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]

Terry married Lucinda Ann Youngs (daughter of Lester James Youngs and Mary Valeria McVicker) [Group Sheet]

Sandra married John Frederick Chauncey (son of William Chauncey and Irene Mary Moore) [Group Sheet]

Lacey married Kirk Patrick Garrett (son of Donald Timothy Garrett and Linda Sharon Bucy) [Group Sheet]

Jennifer married Mark Christopher Donoghue [Group Sheet]

Eric married Wendy Parker [Group Sheet]