THE STRUGGLE OF LIFE AS TRUE LOVE PREVAILS

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Contents

About the Author........................................................................s xiiiAbout the Book..........................................................................xvIntroduction............................................................................xviiChapter #1 – "The Beginning"......................................................1Picture of Abe's Grand Father as Chief of the Fire Department...........................18Picture of Abe's Grandma and Grandpa Carmen and Armando Ramirez.........................19Picture of Abe's Dad and Mom Libertad and Beatrice Usera................................20Picture of Libertad as a Merchant Marine Band Member....................................21Chapter #2 – "Life in New Orleans"................................................23Picture of Libertad, Sergio and Bobby in New Orleans....................................38Picture of Beatrice, Carmen, John, Abe and Luis.........................................39Picture of Luis, Carmen, Abe, and John in New Orleans...................................40Picture of Pop with Baby Roland in New Orleans..........................................41Chapter #3 – "Life in New York City"..............................................43Chapter #4 – "Living in Brooklyn".................................................57Chapter #5 – "Pat's Story"........................................................73Picture of Pat's Grandma and Grandpa Mary and Albert Henry..............................92Pictures of Henry Children..............................................................93Picture of Sergeant Albert Henry........................................................94Picture of Grandma Vingenza and Grandpa Stephen.........................................95Picture of Grandpa Stephen and Grandma Vingenza Bile' with Children.....................96Picture of Pat's Dad and Uncle Thomas in 1924 First Holy Communion......................97Picture of Pat's Dad and Mom Frank and Helen Bile'......................................98Pictures of Pat age 2 with her Mother and Pat age 6.....................................99Picture of Pat with her sister Geri, First Holy Communion...............................100Picture of Pat with sisters Virginia and Geri...........................................101Picture of Virginia as a child..........................................................102Picture of Dad, Virginia and Mom in Brooklyn............................................103Pictures of Pat as a Tom Boy and Cool Cat...............................................104Picture of Steve as a child with Dad....................................................105Picture of Steve at Halsey Jr. High School..............................................106Chapter #6 – "Our Lives Together Continue"........................................109Picture of Abe and Pat as Native Americans..............................................136Abe's kid brothers on Halsey Street in Brooklyn.........................................137Picture of our trip to Coney Island-1960 with Friends...................................138Picture of Abe's Kid Brothers in Halsey Street Apartment................................139Picture of Carmen as a Senior...........................................................140Picture of Roland as a Teenager.........................................................141Copy of Poster of Fourteen Holy Martyrs Dance...........................................142Picture of Abe and Pat on Halsey Street.................................................143Chapter #7 – "Our Early Years of Marriage"........................................145Picture of Abe and Pat's Honeymoon......................................................165Picture of Abe with YA Tittle...........................................................166Pictures of Antoinette's Baptism........................................................167Picture of Christopher's Baptism........................................................168Picture of Teresa's Wedding Day.........................................................169Picture of Pat with best friend Pat D...................................................170Picture of Abe and Pat with children 1968...............................................171Chapter #8 – "Our Move to South Dakota"...........................................173Picture of Luis and Teresa with children 1969...........................................181Picture of Cherrie Ann's Baptism........................................................182Picture of the first Grandchildren in South Dakota in 1969..............................183Picture of Abe's first year as a Rapid City Police Officer..............................184Chapter #9 – "The Conclusion".....................................................187Picture of Abe with Conway Twitty.......................................................211Picture of Abe with Red Skelton.........................................................212Picture of Final Farewell to Pop........................................................213Picture of Libertad and Beatrice Ten Children...........................................214Picture-Last photo taken with Abe, Pat, and Children....................................215Picture of our Grandchildren............................................................216Epilogue................................................................................217

Chapter One

It was a cold winter day in the month of November 1944 that I was born in a building at 3140 Broadway in New York City. I was born to my parents, Beatrice and Libertad Usera. I was also the fourth child born to my parents. The other siblings were John, Luis and my sister Carmen. It wasn't too long after I was baptized on February 18, 1945 at the Our Lady of Esperanza Roman Catholic Church, our family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana. You see my dad was a professional Musician playing all kinds of drums. There was an offer for him to play Music in New Orleans at the time.

Before we go on about me, here is a little about my parents. My father, Libertad was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1906, to his parents Hipolito Hernandez Usera and Rosa Candida Vives Usera. Hipolito was Chief of the Fire Department in Ponce. The same year my father was born, my grandfather was having a drink, when someone had placed an unknown substance in his drink causing his death. The story goes that it was because of political reasons he was poisoned.

At that time my father had five brothers. They were Luis, Ramon "Moncho," Elpitio, Remigio and Hipolito Jr. My grand mother Rosa later married a Francisco Alverez. They had a son name Horatio. My mother had told me my grandmother Rosa had some Indian Blood. She was not sure if she was from the Tainos Tribe on the Island or the Aztecs.

Most of my uncles were musically talented. Uncle Hipolito Jr. was an outstanding musician and director of the city of Ponce's Orchestra. He taught music to Moncho and his other brothers. Moncho later in life became an orchestra leader. He was considered the best music arranger ever from Puerto Rico. He played clarinet, flute, saxophone and piano and was member of the Noble Sissle Jazz Orchestra from the late 1920's up to the mid 1930's. They played in Paris France in 1929....