begun to shut down. He wanted to get back to his home in Florida before the cold weather set in. It was only a short time after arriving in St Petersburg that on October 20, 2000 he passed away at 9:40 am with his entire family at his side.


Buried:
Lot 155 Section K Floral Park Cemetary Johnson City NY

Leon married Esther Louise Bailer 27 Jul 1943, Hallstead, Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. Esther (daughter of Charles Bailer and Dora Maude Hobart) was born 2 May 1923, Otisco, Onondaga, New York, United States; died 7 May 2002, Johnson City, Broome, New York, United States; was buried May 2002, Johnson City, NY. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Esther was born at home on Route 80 Otisco, New York. She fondly remembered growing up next door to her 'Aunt Kate' Catherine Schneider. In fact she spent most of her time at Kate's. She attended school in the one room schoolhouse on Route 80, which is now a house next door to the Otisco fire station. She was sick quite often suffering from tonsillitis. Her aunt Kate would give brother Horace a nickel a day to go to the store to buy Esther ice cream to make her throat feel better.
Esther´s father Charles and his brother John Bailer ran the farm together but they were not able to make it a profitable venture. John moved to Great Bend, PA to go to work for the D, L, & W railroad and urged Charles to do likewise. When Esther was in the sixth grade the family did just that, It was while attending Hallstead High School that Esther met her future husband, Leon Sisco. After graduation she moved to Hershey, Pennsylvania and worked in the Hershey Chocolate factory cafeteria. In December 1942, Leon enlisted in the Navy and at this time Esther moved to Endicott, New York and went to work for IBM where she worked on the B-29 bomber. She lived on Roosevelt Avenue in Endicott renting a room from Mrs. Harrington.
Esther and Leon were married at the First Baptist Church In Hallstead, PA in July 1943 while Leon was home on leave. When Leon was discharged from the Navy at the end of World War II, her employment with IBM was terminated as they would not employ married women to provide as many families as possible with at least one source of income. At this time Leon and Esther rented an apartment on Main Street, Hallstead, Pennsylvania. One year later, her first child Yvonne was born. Approximately one year later they moved to Hawley Street in Binghamton, New York. At this time she was working at Sears Roebuck, Inc. on Court Street. While pregnant with their second child, Leon and Esther moved to Chenango Street. When Sandy was born Esther stopped working at Sears. Now with two children, the family needed more room, so they moved to 4 Newton Street on the second floor. Then in 1952, Esther had their third child, Terry. In 1955, Leon and Esther purchased their home at 806 Douglas Drive in Endwell, New York. Harvey's Chicken Farm was located between 553 Hooper Road and 565 Hooper Road, Endwell, NY. It ran west across Patterson Creek and up the hill to Stonefield Road where the parking lot is for the Catholic church. In 1957 Esther went to work a few blocks from their home at Harvey's Chicken farm where she candled and packed eggs. In 1962, she went to work for approximately one year with the General Electric Company in Westover, New York until they lost their government contract. She then went to work again for Sears in the catalog department eventually retiring twenty-four years later from the electronics department. Church life was very important to Esther & Leon. They were very active at the Berean Baptist Church on Farm-to-Market Road, Endwell, NY located directly across from the Maine-Endwell High school. Esther taught children´s Sunday school and was a leader in the Pioneer Girls program. Sunday nights after evening church the Sisco home was the place to go for dessert and fellowship.
Once the General Electric government contract ended, Esther was laid off at which time she went back to work for Sears Roebuck & Co. on Chenango Street in the Catalog department. This department was located in a separate building from the main store and was without heat. It was extremely cold working there in the winters. She eventually was transferred to the Electronics department and sold TV's, stereos and other consumer electronics.
Esther and Leon loved to travel and


Buried:
Floral Park Cemetery

Died:
Wilson Memorial Hospital