Repinski Family Tree
Repinski Family Line
Memorials
Michael Degaro-Paternal Uncle
Memories Of My Uncle Michael Degaro
On this day in 1975, Michael Degaro passed into heaven.
Michael was my 1st uncle that I remember passing away.
My cousin Laura posted her memory of her father on her Facebook page a bit ago and as I had already been working on some posts of the siblings of my dad and all of my other paternal aunts and uncles, I figured this would be a good morning to further dig into the life of this man who's memories are in the "childhood file" of my brain.....
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| Michael Degaro (1932-1975) |
My Uncle Mike was only 42 years old when he died.
He is buried in St. Bronislava in Plover Wisconsin, in the Repinski-Dulek family plot, having been one of the 1st of my uncles to have passed away.
Brief Biography of Michael A. Degaro
Ancestry of Michael:
Parents, Grandparents & Siblings
Michael was born on March 11, 1932 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
He was the son of Louis Degaro (B: 1903) and Margaret (Maggie) Cortez (B: 1906) of Milwaukee Wisconsin.
I have found that his ancestry from his father originated in this country in NY where Michael's grandparents immigrated to from Italy and that from his mother, it seems that her "Cortez" family originated in Mexico and before that from Spain.
Michael's father, Louis was the son of Samuel Degaro (B:1867) in Italy and Anna ? (B: 1876) in Italy.
Samuel and Anna immigrated to the United States in 1895.
According to the 1920 US Census (screenshot below), Samuel and Anna Degaro had the following children and others in their household in Milwaukee in 1920:
Mike was the third son of the above couple, having Leonard (B: 1925), Samuel (B: 1929) and Joseph (B: 1936) as his three other siblings.
Father Louis was 29 years old and mother Maggie was 26 years old when Michael was born.
This snapshot of Michael Degaro's life was captured by the 1940 U.S. Census.
Michael Degaro was born about 1932, the son of Maggie and Louis.
In 1940, he was 8 years old and lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his father, mother, and 3 brothers.
I am not sure how they are all related but as I am pretty good at the genealogical research aspect of things, I am sure that the connections are there somewhere.
Michael grew up in Milwaukee Wisconsin and from what I can tell from all the Degaro names below, (see screenshot) that he had an extensive extended family in the Milwaukee area.
As a young man, Michael served as a PFC in the United States Military. I am not sure how many years he served but must have been back in Wisconsin in the early 1960s as that is about the time that he married Mary Jo Woyak Repinski.....
Marriage & Children
Michael married my dad's sister, Mary Jo Repinski Woyak, in the early 1960s.
I do not know much about my uncle's early life but I do know that he and my Aunt Mary Jo loved each other very much during their short life together and that they would raise four wonderful children together; Connie, Richard, Laura and Scott....my 1st cousins.
"My Childhood Memories of my Uncle Mike"
While growing up and visiting my grandparent's family farm, I remember seeing my Uncle Mike and being in complete awe of him.
My parents would also take us to visit him and aunt Mary and their children at their home in Southeast Wisconsin many times when we were young.
He was a handsome man with a debonair look and from what I remember, with a very witty sense of humor.
I remember one Christmas on the family farm where I was a bit sad that grandma had somehow forgot to give me a Christmas gift (all of my brothers and sisters had gotten knitted mittens from her).
As I was crying in the front room of the farm house, he came in to the room and asked what was wrong. I told him that I didn't think that grandma cared about me as I didn't get anything from her....
A few minutes later, there was a giant (to me) pair of leather gloves handed to me....him saying that she hadn't forgotten about me, but that I was getting a special pair of "big man gloves" so I could help with chores on the farm and that they would fit me better as I became a handsome young man.
My aunt Mary would go on to have another husband after Mike passed away and though my memories of the ensuing years have faded in the midst of time, I will always remember that one Christmas on the family farm, where I was given one of the best Christmas gifts from one of the finest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Rest in peace Uncle Michael Degaro.
Your Nephew John Repinski
Sources & Further Reading:
https://www.weremember.com/michael-degaro/2x6l/memories
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/77292475
http://www.usgwarchives.net/wi/cemetery/portage-stbronislava.html
https://www.ancestry.com/1940-census/usa/Wisconsin/Michael-Degaro_2qsv6l
Family Trees:
Mike and Mary Jo Degaro found in 11 trees
Mary Jo Degaro from tree :
Degaro/Kreuser Family Tree
"Doris Katherine Krueser Degaro was the wife of Mike's brother, Samuel Degaro"
Record information:
Birth date/date/1932 city Milwaukee Wisconsin USA
Birth date/date/1942 city Portage Wisconsin USA
Marriage mm/year city Portage Wisconsin USA
Residence year city Sheboygan Wisconsin USA
Death date/date/year city Ozaukee Wisconsin USA
Record information.
Father:Repinski given name surname (1907-year)
Mother: Dulak given name surname (1907-year)
Spouse:Michael A Degaro (1932-year)
Father: Degaro (1902-year)
Mother: Cortez (1907-year)
266 People
9 Records
11 Sources
