West Milford What happens when a pretty young girl and a cute young guy are working in the same A&P but haven’t found each other yet? Well, that’s when co-workers step in and move it along. Linda from the meat department, and Roy from the deli department, did get together and, saying a lot for fix-ups, the De Francos will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary next summer. The De Francos had missed each other before. They were both born in Paterson and raised in Wayne and at one time Roy delivered newspapers on Linda’s street. By the time they met they were both attending Paterson State Teachers College. They began dating in 1965, graduating together in 1969. Roy, now age 64, went into the Navy in 1966 serving on the USS Francis Marion, an attack transport out of Norfolk, Va. Usually away for three months at a time, when shore leave came around he and three or four others would cram themselves into a Volkswagen Beetle for the ride home to New Jersey, hitchhiking his way from the drop-off point on Route 3. “Most people would see a uniform and would pick you up. Service men were treated pretty well,” he said. Roy and Linda eventually settled into their lives and their careers and the couple moved to West Milford 32 years ago. Both got jobs in the Pequannock School District, Linda teaching first grade and Roy teaching seventh and eighth grades. Linda, 62, has been teaching now for 36 years, with four years off when she was raising her own children, Roy and Matt. She spoke about the early years, when teachers were alone in the classroom, had to wear dresses every day and had many more mundane tasks in the classroom. “I had to wash the board and desks in a dress and high heels,” she said. Roy moved on to Hopatcong as a high school principal in 1987, retiring in 1990. But his retirement was short lived when he accepted a job with the Diocese of Paterson Catholic Charities’ Department of Persons with Disabilities (DPD) in Oak Ridge. “It changed my life,” Roy said. According to the DPD mission statement, the organization provides residential, vocational and social services to persons with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. Their goal is to help those so afflicted to be functioning members of society and to live a life of dignity and peace, fully accepted with love. DPD operates nine group homes and two supervised apartment buildings in the area. One group home, the Wehrlen House, is located in West Milford. Each home has a director, an associate director and a program director, plus a variety of other care givers. “Every single day of the year, 24 hours a day, there is supervision,” Roy said. Roy’s current position involves public relations and fund raising. He reports that even in these tough financial times people are generous to the cause. The homes, integrated within their neighborhoods, have impressed evaluators from across the nation. Roy and Linda take this all to heart and volunteer their time, too. “One client is a part of our family. We go out to ball games and take him out to eat. He likes diners,” Roy said. So, the young guy and the young girl got together, had their own family and, through education, went on to affect the lives of many children over the years. Now through their work and volunteerism with the handicapped, they give much of themselves to ensure the dignity, happiness and well-being of persons with disabilities. Next summer Roy and Linda will celebrate their anniversary on a Rhine River cruise in Germany. Perhaps they will drink a toast to the friends at the A&P who thought they would make a good couple. The De Francos have submitted one of their favorite recipes.
Marinated Steak with Caramelized Onions
1/4 cup of Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
4 tbsp. A-1 steak sauce
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, sliced very thin
1 boneless beef sirloin steak (1-2 lbs.)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 large onions, sliced very thin
Mix dressing, 3 tbsp. steak sauce, brown sugar and garlic until well mixed
Pour over steak in shallow dish
Turn steak to coat both sides
Place in refrigerator for approximately one hour to marinate
Heat olive oil in large skillet (non-stick is best) on medium-high heat Add onions
Cook and stir approximately 5 minutes, cover and continue to cook on medium-low heat for approximately 15 minutes or until onions brown. Stir continually
Heat broiler and remove steak from marinade (discard marinade) Place the steak on the rack of broiling pan
Broil four inches from heat for approximately 8 minutes on each side (depending on your taste, this can vary)
Remove from heat and cover.
Let stand at least five minutes before cutting into thin slices across the grain
Stir remaining steak sauce into onions and serve with meat