Messuro, Dick G. Greece: May 24, 1938 - June 15, 2014. Predeceased by his wife Barbara (Landry) Messuro; parents, Diego Helen (Caputo) Messuro; sister, Mary Felice. Survived by his children, David, Kathleen, Michael (Marianne), Lisa (Jason) Floreano; grandchildren, Michail, Jefferey Brush, Elena, Nicholas, Madison, Anna Brayden; sisters, Michelina Dentino, Katherine Krahenbuhl, Genevieve Lostumbo; several nieces nephews. To light a candle of remembrance, visit www.aliferemembered.com Dick's visitation is 4-8 PM on Wednesday at the funeral home, 1411 Vintage Ln (between 390 Long Pond Rd). His Funeral Mass will be celebrated 9:30 AM on Thursday at St. Lawrence Church, 1000 N. Greece Rd. Interment Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. My dad was an honorable, generous, selfless man. It took me awhile to truly realize all that he did and sacrificed for us.... so we could be happy and have a good life. I admit that being the baby of the family, I may have been a little spoiled, and I probably didn't take the time to stop and think of all that he was doing for us day in and day out. But as I became an adult, and then a parent, I quickly realized just how selfless and generous he really was. Our dad suffered from vascular dementia, and although it impacted his short-term memory, he was still able to recall events and people from earlier in his life. So over these past 8 months, we were lucky enough to relive some of his favorite memories as he shared them with us, over and over and over  My dad was proud of his roots and proud of his family. He spoke often of growing up in the city, first on Smith Street, then on Wilder, then Ridgeway. He loved to talk about working side by side with his Pa, cutting lettuce, working in greenhouses and going to the public market. He bragged about staying out late with friends, then getting up an hour later to go work with Pa. He was also very fond of his mother's magic touch in the kitchen, especially her massive cookie production and Sunday sauce. He told many stories of growing up with his four older sisters and cousins. He liked to make it known he was the spoiled baby of the family. Our dad was a hard worker and entrepreneur his whole life...he was respected professionally and told stories of his success as an insurance agent and manager. He worked for Met Life and Travelers insurance for over 25 years, started DD Asphalt and Eastern General Insurance. He came home each night for dinner because family meals were important to him, and he would often go back out for an evening appointment. Speaking of meals, he never tolerated any of us being late for dinner. Mike was 2 min late 2 nights in a row, and my dad moved up his time to be home by a half hour so that would never happen again. And it didn't. I recall being outside playing in the neighborhood, and as soon as I would hear that whistle, I knew I better high tail it home so I wasn't late. My dad was always giving and providing. That's how he showed his love. Kathy reminded us of the many family vacations we took while growing up. He made sure we all had a car to drive when we turned 16. He looked ahead to the future and acquired rental properties so he could pay for us to go to college. As an inner city landlord, he had the admiration and respect of his tenants. Another testament to his good nature and kind heart. He at one point had 17 units, and 3 are still going strong. I'm sure he's a bit miffed now that he figured out we sold his first 4 units on Wright Street to pay for his homecare aides. . Our dad was the ultimate delegator and supervisor...he was known for assigning a task, sitting back having a smoke, and telling us all how we could improve our job performance. He believed there was no job too big for a ten year old kid. David was digging 40 holes to plant trees at that age, and Mike was painting our house at age 10. Let's get back to meals again. This wouldn't be complete if I didn't speak of my dad's love for food. Anyone who knew him knew that he loved to eat. He passed down the wonderful tradition of Sunday sauce, which we proudly honored this Father's Day. We will forever remember all of our family gatherings, birthday parties, holidays...quality time spent together as a family. If you were the one hosting, you would know that appetizers needed to be served right when he arrived, dinner had to follow shortly after, and the coffee better be brewing during the meal so it was ready for him right when he finished eating. And if you know how I roll, then you know that I caused him great stress when I hosted because nothing was on time, I always forgot the coffee, and one time I even forgot to buy the pasta for Christmas Eve dinner. Mike had to sneak out and go buy some spaghetti at a local gas station before my dad found out. It took me a long time to realize my dad's bark was far worse than his bite. He was actually a big teddy bear who loved the simple things in life: being with his family, sitting in his recliner, drinking coffee, watching horse races and boxing, and playing cards with his friends and family. Selfless and humble would be the two words I would choose to describe our dad. He never once complained about losing our mom, his wife of almost 27 years. He faithfully stood by her during her long battle with cancer, and never took credit for all he did to take care of her in her final months. He would only state that he was sad for her and what she missed...but never once would he say he was sad for himself and what he missed out on with her. His love for her never died...throughout these last 8 months, he often would say goodnight to her picture on his nightstand, and just two weeks ago when he moved into the Hospice House, I brought her picture to him, he took it in his hands, gave it a kiss, and whispered "I love you". Finally, they are together again. Thank you, Dad, for always providing for us, protecting us, and believing in each one of us. We always knew we could come to you no matter what, and we thank you for being our solid foundation, our rock.