“Do you know any Estonian folk songs?” the gentleman asked, seemingly serious, but with just a hint of a mischievous grin, as well.

I was playing music for a Sunday Funday about three years ago, and had solicited requests from the attendees, and that is how I met Edward “Teddy” Becker. I pride myself on being able to respond affirmatively when someone makes a request, but I had to admit that there were no Estonian folk songs in my repertoire. And I was still stumped moments later, despite the rendition with which Teddy proceeded to serenade me.

It turned out that Teddy had acquired his vast knowledge of the solicited songs honestly - his family hailed from Estonia. But he wasn’t born there; in fact, he was born in a displaced persons camp in the British section of West Germany, after his mother and sister Ingrid had fled Estonia in front of the pending Soviet invasion in 1944.

Legislation passed during the Truman administration led to opportunities for those who were displaced during WW II to immigrate, provided they had a sponsor. A church-led coalition from Buffalo participated in the program, and 3 year old Teddy and his remaining family (his father perished during the war) were soon en route to Buffalo, on their way to U.S. citizenship.

Growing up in a tough Italian neighborhood on the west side of Buffalo, “I was the only blonde, blue-eyed Lutheran on the block!” Teddy recalls. His mom remarried when he was five, to a neighboring Estonian-Canadian man. “He was my dad,” Teddy says.

Excelling in wrestling and football, Teddy was offered a scholarship from Springfield College in Massachusetts to play football, but he chose to stay close and attend Buffalo State University, from which he received a Bachelor's degree in anthropology and a Master’s degree in learning and behavioral disorders. He began to teach at the Buffalo State Hospital in the adolescent unit, but he knew he wanted to head to the northwest. And boy, did he ever - you will be hard pressed to think of a town more northwest than Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiagvik.)

As coordinator of special education in the North Slope Borough School District, in order to provide services to the widely dispersed schools in remote Eskimo villages, Teddy was flown all over the state by bush pilots. The district is as large as California, Oregon and Washington combined. Later, he moved to a log cabin on the Kenai River where he was involved with big game hunting and also coached wrestling. His team was undefeated for two years.  

The wanderlust bug continued to gnaw at him, leading to subsequent positions in San Diego and other cities, including earning a Doctorate in Education Administration at Northern Arizona University. He eventually made his way to Jamestown, New York, where he became Director of Pupil Personnel Services. And it was there that fate intervened, in that curious way that fate often does. More on that in just a bit.

Mary DiPersio, a self-proclaimed army brat, was born at Fort Dix. She spent her formative years living the typical army brat life, with stops in New York, New Mexico, California, before  graduating from high school in Junction City, Kansas. 

The thought of going away to college was undaunting to the well-traveled Mary, and she decided to attend Fairleigh-Dickinson University in New Jersey. The night before she planned to begin the journey, she packed the car full of her personal belongings, in order to get an early start the next day. Emerging from the house, the car wasn’t where she thought it was. She walked up and down the street, thinking that her mind must have played a trick on her. Alas, it was not her mind that was at fault - her car, and virtually everything she owned, had been stolen. It was but the first incident of a seemingly endless series of unfortunate events that led her to transfer after one semester to Kansas State Teachers College, now known as Emporia State University.

Graduating a semester early with a degree in special education, Mary got her first teaching job in January 1976 in Walsenburg, Colorado. After a year and a half there, she moved to Denver, as a teacher to emotionally disturbed students. Concurrently, she received her Master’s degree in special education and administration from the University of Denver.

Meanwhile, while Mary was working in Colorado, three young men in San Diego decided to ride bicycles to Boston Harbor. Stopping in Junction City, where, coincidentally Mary’s father had become the under-sheriff after retiring from active duty, they were photographed for the local newspaper, appearing on the front page. Have you already guessed that one of the young men was Teddy Becker?

After 12 years in Colorado, Mary felt that she was ready for a job as an administrator. One of the jobs that interested her was in Jamestown, New York, as a Special Education supervisor. She interviewed with, and was subsequently hired, by Dr. Edward Becker.

Dr. Becker obviously had an eye for talent, and knew he had made a great hire. In time, after they had moved to different districts, he became increasingly aware that Ms. DiPersio was more than just a skilled administrator, and they began to date. Mary realized early on that the charming Dr. Becker could spin a tall tale with the best of them, so she did not really believe him when he told her that he had ridden his bicycle through Junction City on his cross country trip, pouring a vial of Pacific Ocean water into Boston Harbor upon his arrival. Luckily, he was able to produce the front page picture from the Junction City newspaper to corroborate his claim.

Mary continued to progress in her career in education, and accepted positions as an elementary principal in Hornell, New York, and Suffern, New York. While in Suffern, she and Teddy married. When she retired, in addition to the 12 years she had spent in education in Colorado, she had worked another 29 years in New York.

When Teddy retired in 2008, he made it his mission to find the perfect place in Florida, and with the help of a friend, he extensively explored southwest Florida from Naples to Fort Myers, with the overall goal of he and Mary becoming snowbirds. Of course, he picked Pelican Preserve, purchasing a place in Verona before abandoning the snowbird plan and settling a few years later on Migliera Way. Teddy and Mary make good use of the amenities, utilizing the gym, pool, and dining options. Mary also plays pickleball and attends workout classes, and Teddy enjoys fishing, and riding his bicycle and Harley. He has, however, given up recreational flying, but not before buzzing Flip Flops a couple of times. 

Traveling is also a passion, and they have been to more countries than they can count. They returned recently from a trip to Vietnam and other Asian countries, circumventing the entire globe on this trip. They also make fairly regular trips to Estonia, where Teddy still has several relatives. And besides visiting loved ones, they look forward to going out and finding a band that can play some Estonian folk songs!