Mathew Colchamiro

[from a book by JH & JK:]

Matthew Colchamiro married Esther Lippman on the 2nd of March 1940, in Brooklyn. She was the daughter of Alex and Rose Lippman and was born on July 11th 1918. Matthew worked as a pattern maker and production man for a sportswear firm called Hazan Togs. During these years he did business with his cousin Nathan Kaplan.

Matthew & Esther's first child was born on the 21st of September 1941. It was a boy named Arthur Colchamiro. Another boy, Stephen Colchamiro was born on the 4th of February 1945. A girl finally came on November 29th, 1951. They named her Susan Colchamiro.

All their children were born in Brooklyn, were they lived. Soon all Matthew's spare time was filled with scouting and Little League. He got so involved that he was on the committee responsible for organizing the Kings Highway Area's Little League.

Matthew retired after 26 years and his attention turned to the Masonic Fraternity where he served as Post Master and Secretary of the Lodge. Matthew and Esther sold their home in Brooklyn in 1980 and bought into a co-op. Matthew soon got involved and became their President.

    After being a devoted wife and mother for 28 years Esther, Matthew's wife, found it boring staying home so she took a civil service exam, passed, and became a College Office Administrator.  She continued to climb the ladder of success and, after 14 years retired.  However after being home awhile she decided to go back on a part time basis and worked for Brooklyn College.

Sadly, their son Arthur died in 1994, of cancer. He was only 53 years old.

Both Matthew and Esther visited their grandchildren often. Matthew also enjoyed playing pinochle, a favorite card game enjoyed by the Colchamiro men of old.

After living a wonderful life Matthew Colchamiro died from a heart attack on the 28th of October 1996 in Brooklyn, New York where he lived all his life. Esther followed a few years later on the 28th of February 1999 in Flushing, Queens, New York.

[JBA:]

For many years, Matty and Esther and their family rented an apartment from Matty's cousin Morris Colchamiro, the son of his uncle Leon, in the same house where Morris and his family lived. Thus these two families remained very close, and their children grew up together. Morris' son Elliot was very close with Arthur, and people used to mix them up. Elliot told me that they all called Matthew "Uncle Matty", because he was more like an uncle than a cousin.