Raul Cano

. Born in Arequipa, Peru in 1926, Raul's family in later years relocated to Lima, Peru. He came from a very creative family that was known as savvy builders and construction workers. As a young man, he too was very gifted in engineering, tooling and as an electrician. In Lima, Peru he studied at the Politecnico Nacional Institute where he studied as an electrician and machinist. It was in Lima where he met and married the love of his life, Maria Nacary in 1955. Soon thereafter they had two children, a daughter MariaElena and a son Lito. In 1960 he had the opportunity to come to the United States with his father Mariano and mother Seferina Cano. With the support of his loving wife, Raul made the sacrifice of relocating to Washington State to the Seattle area without his wife and children to build a new life for his family in America. It was not an easy journey to start a new life in America. He was already in his early thirties and had little money in his pockets and he knew very little English, but being a man of great faith and belief in God he knew this step would bring his family much opportunities for their future. After he arrived in Seattle, he worked alongside his brother Rodolfo painting and remodeling homes in the King County area. A year later he saved enough money to send for his wife and children and they too joined him in 1961 in Seattle. The following year they welcomed a daughter named Leslie. In the early sixties, Raul studied as an electrician at the Thomas Edison Institute in Seattle in the Central district. He was a very hard worker and devoted husband and father. It was through these strong work ethics that he began to create his own American dream when he purchased his first home in Seattle in 1962. It was at that time he became employed by the Tally Corporation which later became Mannesman Tally and he worked their till the 1980's. After the company closed he worked a short time for Korry Electronics and then at the age of sixty when most people thought of retirement he became employed by The Boeing Company where he spent the next ten years as a machinist in tooling. He was a very religious man who for many years was a faithful parishioner of Christ the King Church in Seattle. He always had a lot of faith, courage, strength and love and it was those values that he bestowed on his family. He was so proud of the many opportunities that America provided him and his family that he became an American Citizen. His wife Maria and their two children also became American Citizens. Raul was a very devoted and beloved father who was always there when you needed him. He helped his family out tremendously and was a great fixer of things and when you needed a hand, you could just call him and he would come running with a smile. He was known to his grandkids as Dada and he and his wife Maria loved to travel and spend time with their grandkids. In his later years he devoted much of his time to help his daughter Leslie and her son Matthew. As a husband and father, he was so selfless and thought first of the wellbeing of his entire family which included all his grandchildren. He was so proud of each and every one of them. It was through his step of faith and courage that his family too had great opportunities in America receiving four college degrees and prominent jobs in the Seattle area. Dada to all of us signifies Love. If you were to read, I Corrinthians 13:4-8, you would say, "That's Dada!" Our family was so blessed to have Dada in our family as a great father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He will be greatly missed by all of us. Our hearts are deeply saddened but at the same time we all feel a little bit of joy to know that he is now in heaven alongside his wife and our mother "Maria".