The Archives: Family: Book 4

Chris Cancilla was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the East Side, in an area known as Collinwood; near East 158th and St. Clair. He really liked growing up there and would not trade it for anything. The friendships he made in Elementary School at Holy Redeemer School, and in High School at St. Joseph (now called Villa Angela - St. Joseph’s) are priceless and some of them are still in force. For most of his youth, he worked in the family business, DiLillo Brothers Dry Cleaners, for his grandfather Carmen DiLillo; and at DiLillo Brothers Men’s Wear for his uncle Tony (everyone called him the Czar). He also ＂apprenticed＂ with his Uncle Duke who had a radio and TV repair shop smack-dab between the men’s wear store and the dry cleaners. But, he enjoyed working in the dry cleaners for his Grandfather the most. In his youth, he really enjoyed Scouting. Spending a great portion of it in multiple Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout Troops and Explorer Posts, Scouting influenced his life in a very positive way, and the training, knowledge, and education he gained during his youth in the troop is still influencing his decisions as an adult. The ideals of Scouting, especially the Oath and Law, serve him today like a moral compass, guiding his actions to be a man his family can be proud of in all aspects of his life. After high school, Chris spent 14 years in the U.S. Air Force where he managed to see a large chunk of this 3rd stone from our star, but his only regret was that he never made it below the equator, so he never got to see the toilet swirl the other way. During his Air Force career his favorite assignment was to Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado where he could ride motorcycles and camp in the Rocky Mountains. This is a close second to the 2 years he was assigned to, and lived in, Keflavik, Iceland; a place where he and his wife Tammy became the best of friends and experienced some really odd and unique landscapes, and adventures. One of which was Chris starting and being the Founding President of the SCUBA Diving Club on Naval Air Station Keflavik, ＂vorn kafara a Islandi.＂ He and his wife Tammy, along with their daughter Allison and son Gregory, all live in a western suburb of the Atlanta area of Georgia. You cannot forget to mention his cat, Snip, who is like a little buddy. Snip follows Chris around from room to room, you may or may not see him all the time, but he is always close by. When guests arrive however, Snip is there at the door to greet them.＂